As we continue our LIFELINE series this week we are looking at Isaiah 52 & 53. We will see that Jesus was treated the way we deserve to be treated so that we could be treated the way that Jesus deserves to be treated.

As we look at this passage let's consider and meditate on Jesus the Servant:

1. A Sovereign Servant (52:13)

2. A Suffering Servant (52:14, 53:4-5, 7, 10, 12)

3. A Sinless Servant (53:9)

4. A Silent Servant (53:7)

5. A Substitutionary Servant (53:4-8, 10, 12)

6. A Saving Servant (52:15; 53:11)

Fill in Notes available at this link:

https://notes.subsplash.com/fill-in/view?page=s4fqV6MFQmR

Stories of transformation give us hope, inspire us, and motivate us to consider that things can be different.

The story of Rahab from Joshua 2 is a great story of transformation. She was transformed from shame into God's hall of fame, from prostitute to princess, from harlot to heroine, from somebody who walked in the night to somebody who walked in light. All of that was demonstrated when she showed her faith by a cord, a rope of scarlet, a scarlet-covered rope out the window.

There are several things to consider as we look at Rahab:

1. Her status as a working prostitute

The whole point of Rahab, in fact the whole point of most of the biblical record is God's grace, that God saves undeserving people.

Ephesians 2: 8-9 By grace, you have been saved. Through faith, not of yourselves. It is a gift of God. Not by works, lest anyone should boast."

2. Her service as a willing protector

3. Her salvation as a work in progress

a.) She heard about God

It's all how you look at things. If you look and say, we have big enemies, it's because you have a little God. If you have a big God, your enemies shrink. You have a big God, then you have little enemies. You have a little God, you have big enemies. It all depends on how you look at it.

b.) She believed what she heard

If your faith depends on visible signs, then if the sign is missing, you faith will struggle

c.) She demonstrated what she believed

It was an outward sign of her faith

4. Her significance as a wonderful paradigm

None are so bad that they can't be saved, and none are so good that they don't need to be saved.

We want to urge you to take the next step with Christ. Take that step of surrender, salvation. Take that step of repentance, the turning away from your sin and turning to Christ. Take that step of obedience to follow him.

Want to talk with someone about your next steps with Christ? Text "Next" to 662-301-9107 to connect with one of our pastors. We would love to hear from you.

Vlad is here to share this week's midweek message from our Grounded reading plan. You can join us in the reading plan here in the Longview app OR at LHBC.me/Grounded

As we continue our Lifeline series we take a look back to Genesis 22 at four phrases that describe the story:

1. Preparation (Gen. 22:1)

To set the stage we see several things that occurred in chapter 21.

- Abraham's first son, by the name of Ishmael, leaves the family.

- There is an altercation between Abraham and one of the local leaders that gets resolved.

- The birth of Abraham's second son, Isaac, takes place. After these things, God tested Abraham.

There was a period of rest between chapters 21 and 22 while God was preparing Abraham to face the greatest test he would ever face in chapter 22.

- Do you ever fear what God might allow to come into your life?

- Do you ever wonder if you'd be able to handle some great trial or heartache like this?

During the period of rest God prepared Abraham and made sure that he learned what he needed to know and that his walk, his faith, was stable.

You need to know that Abraham is about to suffer this great trial because of what God tells him to do, but afterwards comes a great blessing that follows on the heels of the trial. There's a great reward that is coming after this hardship.

2. Examination (Gen. 22:1-2)

"Tested" - to prove value, to prove quality, to prove the worth of something

It is true that God tests you. It is also true that Satan tempts you.

- God tests you to bring about your development and growth

- Satan tempts you to bring about your destruction

Abraham's test was to see who he loved more. Did he love God more than his own son whom he loved so deeply?

3. Submission (Gen. 22:3-10)

How is Abraham able to respond obediently?

- Abraham had come to know for certain that God is faithful and can be trusted. He knew that God is not fickle and untrustworthy. He knew for certain that he could trust God.

