Who Has Believed Your Report? by Brother Duke Hansen

         This morning, we will be turning to the book of Isaiah chapter 53. We will also be in Romans chapter 8 for a period, so have that ready. In the book of Isaiah we will start with verse 1. The entirety of Isaiah chapter 53 is speaking on the coming of Jesus. It is a prophecy which will be fulfilled.

        Who hath believed out report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

        2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

        Isaiah begins with a question, Who has believed our report? There are many times where belief was called into question in the Old Testament and in the new testament, that's all about belief. That question is asked of each and everyone of us this morning. Ask yourself, who has believed your report?

        People who profess being saved, while walking the cliff over hell, sidestepping commandments in this Bible and other statements which make their flesh hurt, are like winners of the stock market at the close. For one day, the numbers fell in their favor, and they sure advertise #blessed and highly favored on Facebook. They are so caught up in the moment that they forget the market changes every day, much like life itself. If you are tired of thinking your are getting nowhere fast in following God, he will supply your flesh with 99 reasons to do so.

        When the gospel spread, it began on the day of Pentecost, then it spread to Samaria courtesy of Jesus' visit with a woman at the well. It went from Samaria to the house of Cornelius as Peter was obeying a vision he had. This gospel went from the Jew to the Gentile.

        You and I are like Paul for a few reasons. Like Paul, we didn't walk with Jesus, see his miracles or heard his teaching. We didn't deny him publicly, die on the cross, and rise again. We were born out of season much like Paul. Paul didn't personally experience the life of Jesus, but spoke to him personally on the road to Damascus. 

        When John the Baptist appeared in scripture, it was 425 years after the events in the book of Malachi. Baptizing people unto repentance with water was a new thing. There are a lot of people today who don't believe your report. They recognize your fruit and your action as something nice or kind, but they very well may not believe you. That's very important to remember. People today find their comfort in affirmations to reassure them. To tell them what they want to hear. You are saved! Here's a biblical truth to those people. If you haven't taken Jesus' name, you aren't saved. That water baptism was for repentance.

        Paul was on the way to capture and kill Christians before his conversion. Think of all the things Paul gave up in carrying the gospel. He gave us his status, wealth, possessions to turn the known world upside down speaking the gospel. Now there are too many people who have forgotten the miraculous because they haven't seen it. To get to that level, you have to give up things in the world and replace them with things from God.

        In looking at verse 2 again, Jesus had come from a humble background. Jesus was raised in Nazareth. The people there were not of any tribe of Israel. Nazarenes abided by a code to live by in those days. Abstain from from drinking wine, all grape products, such as vinegar and grapes. They were not to cut their hair nor touch any dead thing. Jesus grew up in this yet was also the lion of Judah. If you were an Israelite, you could join the Nazarenes. There was a reason and purpose behind this humble setting.

        We have to people who want to live as close to hell as possible, but be reaffirmed that they are saved. Man's vanity has corrupted the image of Jesus. We want to be strong in our flesh, carry the image of material success and power. We want our life both ways.

        3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

        You can get angry and despise God for a number of things. He can handle it. Sin in the Garden of Eden equalled death but not of the flesh. It was death of the spirit. When we are introduced to true faith and a true rebirth, in order to grow that relationship, we have to kill our flesh. The biggest thing to overcome in life is not sin. Sin is something we can say no to and move on. It's iniquity. Iniquity gets to the heart of the matter. Iniquity is where we want to run things, want life to go our way.

        4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

        When we get to a desert place in our walk with God or just in life, it distresses us. A fear sets in and we forget that we are not alone.

        5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

        Jesus took that punishment before the cross for your peace. When you feel like you have been hammered by God through his chastisement, yet you remain on the path and you're doing things correct, the chastisement remains because there are still parts of your flesh to erase. When you are able to overcome the carnal sins, you then have to attend to the spiritual sins. Sins like envy, strife, jealousy. Jesus was willing to take on the separation from God, the punishment for us. He asks us to separate ourselves from the darkness. If you continue to fellowship with people who are lost and have no intention of being saved, don't let them take control of your life. God's long term plan is in teaching you how to not to waste your pain. He used that pain for us. Don't use your pain to give yourself an extended pity party.

        6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

        You have got to dig and to seek and to find the answers you need. It could take time, sometimes years, but when you get the answers, you won't want to let go of them. It will hold value to you.

        7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.

        You have to know who to share the word with. Pray to be led before God in where to go. Paul talks about this in letting some folks being ignorant. The word is not going to be for everyone. The Bible tells of the power you can possess. It is up to you how committed you want to become in this. Turn to Romans chapter 8. We will begin in verse 34.

        34 Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

        35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

        36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

        If you let your pain and past run your life in the present, you are letting those be the God you serve. You cannot serve your pain and God at the same time. Some will always want to surround themselves around not very bright people to feel superior and confident in themselves. Don't be like that. Surround yourself with stronger people than yourself. As iron sharpens iron.

        37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

        If Jesus was killed all day long for us, shouldn't we kill our flesh in the same manner to intercede for others? For the church? When was the last time you interceded for someone? Not a brief sentence in prayer, but, truly crying and spilling your guts out for? Set up a standard and expectation for your life in Jesus.

        38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

        39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

        We may be struggling with what's listed in verse 35, but we need to rest our faith in verses 38 and 39. Think about yourself this morning. Who will separate you from obedience? Believe the report. In life, people really like the idea of starting over. Clean slate. The idea is super popular in fiction. It's romantic. You don't start over. You repair and sometimes rebuild on this walk. You're not starting over with God because he never left. You can come back home as the prodigal son did. God is going to fight for you and he has been fighting for you. Fix your temple and your eyes upon God this morning!