What Makes Jesus Happy: Commentary On Isaiah 53

How many seek the way of the cross? To allow all their pride, sin, and shame to be carried by another man and put to death. It would mean we owe him our all in all and this is the truth of it. We owe him our all and with our all we should surrender until we see our lives enter into the accomplishment of his labor. He is presently watching for this fruit. His satisfaction comes as we grab ahold of these things by faith as he did. By faith he marched to Calvary, with no outward signs of any good to come of this, but he marched on. The crowd mocked him, beat him, spit on him. And the world is the same today. When one takes a step out to trust in the very words of Christ, when one dares to believe in his total redemption for their spirit, soul, and body, the mocking voices are spurned. The beatings begin. The spit flies. And usually it begins with our very own unbelief. It begins with the very desires within us which still cling to this world. The devil tries to tell us, these things are not for us. But against all evidence, Jesus pressed on in faith.

How beautiful our Savior is to press on. And how beautiful our Father God to give encouragement to us as we walk this path of faith. God gave Jesus a mercy, a taste of why he was there, a fruit of his labor. When one steps out and lives by faith, there will always be fruit. God will not be mocked, what one sows, one reaps. While on the cross Jesus met a man desiring salvation. And on that man we find ourselves, wretched sinners whose sin, pain, sickness, infirmities, pin us to a cross as we wait to die, and many of us only seek pleasures in that hour but still find no comfort. Some try to imagine their pain is not real and they are actually laying on a beach thinking to themselves, take a few more pills, make a bit more money, and everything will be alright. But the worst of all is when we think we’ve accepted Christ but we’ve never desired the work he accomplished. How many desire righteousness, to be pure, to be filled with the same all encompassing love he had for us? To love him so dearly we’d ask him where’s our cross. Where are we to go? How can we work to see his labor not go wasted in our lives? To press in so wholeheartedly that nothing else comes before the desire to see his work fully fulfilled in our lives.

His joy comes from seeing your soul find healing and peace. His satisfaction comes from seeing you healed, not sick. Many feel God wants them sick, or wants them in pain, or wants them to fall. This could not be further from the truth. Every trial and every sorrow, Jesus says they are bound to come, but he then declares, “fear not for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). His satisfaction is seeing you delivered from yourself. Seeing us delivered and redeemed to follow him into eternity.  We should seek that which brings him joy. It is owed to Him for the work He did. To shake free the things which try to beset us from fully surrendering to Him. To shake free by faith of those things which seek to hinder us from following his path for us. But the path is narrow. The path is hard. But on the path are the joys of heaven. The joys of walking in faith just as he did. And on this path we can experience his very real presence carry us, surround us, and dance over us with joy. He wants to see you delivered and healed, not in bondage. All we have to do is believe, putting our trust in his work.

Would you dare to believe? Would you dare to pull on the hem of His garment? To reach out and grab ahold of Jesus. To pull on the very Spirit of God. To reach and keep reaching in prayer until you know you’ve grabbed ahold of all He has secured for you at the cross. Will no other treasure come before the treasure of salvation? To stand in faith until we’ve been entirely emptied of ourselves so that only Christ remains. Jesus knows this is not an impossibility. He stands watching as He did with Stephen when Stephen had fulfilled God’s will for his life. He stands watching to see these things come to pass in our life. He is confident for this to be a reality for all who would believe.

Convicting hearts – Empowering faith – Transforming lives

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