• Hebrews 11:17-19, “By faith Abraham, when he

was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the

promises and yet he was offering his one and

only son, the one to whom it had been said, Your

offspring will be traced through Isaac, He

considered God to be able even to raise

someone from the dead;”

Application: What do you do when life seems illogical? Get theological. Start reasoning based upon God's character. Let your calculation, your logical thought, be upon who you know God to be.

4. Anticipation (Gen. 22:11-14)

God renamed the place "The Lord will provide" using future tense. There's an anticipation, an expectation of something else to come. "In the Mount of the Lord, it shall be provided."

It is a foreshadowing of the coming Christ. There are many similarities between Isaac and Jesus.

- Isaac and Jesus were both born miraculously

- Isaac and Jesus were both promised

- Isaac and Jesus were both named by God before they were born

- Verse 2 is the first use of the word love in the Bible which in context reflects the love of a father for his son while he gives his son in sacrifice.

- The peak of Mount Moriah is called Golgotha

- Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice and Jesus carried His own cross

The difference for Jesus was that there was no ram caught in the thicket. There was no substitute for Jesus so that he, himself could live.

When Abraham lifted that knife, all of Heaven must have marveled at how a man could love God so. But when Jesus died on Mount Moriah on that cross, all of Heaven was stunned at how God could love mankind so.

A Lifeline is a thing on which someone or something depends or which provides a means of escape from a difficult situation. A rope or line used for life-saving,

In this series we are reminded again that redemption of mankind was planned before the foundations of the world the path is not as straightforward as following a MS delta highway. It's following a blood-stained thread from Eden to Eternity. This series will lead us on a journey through Scripture tracing the unique path of redemption woven in red.

As we see the Israelites come to Aaron and ask him to make them a false god to worship. We may have the tendency to think their actions are unbelievable! Yet, are we that different from the Israelites in this passage? Maybe we're more like them than we care to admit.

There are 4 ways that we a s a people in the church today are reflecting the people of Exodus 32

1. We want leaders without conviction

The people came to Aaron wanting false gods. Aaron, a person in leadership, gave a sinful people exactly what they wanted.

We have the tendency to want leaders to give us what we expect in success, regardless of their prayer lives, regardless of their knowledge of the Word, regardless of their holiness or purity, we want their popularity instead.

- Convictions you MUST demand of any spiritual leader:

- Demand, "Don't give us what we WANT to hear"

Aaron, as a leader had his own idol in this story, which many leaders today struggle with: the praise of people. If a pastor depends on the praise of people, he will dilute the message.... and people will die because of it.

- Demand, "Don't be content by our outward behavior modification"

Spiritual growth, or sanctification, is not just stopping sinful habits; it is removing anything that competes for you allegiance to Jesus.

- Demand, "Don't treat sin as if it has no consequence"

The Gospel is to preach the cross... to tell of what God did TO Jesus in OUR place.

Jesus is the one who not just offered to die in your place, but DID die in your place. Human leaders will let you down, but Jesus will NEVER let you down. Build your life on Christ, not any pastor, but demand much of your pastor.

2. We want salvation without commitment

By God's grace we have been saved through faith; it's faith, not from ourselves, it is a gift of God- a FREE gift of God. Part of that gift is a new heart. We have been regenerated in our hearts from the inside out at that point of salvation where we begin to desire what Christ desires--begin to want what Christ wants.

3. We want worship without cost

In Exodus 32 we see Aaron built an altar and told the people, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord." He's trying to have it both ways, worshiping gods, and pretending to worship the true God. But the reality is they were not worshiping GOD. They were worshiping themselves under the guise of worshiping God. Are we sometimes guilty of the same? We want things our way. We want music that is pleasing to us. We pray, but not too deeply to make us feel uncomfortable. We listen to the preacher as long as we like what he has to say and then for many of us we check out and have no response or life change from what has been preached. We give, but only a small percentage are committed to giving faithfully.

When we go home who have we really worshiped? We have catered everything to revolve around US! Worshiping self under the guiles of worshiping God.

Where is brokenness and humility in our worship?

If there is no room for brokenness and humility in our worship, then there is no room for God in our worship -- no room for God -- because self dominates.

