Introduction
Let me ask you: What is God like? What is Jesus like?
Jason - it’s great to have him here.
I asked him what I should preach...Revelation, you can’t go wrong with 10-headed monsters. . .
John 1:18 - No man has seen God – Jesus has “declared” explained Him.
1. He trades our ashes for his beauty.
Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,;
Isaiah 61:3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."
How many of you have ever been in the Exchange Lane at Wal-mart? After Christmas, Wal-mart handles so many returns that they set up special lanes that do nothing but take returned merchandise. The exchange lane is wonderful - all those things you can’t use, or you didn’t want. You can take them back!
I like to call this passage “God’s Exchange Counter”. This is the place where God makes HIS exchanges. If you’re not satisfied with your merchandise, you can return it here.
But there are some crucial differences between Wal-mart’s Exchange Counter and God’s Exchange counter.
1. Wal-mart says “Exchange for something of equal value.”
But God says “I’ll give you beauty if you’ll bring me the ashes!”
2. Wal-mart says “Exchange for anything you want.”
But God says “I’ll exchange -- if you’ll live for me!”
3. Wal-mart says “You can only exchange what you bought at our store.”
But God says, “I’ll exchange, it doesn’t matter where you got messed up at!”
There was a poet who turned 33 and summed his life up like this:
Down life’s road so grim and dirty,
I have dragged to three-and-thirty,
What have these years brought to me?
Nothing but thirty-three.
It may be that you feel like that poet. You might not be 33, but you know the feeling — I’ve lived this long and accomplished just about nothing, I’ve gained nothing! I’ve only succeeded in messing up the years I’ve had! Well, I have good news. . . when you walked into this church today, you brought your big bag of the ashes of your life with you, you walked up to God’s exchange counter, and there’s a great big OPEN sign flashing over the door!
God’s behind the counter saying:
Bring me your sadness – I’ll give you my joy!
Bring me your problems – I want to give you real solutions!
Bring me the things you don’t understand – I want to give you answers!
Bring me your broken health – I want to give you sufficient grace!
Bring me your pointless life – I want to give it real meaning!
Bring me the ashes of your life – I want to give you something beautiful in return!
2. He sees value where others see trash. Is. 42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
We live in a throw-away society. Everything’s disposable. Paper plates, disposable cameras, Q-tips. . . if there’s no value left in it, throw it away! After living in this kind of an atmosphere for a while, it can be easy to take on that attitude toward people – They are disposable.
I used to work at Exel, the warehouse up the road processing returned products. If you were to buy in the store the same stuff I have dumped into barrels to be landfilled, or thrown into the dumpster or donated to food banks, it would cost you over a million dollars, I’m sure! Why? They were a little damaged – someone pushed their forklift prongs into the bottom edge of the product, and it leaked – or it is a little overaged – or it sat in a warehouse somewhere and now has dust all over it. Procter and Gamble thinks nothing of dumping millions of dollars worth of product every year because it’s just not worth it for them to mess with it!
THAT’S the thought behind this passage – what is a REED? It’s just a piece of grass! It’s not worth much! In fact, if it’s bruised and about ready to fall over, it’s not worth ANYTHING! It’s TRASH!
Have you ever known someone who never threw anything away? You start to throw away anything, and they stop you: “Hey, don’t throw that away! I might be able to use that!” My wife will often see value in the things that no one else sees value in. We have been married less than a year and I have already stopped by the side of the road more than once to pick up something that someone else had left for the trash. In fact, there were a couple other times that we probably would’ve gone home with something else, but I put my foot down! “No, we are not taking that home!”
Well, so far, I’ve never known anybody [even my wife] who, if you started to break off a reed that was already bruised and throw it away would stop you and say: “WAIT! We might be able to use that!”
BUT JESUS>>> is exactly like that! NOT with things, but with people – with me and with you.
Here’s my question for you: Have you ever felt like damaged goods? Do you feel like you’ve messed your life up so badly that it’s not worth a thing? Perhaps you feel like you’re the bruised reed – you’re just about ready to fall over! You may feel like you’re nothing that anyone would want – ESPECIALLY God!
If that’s the way you feel, I’ve got great news – when you walked in tonight, you might have been like that bruised reed. But you’ve come to the house of the one who doesn’t break off those who are bruised! You’ve come to the one who cares and understands, and to him YOU’RE NOT A THROW AWAY! When other people look at you and say, “Well, there’s a guy that will never amount to too much... might as well write him off!” God says, “WAIT! I can fix that person up and use them!” To him, you’re not a throw-away!
To Jesus, you’re not disposable!!
3. He takes our punishment and gives us His peace. Isa. 53:5 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.
One translation puts it like this: “The punishment that brought us peace was laid on him.”
The boy stood with back arched, head cocked back and hands clenched defiantly. "Go ahead, give it to me."
The principal looked down at the young rebel. "How many times have you
been here?"
