December 10, 2020
The Unexpected Messiah – Isaiah 11:1-5
Dr. Larry S. Lightner
Out of the stump [line] of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will never judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay. He will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked and destroy them with the breath of His mouth. He will be clothed with fairness and truth. –Isaiah 11:1-5
Do we really think toward what kind of Messiah has come in Jesus, or do we impose upon Him expectations and hopes that are not aligned to His mission as God’s anointed? Have we spent enough of our life with Him, have we meditated long enough on His Word, have we compared our expectations with what is recorded in the Word?
Are we yielded to the kind of Messiah He really is thus able to discern His love in offering us salvation? Can we follow Him in His truth?
Do we expect a Messiah who will put His power behind our nation and our interests? Do we want a Messiah who will adopt our nation’s agenda in this world as His own?
Do we expect a Messiah who will be our “bellboy” in dealing with our unpleasant experiences, make everything work out for our comfort, and make things go our way? And, of course, keep our wallets and pocketbooks full.
Life Application
Jesus said that anyone who would follow Him needed to understand they would need to deny themselves, take up the cross He bore, serve as He served, and be willing to endure any hardship that comes their way for His sake.
Do we really expect a Messiah who will just dish out a steady stream of spiritual blessings while we give Him trinkets, leftovers instead of sacrificial offerings, little time, less energy, and use of our Spirit given gifts?
Jesus calls for His disciples to invest of themselves and be willing to leave much behind and be willing to follow Him as far as He was willing to go to advance His Kingdom on earth. It is a love of Christ reflection.
Prayer
- Pray that God would keep our focus on His expectations for us.
- Pray that God would steady our commitment to touch other lives for Him and model our lives to be loving toward others as He is loving toward us.
- Continue to pray that the many who come to the churches during Advent 2020 for the first time or at a time of stress over the world situation would be introduced to the God who stepped out from heaven.