4. We want a god without consequences

On the golden calf:

"The cow gave no law and demanded no obedience. It had no wrath, or justice, or holiness to be feared. It was deaf, dumb, and powerless; but at least it could not intrude on their fun and call them to judgment. This was a religion designed by men, practiced by men, and ultimately useless for men." ~ R.C. Sproul

Is this what we want? A god who is okay with our lifestyles? A god who is not going to intrude on our fun? We want a god of love and compassion who has no holiness or wrath or justice to be feared. We want a god who would not think of disciplining or punishing us or the people around us for our sin. We have created a god without consequences.

THIS IS NOT GOD! This is a golden calf.

The God of the Bible is a God of retribution, and His holiness is to be feared, and His wrath is real, and His holy anger is real, and in His holiness, He is obligated to obliterate sinners.

We we realize the depth of what it means to seek out leaders without conviction, and to devise salvation without dedication, to manufacture worship without humiliation, and to create a god without retribution -- when we realize the depth of that picture of sin, it is at that point we will realize that we NEED exactly what they needed in Exodus 32. What they needed was a new leader - a SAVIOR!

They needed someone to save them from their idolatry. They needed someone to save them from the depth of their sin. They needed someone to transform their hearts, and praise God, we have one!! His name is JESUS!!

When we sincerely pray, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," we will surely become a target for the enemy. The next line of The Lord's Prayer is vital as we pray to the Lord for protection.

"Do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one". The heart of this request is for divine protection. It is asking God to protect you as part of your prayer life.

1. Purposes of the Petition

The greek word, "peirasmos" can be translated as "trial" or "temptation" has two uses, a negative use and a positive use depending on intent and context.

- God brings trials into the life of a believer to develop him or her. Much like one would lift weights to build muscles. Lifting weights can be difficult and even painful but the result is a stronger body. The trials that God brings us through serve to strengthen us spiritually, to cause us to grow in our relationship with God.

- Satan brings "temptations" into your life with the intent of destruction.

- Notice the positive purpose of trials

- James 1:2-4

James says, "consider it great joy when you experience various trials". Various here means multi-colored. It represents the idea that we will face trials of different levels and intensities.

Why should we count it all joy when we come into God ordained trials? Because it's always for our own development. That is GOOD NEWS! We're not joyful about the pain of the trial but we ARE joyful about the PURPOSE of the trial.

- Notice the negative purpose of trials

- James 1:13-15

When you are tempted to do wrong, at that point your own flesh has entered the picture to entice you with what God has intended as a trial to grow you, while the enemy wants to use it as an attempt to harm you. Satan wants to take the opportunities God gives you for development and turn them into opportunities for destruction. That's the enemy's negative purpose to bring sin and defeat rather than righteousness and victory.

See Matthew 4 where God sent Jesus into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. The devil attempted to destroy God's purpose by tempting Jesus with things to entice his flesh. It was the same event being used by God to test Jesus and by Satan to destroy him. The issue becomes how we respond to these trials and temptations.

2. Process of Protection

What does God do?

See 1 Corinthians 10:13 "“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

- Hear this, God is faithful!

You need to understand that God is faithful. You can count on Him when this happens. When you face a trial in life on or solved from the devil, God is what? Faithful means dependable, bankable every single time.

- God limits the extent

All of the temptations that come our way are controlled by God. He limits how far Satan can go. God is faithful in this. You might think, "Well, I don't feel that way." Please know that the issue here is God's faithfulness, not our feelings. Whenever our feelings and God's faithfulness clash we must recognize that our feelings will lie to us!"

- God provides the escape

God will show you a way out, a detour, a way to escape the temptation. There is always a road out because God is always faithful! God says, even in the pain of the trial, look for Me. I’ll show you the detour. Isn’t that what James 1:5 says? If any man lacks wisdom, that means I can’t see it. I know there is a road here somewhere, but I can’t see it. God will give you the wisdom to see the road and take the route that you might endure it to the lesson being learned.

3. Prayer of Protection

Why pray this prayer?

- God is a delivering God

• When Peter was in prison and the church prayed, God is a delivering God.

• When Esther was faced with death and the death of the Jewish people and she prayed, God is a delivering God.

• When Daniel was about to go in the lion’s den and he prayed, God is a delivering God.

