Isaiah 53:4-6
What did Jesus do for you and me? Most believers will answer that question in ways one would expect. When asked one might say, “He saved my soul!” They might say, “He came to give me abundant life.” Or “He proclaimed good news to me.” Or “He came to bring me out of darkness into the marvelous light.” None of these responses are wrong. Jesus came and did all of those things, but these are mostly learned spiritual or theological responses, and in this post pandemic world, they are insufficient because they fail to get to the nitty gritty of where most people live today.
Most people today, even if they have grown up in church but have held it at arm’s distance, want answers with which they can actively identify. There is a generation who need Jesus today that are simply not going to respond to evangelistic approaches that impacted and brought generations to faith before them. Their lives are more complex. Their options are far greater and the external stimuli they receive from social media and all other forms of media are plethora.
The testimony of my and how I came to faith in Jesus is not their testimony. They don’t live like I lived. Their lives are far more chaotic than mine ever was. In truth, I often do not understand what they do, how they do it, and why; and it does not really matter what I think because it is their reality. So, the question, “what did Jesus do for me?”, takes on greater relevance and urgency because of the complexity of their lives and we have an answer. What has He done?
- He took our wounds, pains, hurts, and sorrow (Isaiah 53:4)!
Griefs – pains of the body (Isaiah 53:4a)
Sorrows – pains of the mind Isaiah 53:4b)
- He took our infirmities, so as to remove them (Isaiah 43:5a)!
Pierced or bruised – crushing inward and outward suffering
Carried my burden
- He took our punishment upon Him (Isaiah 53:6b)! “The innocent was punished as if guilty, that the guilty might be rewarded as if This verse could be said of no mere martyr.”
None of this did He have to do! He was guilty of no crime. He was innocent of all charges. He was never sick, yet he carried our sickness. He was tempted just as we are but never yielded. Why would He do it? He knew where we would be and with what we would have to contend. He knew how virulent our enemy would be and the temptations we would face. He did it because He loved us and loves us still.
What has Jesus done? What did He do? One ministry says “He gets us! He was mocked by elites, betrayed by friends, imprisoned by politicians, killed by authorities and He forgave them all!” He knew isolation, anger, rejection and anxiety too, and He can help you!
What’s He done? I cannot talk about you, but I can tell you what He did for me! He removed the fog of my confusion. He shined the light of His glory into the darkness of my situation. He removed the shame of my past and showed me the promise of my future. He washed my garments that were nasty and dirty from until they were spotless and clean.
What’s He done? He removed loneliness and despair. He healed sick bodies despite the doctor’s scary diagnosis. When you should have died, he said you shall live. When you were confused about who you were He removed your doubts and condemned the lies of the enemy.
It may not be sufficient for some to recall the sacrifice He made for me and for you, but none of what He has done, is doing and will do is possible without it. One songwriter put it this way:
See on the hill of Calvary What He’s done
My Savior bled for me What He’s done
My Jesus set me free All the glory and the honor to the Son
And look at the wounds that give me life My sins are forgiven
Grace flowing from His side My future is Heaven
No greater sacrifice I praise God for what He’s done
Sing for the freedom He has won What He’s done
Even death is dead and done What He’s done
His life has overcome All the glory and the honor to the Son
Speak, say the Name above all names My sins are forgiven
Over every broken place My future is Heaven
He is risen from the grave I praise God for what He’s done
Now on a throne of majesty What He’s done
The Father’s will complete What He’s done
He reigns in victory All the glory and the honor to the Son
Sing hallelujah to the King My sins are forgiven
He is worthy to receive My future is Heaven
All the worship we can bring I praise God for what He’s done
What’s He done for you? I cannot help but tell it because I know that what He’s done for me He can do the same thing for you. My flaws did not disqualify me. My sin was wiped clean, never to be brought up again. I am a new being, a new creature, living in a new reality. I may have done what they said I did, but that is not me. You may have done what they said you did, but a decision for Jesus today will make you brand new, uncommon, something and someone never seen before. That’s what He’s done.
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