Page 10 - Good News March 2008 paper

ee, My Servant shall Yet it was our grief He bore, our
prosper; He shall be sorrows that weighed Him
Shighly exalted. Yet many down. And we thought His
shall be amazed when they see troubles were a punishment
Him - yes, even far-off foreign from God, for His own sins!
nations and their kings; they BUT He was wounded and to bruise Him and fill Him with
shall stand dumbfounded, bruised for our sins. grief. However, when His soul
speechless in His presence. has been made an offering for would suffer for the sins of all
He was beaten that we might sin, then He shall have a people. Such a prophecy is
For they shall see and under- have peace; He was lashed - multitude of children, many astounding!
stand what they had not been and we were healed! We - every heirs.
told before. They shall see My one of us - have strayed away Who would believe that God
Servant beaten and bloodied, like sheep! We, who left God's He shall live again and God's would choose to save the world
so disfigured - one would paths to follow our own. Yet program shall prosper in His through a humble, suffering
scarcely know it was a person God laid on Him the guilt and hands. And when He sees all Servant rather than a glorious
standing there. So shall He sins of every one of us! that is accomplished by the King? The idea is contrary to
cleanse many nations. anguish of His soul, He shall be humanistic pride and worldly
He was oppressed and He was satisfied; and because of what ways. BUT GOD often works in
But, oh, how few believe it? afflicted, yet He never said a He has experienced, My right- ways we don't expect!
Who will listen? To whom will word. He was brought as a lamb eous Servant shall make many
God reveal His saving power? to the slaughter; and as a sheep to be counted righteous before The Messiah's strength is
In God's eyes He was like a before her shearers is dumb, so God, for He shall bear all their shown by humility, suffering,
tender green shoot, sprouting He stood silent before the ones sins. and mercy! This Man of
from a root in dry and sterile condemning Him. Sorrows was rejected by those
ground. Therefore I will give Him the around Him, and He is still
From prison and trial they led honours of One Who is mighty rejected by many today! Some
But in our eyes there was no Him away to His death. But who and great, because He has reject Him by standing against
attractiveness at all, nothing among the people of that day poured out His soul unto death. Him. Others ignore Him and His
to make us want Him. We realized it was their sins that He He was counted as a sinner, great gift of forgiveness.
despised Him and rejected was dying for - that He was and He bore the sins of many,
Him, a Man of Sorrows, suffering their punishment? He and He pled with God for DO YOU REJECT HIM, IGNORE
acquainted with bitterest grief. was buried like a criminal, but sinners. HIM, OR ACCEPT HIM? HAVE
in a rich man's grave; but He [Isaiah 52:13-15 & 53:1-12 YOU GIVEN YOUR LIFE TO
We turned our backs on Him had done no wrong, and had Life Application Bible] JESUS CHRIST, THE "GOOD
and looked the other way when never spoken an evil word. SHEPHERD" (John 10:10-16),
He went by. He was despised These verses speak of the or are you still a wandering
and we didn't care. But it was the Lord's good plan Messiah, Jesus Christ, Who sheep?

DONKER ONHEILSWOLKE pak al meer en met vas en geween en rouklag. En skeur
en meer saam oor ons samelewing. julle hart en nie julle klere nie, en bekeer julle
Vloedgolwe van misdaad en perversiteit rol tot die HERE julle God; want Hy is genadig
oor ons heen en sleur ons mee om ons en barmhartig, lankmoedig en groot van
genadeloos teen die rotse van afvalligheid en goedertierenheid...” (Joël 2:12-13).
goddeloosheid tot sandkorrels te vergruis! Gryp die verskrikkinge en duister lot van
Verwoed loop die duiwel rond soos ‘n ons dorpe, stede en land jou aan die hart?
brullende leeu en soek wie hy kan verslind Luister dan na God se oproep! “En Ek het
(1 Petrus 5:8). onder hulle ‘n man gesoek wat ‘n muur kan
Christen, is jy paraat en opgewasse teen die bou en voor my aangesig in die bres kan staan
sielevyand? Is jy LIG vir hierdie wêreld en vir die land, sodat ek dit nie sou verwoes nie;
SOUT van die aarde? Of het jou lig só dof maar Ek het niemand gevind nie” (Eségiël
geword dat jy in die skemerte tuis voel soos 22:30).
die wêreldling? Mag God ons behoed indien ons nie bereid is
“God deursoek die hart, toets die niere, om om in die bres te staan vir ons dorpe, stede,
aan elkeen te gee na sy weë, volgens die vrug ons land Suid-Afrika en selfs die hele wêreld
van sy handelinge” (Jer. 17:10). Hy, die nie! Ons versuim sal tot ons eie ondergang hulle verootmoedig en bid en my aangesig soek en hulle
Allerhoogste, roep ons tot stilstand en lei! Kom elkeen van ons tree elke dag vir 'n bekeer van hul verkeerde weë, dan sal Ek uit die hemel
nadenke: “Maar selfs nou nog, spreek die halfuur in vir ons woonplekke en land! hoor en hulle sonde vergewe en hulle land genees”
HERE, bekeer julle tot My met julle hele hart, (As) “my volk, oor wie my Naam uitgeroep is, (2 Kron. 7:14). - Huegene Venter

My way led uphill, and right at the foot I saw a boy pedalling uphill against all kinds of opposition, and
on a bicycle. He was pedalling uphill against the am almost worn out with the task. But here at hand
wind, and evidently found it tremendous hard work. is a great available power, the strength of the Lord
Just as he was working most strenuously and doing Jesus. I have only to get in touch with Him and to
his best painfully, there came a trolley-car going in maintain communication with Him, though it may
the same direction - up the hill. It was not going too be only one little finger of faith, and that will be
fast for the boy to get behind it, and with one hand to enough to make His power mine for the doing of this
lay hold of the bar at the back. You know what bit of service that just now seems too much for me.
happened next. He went up that hill like a bird. Then And I was helped to dismiss my weariness and to
it flashed upon me: “Why, I am like that boy on the realize this great truth.
bicycle in my weariness and weakness. I am [The Life of Fuller Purpose].