• David all through the Psalms says He delivered me from peril. He delivered me from persecution. He delivered me from famine. He delivered me from this. He delivered me from my enemies. He keeps talking about this delivering God.

The sacrificial work of Jesus upon the cross is the ultimate delivering. I was dead in sin, headed to an eternity in hell separated from Him. Jesus took on our sin so that we may be delivered into His righteousness.

We often have the perception that God's commands are too restrictive and hold us back. In this study of Exodus 20, Pastor Whit shows us that God's commandments are not a path to bondage, but a path to freedom.

The role of the commandments in our lives:

1. Commandments keep us out of bondage, not lead us into it.

An overview of Genesis up to this point shows us that God created the world as a reflection of Himself and he called it good. His creation was a perfect state of peace and harmony called Shalom.

However man rejected God's rule and the curse of sin brought on complete disarray, death, and destruction to God's perfect creation.

God chose to save His people through the descendants of one man, Abraham. Throughout Genesis we see that God is working to make a nation out of Abrahams descendants, Isaac, and Jacob. They grow into a great nation but are held in bondage for 425 years in the land of Israel.

As we arrive in Exodus this generation of Israelites has no memory or knowledge of anything but slavery and bondage.

God chose Moses to deliver His people out of Egypt. God sent the plagues to display, not only His ultimate power and authority, but the restoration of the rule of God. When we disobey God, the Designer of creation, life and nature unravels.

Thus, obeying these commandments is freedom.

2. Commandments reveal God's revelation of Himself

After the children of Israel have come out of slavery in Egypt God introduces Himself to them as He descends on the mountain covered with fire and smoke, trumpet blasts, earth quaking... s spectacular display of His awesome and terrible power. Moses disappears into the cloud of smoke for 40 days and comes back down with these 10 commandments from God. These commandments are God's revelation of Himself, His character, His beauty, His holiness, His righteousness.

To love Him is to desire to know Him and be with Him. This is done as we obey Him. Obedience to the commandments flows out of love for God.

3. Commandments reveal the state of our hearts; but they cannot provide salvation

Our human nature often desires to do the exact opposite of God's commandments. We see them as restrictive. That being the case we see that our natural heart's desires is depravity. The commandments are righteousness, revealing that our hearts are filthy. The commandments are godliness, revealing that we naturally desire godlessness.

There are 2 things the law cannot give to us...

1. A righteous record

No matter how hard we try we could never perfectly live out God's law with absolute pure motives and satisfy God's expectation of perfect holiness. Our hearts are too wicked because of the curse of sin. We cannot do it. We are completely ruined by sin.

2. A righteous desire

The law does not provide us with the power to do what it commands. The law is the standard but it does not provide the power to restructure our hearts and move us and change us.

This sounds hopeless. What can we do? We come to Christ

Galatians 3:24 "The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith."

Jesus fulfills what the law could not:

1. A righteous record

Jesus absorbed the fury of God's wrath in our place. Our sin deserves the eternal horrors of Hell. But on the cross all of the fury of God's holiness and wrath was poured onto Jesus. Jesus took the cup of God's wrath and drank it to the dregs, turned it over and said, "It is finished!

2. A righteous desire

God is not after dutiful obedience. He's after a genuine obedience flowing out of love and delight in God, not from the threats of the law.

Through faith in what Jesus has already done, not from fear of what will happen if we don't, God creates that delightful obedience in us.

There are many who think they can be good enough for God to accept them. That's just simply not possible. You will never be able to know if you've been good enough.

Here's the good news: Jesus took my place!

I'm accepted because of what Jesus did for me, and my obedience flows out of that. The obedience God is after can never be created by the threats of the law, only by the wonders of grace.

The commandments find their fulfillment, in EVERY way, in Christ.

- Knowing Him gives you the power to obey them

- Makes you enjoy them... Christ is life

- When you know Christ, that will give you the trust to submit your will to His

What does this mean today?

You need Jesus. Give up the idea that you're fine without Jesus. no, you are guilty of unspeakable violations of the law, and you have no chance of making it in heaven. You have absolutely no hope without Jesus. Life won't work, and you'll be lost forever in eternity. Jesus alone gives fulfillment in life and peace in death. You need to come to Jesus today!

