21. Wala ka sa Lolo ko, the Lord Jesus took on his infirmities and carried his sorrows, He restored his strength, He restored his life. Amen.
13 September 2020
Matthew 1
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Isaiah 7
The Sign of Immanuel
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
Isaiah 53 Berean Study Bible
The Suffering Servant
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.
Like one from whom men hide their faces,
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
4 Surely He took on our infirmities
and carried our sorrows;
yet we considered Him stricken by God,
struck down and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
and by His stripes we are healed.
12 Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great,
and He will divide the spoils with the strong,
because He has poured out His life unto death,
and He was numbered with the transgressors.
Yet He bore the sin of many
and made intercession for the transgressors.
I can say, surely He, the Lord Jesus Christ, took on my infirmities and carried my sorrows. (Isaiah 53:4 Berean Study Bible)
The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's will as revealed in the Old Testament, and he is the Lord of the Church. He is the "Son of David", a "king", and the Messiah. Luke presents Jesus as the divine-human savior who shows compassion to the needy.
en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki › Jesus
Jesus - Wikipedia
Of the 5, here are two.
First, Jesus was born of a virgin.
Biblical prophecy:
Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV) says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
Prophecy fulfilled:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” —Matthew 1:23 (NKJV)
Just as Isaiah said, the virgin Mary did indeed conceive and have a Son who is called Immanuel. Jesus being born of a virgin and the prophecy of this event show God’s infinite power and knowledge. He defied nature to bring His Son to the earth.
You can know Jesus, the Messiah.
Second, Jesus suffered with (and for) sinners.
Biblical prophecy:
“Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”
—Isaiah 53:12 (ESV)
Prophecy fulfilled:
“Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.”
—Matthew 27:38 (NKJV)
“With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.”
— Mark 15:2 (NKJV)
“There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.”
— Luke 23:32-33 (NKJV)
Isaiah, whose name means “salvation of the Lord,” is known as one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. The coming of Christ is foretold throughout the book of Isaiah, with Isaiah 53 explaining just how much Jesus would suffer during His sacrifice for our sins.
I had all sorrows, I was not earning, over half of a period of five years, in gaps. I sunk into severe depression.
It was a most critical period, my children were starting college; money was an issue.
That was about 20 years ago, I am turning 60 in 2 weeks time, I survived famine and severe affliction by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part of said reflection:
Prayer is prayer of a contrite and sincere heart.
Prayer is asking God's forgiveness for our trespasses; in turn we must be easy to forgive.
Prior to Monday's prayer, I came about Luke 23:34, Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. It struck me that those words were not necessarily directed to the soldiers who crucified Him, but to me.
Lord, how ironic that I am sharing insight on forgiving another, yet it is my very own failing. I would rationalize the other person is not apologetic. Yet, forgiving is without waiting for the other party to apologize, unilateral on my part, for my own good that I may be released from bitter feeling, unburden and calm my heart. Lord, You have forgiven me so many times, and yet many times what I want is to get even with others. Let me be conscious about this because my children are watching. Lord, heal my hurts and soften my heart, that I forgive another, no ifs and buts, by Your grace, Your power made perfect in my weakness. This I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
End of part of reflection.
Back to my infirmities and sorrows some 20 years ago, it was a moment of reckoning for me.
In particular, it dawned on me, my spat with a sibling, it was beside the point who was right or at fault, I asked for forgiveness and I was shown compassion and kind regard was restored.
As to the Lord, I asked for forgiveness, and He showed compassion on me.
He restored my health, He restored my life. My life is in Him.
My children's children will someday say, wala ka sa Lolo ko, the Lord took on his infirmities and carried his sorrows, He restored his strength, He restored his life.
I am a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Psalm 51
A psalm of David.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise. Amen.
Forgiveness, amen.
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