Isaiah 53:1-8
Who hath believed our 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. 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. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 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. 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. 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 openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.”
Even though He was tortured, accused, abused, mistreated and beaten, through all of that, the only thing that was on His mind was us. His ways are not like our ways. When we look at a situation and say, “Lord, why has this not ended yet, why don’t you cut this person off because they’ve mistreated me, I’ve been treated so badly, Lord smite them with disease and pestilence.” We say that in our heart, but the Lord wants us to know this one thing: we look at things one dimensionally, and that dimension is present tense. The Lord not only looks at the present, He looks at the future – the effect in 3D concerning everyone involved and what will be the repercussion in the future.
We can only see in 1D. He looks at the 3rd and 4th dimensions of requests that we make upon Him. He looks at what will happen from this generation to that generation. Will it benefit His glory or your temporary emotion?
God doesn’t just do things selfishly for an individual, it has a bearing, and an effect on others. So He will make sure that the conclusion He comes to will meet His glory, not your selfish unrighteousness. When you look at a certain situation that has transpired in your life, you look at it one way, “what will give me immediate gratification or revenge?” Making us satisfied – whereas Christ looks at it far beyond that. Because what we may say will affect someone else who may be used for His glory in the future. He has to make sure it won’t affect anything, if it does, it will result in meeting the cry of His saint as well as meeting the needs of the future saints or plans.
As Spock from Star Trek says, “the cries of the many outway the needs of the few.” We have to learn to stop dealing with a situation or asking for something from Yeshua in a 1D mind. We have to ask for things that basically are not going to cause someone else to falter. That is why we must say, “Lord if it’s thy will let it be.” We have to make sure that it’s not about us, it’s about Him. That is why it said in the scripture: “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” (Isaiah 53:3). Can we say redeemed for His glory?
Isaiah 55:1-11
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. 5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. 6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
We think in 1D, Christ thinks in 3D. He is looking and understanding the result of what is done. That is why He died upon the cross. He told you that He was dying for us, for the generations to come, those that you don’t understand. His thoughts are not like our thoughts nor His ways. He says that over again because when we make a determination about things, it’s about quick gratification for ourselves, but He looks at the present tense, future, what generation it will affect, will it cause trouble, way before you’ve ever got the thought out yourself.
He will not do something that will cause danger, but will bring Him glory. Yeshua says that what He says has to be final. It has to meet the requirements of all that He sees. When He makes a statement, He makes a statement that spans all time. When He makes a judgement, He makes a judgement that spans all time. We only make a judgement that meets our immediate desire, immediate gratification. In other words, we’re selfish. We only care about us, because the only thing we see is us. Thank God for the grace of God, because His mercy endures forever.
How many times have you made a determination, not worrying about the effect later on? We’ve done this without thinking about the consequences of the the future. This will immediately shut down our minds so we will feel the immediate need taken care of. The repercussions of our actions could cause someone to never know who God is, could cause someone or some family to never know the love of God. Have you ever thought about that? That’s why it’s so important that we say, “if it be Your will Lord.”
Isaiah 55:12
“For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
Know this, if you don’t want to do something that is out of the will of God, make sure that you ask, “Lord if it’s thy will.” Understand that if God doesn’t get the glory, then who does? Remember, we are redeemed for His glory’s sake, in Yeshua’s Name.
Sermon by Pastor Tony Catron