God our Father loves us, His children, though He doesn't love our messes. And when He recognizes our messes he doesn't let us stay there and wallow in it. Just like an attentive parent would change a dirty diaper, God seeks to clean us up from our messes.

In this message Whit takes a closer look at Matthew 6:12 of the Lord's Prayer and the phrase, "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."

We all struggle with two parts of forgiveness.

1. Forgiving ourselves and believing that we are forgiven by God.

2. Forgiving others and being haunted by the consequences of not forgiving others.

The Major Understanding of Forgiveness:

In this context the scripture speaks of forgiveness in comparison to a financial debt. In Jesus' day people were imprisoned for unpaid debts. Debt was considered a serious offense with equally serious punishment. To be forgiven of a debt was considered an act of extravagant mercy.

Forgiveness is like that. It is the decision to no longer credit the offense against the offender’s tab, to no longer credit the offense that the person has done to God or that they have done to you, to no longer, place that offense on their account, to no longer charge them for it.

Why must I pursue forgiveness if I’m already a Christian and thus I’ve already been forgiven by God? Great question! There are two types of forgiveness mentioned in this instance:

1. Judicial Forgiveness (Greek word Charizomai)

Legal forgiveness or judicial forgiveness has to do with being forgiven for the penalty of a crime or of a sin. When you trusted Jesus Christ, you were legally forgiven. In the courtroom of heaven, the slate was wiped clean when you were born again. It was not only wiped clean of your past sins, it was wiped clean of your present sins. It was wiped clean of your future sin, so that sin can never come up with regard to your relational standing with God. That’s one of the reasons you can’t lose your salvation. The reason you can’t lose your salvation is that sin can never be brought up in relationship to your salvation.

2. Relational Forgiveness (Greek word aphiemi)

This goes back to the phrase, "our Father". The Lord’s prayer is not dealing with God as a judge, it’s dealing with God as a father. He is our Father, and while you may be legally free in terms of your status with God as a son or daughter, that does not mean you are relationally free with God as a father. While the legal issue is settled once and for all, when you come to Christ, the relational issue has to be settled regularly.

The Manner of Forgiveness

(Matthew 18:15-35)

This account is the parable of the two debtors which illustrates this issue of being forgiven and forgiving others.

We see in this illustration the importance of forgiving others because God has forgiven us. If we realize that God has forgiven us ALL our debts, then we cannot reasonably refuse to show that same grace towards others. If we DO refuse to forgive — then it demonstrates that we never really comprehended the grace of God at all.

So Jesus says we are to pray to forgive others “JUST AS” we have been forgiven. That means that we are to forgive others:

• Graciously - that is, when THEY do not deserve it; just like we didn’t!

• Freely - that is, you don’t make them “earn” it, or “pay for it” in some way; just like you didn’t!

• Deeply - no matter how great the hurt, you still forgive; just like God forgave our worst sins!

• Repeatedly - that is, you do it every time. 70 x 7 — “JUST AS” God forgives the sins you commit over and over — you forgive them that same way too!

The Marks of Forgiveness:

We also see in this illustration two marks of forgiveness

1. Negative = Discipline

Why did the king throw the slave into prison? It was not to repay his original debt. The king had already forgiven him of that debt. What he owed the king was forgiveness of the other slave who owed him. Just the same for us, what we owe God is not for the sin that we have already been forgiven of. What we owe God is to forgive others as He has forgiven us. God will discipline the believer who seeks forgiveness and is unwilling to grant it. He does it as a father. He’s a father. And don’t you do that to your children? Don’t you teach your children to forgive one another?

2. Positive = Peace

The positive consequences are awesome. You will experience forgiveness and peace of mind. There is so much stress, discouragement, and depression because you don’t forgive. You know what forgiveness does? It allows people to move past failure. It means every time I see you I don’t have to be reminded about my failure. Forgiveness allows people to move on.

Jesus’ words on forgiveness are clear. Without forgiving others we will not be forgiven.

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable (in others), because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” ~ C.S. Lewis