The child sneered rebelliously, "Apparently not enough."
The principal gave the boy a strange look. "And you have been punished each time have you not?"
"Yeah, I been punished, if that’s what you want to call it." He threw
out his small chest, "Go ahead I can take whatever you dish out. I always
have. Nope, I do whatever I want to do. Ain’t nothin’ you people gonna do
to stop me either."
The principal looked over at the teacher who stood nearby. "What did he do this time?"
"Fighting. He took little Tommy and shoved his face into the sandbox."
The principal turned to look at the boy, "Why? What did little Tommy do to you?"
"Nothin’, I didn’t like the way he was lookin’ at me, just like I
don’t like the way your lookin’ at me! And if I thought I could do it, I’d
shove your face into something."
The teacher stiffened and started to rise but a quick look from the principal stopped him. He contemplated the child for a moment and then quietly said, "Today my young student, is the day you learn about grace."
"Grace? Isn’t that what you old people do before you sit down to eat? I don’t need none of your stinkin’ grace."
"Oh but you do." The principal studied the young man’s face and whispered. "Oh yes, you truly do..."
The boy continued to glare as the principal continued, "Grace, in its short definition, is unmerited favor. You can not earn it, it is a gift and is always freely given. It means that you will not be getting what you so
richly deserve."
The boy looked puzzled. "Your not gonna whup me? You just gonna let me walk?"
The principal looked down at the unyielding child. "Yes, I am going to
let you walk."
The boy studied the face of the principal, "No punishment at all? Even
though I socked Tommy and shoved his face into the sandbox?"
"Oh, there has to be punishment. What you did was wrong and there are
always consequences to our actions. There will be punishment. Grace is
not an excuse for doing wrong."
"I knew it," Sneered the boy as he held out his hands. "Let’s get on
with it."
The principal nodded toward the teacher. "Bring me the yardstick."
The teacher brought the yardstick.
He looked at the child and said. "I want you to count the blows."
He slid out from behind his desk and walked over to stand directly in
front of the young man. He gently reached out and folded the child’s
outstretched, expectant hands together and then turned to face the
teacher with his own hands outstretched. One quiet word came forth
from his mouth. "Begin."
The belt whipped down on the outstretched hands of the principal.
Crack!
The young man jumped ten feet in the air. Shock registered across his
face, "One" he whispered.
Crack! "Two." His voice raised an octave.
Crack! "Three..." He couldn’t believe this.
Crack! "Four." Big tears welled up in the eyes of the rebel."OK stop!
That’s enough. Stop!"
Crack! Came the belt down on the callused hands of the principal.
Crack! The child flinched with each blow, tears beginning to stream
down his face.
Crack!
Crack! "No please", the former rebel begged, "Stop, I did it, I’m the
one who deserves it. Stop! Please. Stop..."
Still the blows came, Crack! Crack! One after another.
Finally it was over. The principal stood with sweat glistening across
his forehead and beads trickling down his face. Slowly he knelt down.
He studied the young man for a second and then his swollen hands
reached out to cradle the face of the weeping child.
“That’s what I mean by grace...”
One song writer put it like this:
Satan’s men were closing in,
I knew what was in store;
A decent payment for my sin,
Eternal fire and more.
But Jesus said, “I have an announcement,
I’d like to make today.
You see, I have the scars to prove,
I’ve taken that one’s place.”
You see, friend, all of us – you, me, and everyone here – deserve to go to hell. There’s not a one of us that deserves to live forever and ever in heaven.
BUT JESUS>>> Paid the price for our sin on the cross! “The punishment that brought us peace was laid on him.”
You may feel like you’re not at peace with God – it’s more like you and God are at war. Or maybe you’re not at peace with God – you’re just kind of trying to ignore Him as much as possible. When you lay down to sleep at night and the house is dark and quiet, you may know in your heart that if you didn’t wake up tomorrow morning, that you wouldn’t be in heaven!
If that’s where you are, I have good news for you! When you walked in, you weren’t at peace with God. But you’ve come to the One who already took your punishment. He’s standing ready to forgive you if you’ll just come and ask Him!
Bring him your sins – he’s already taken the punishment!
Bring him your rebellion – he’s paid the price!
Bring him your war with God – he wants to give you peace with God!
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What Is Jesus Like?
1. He trades our __________ for His _________.
Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound. . .
Isaiah 61:3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
I like to call these verses “God’s _______________ Counter”. But there are some crucial differences between Wal-mart’s Exchange Counter and God’s Exchange Counter.
1. Wal-mart says “Exchange for something of _________ value.”
But God says “I’ll give you beauty if you’ll bring me the ashes!”
2. Wal-mart says “Exchange for _______________ you want.”
But God says “I’ll exchange only if you’ll live for Me!”
3. Wal-mart says “You can only exchange what you bought at our store.”
But God says, “I’ll exchange, it doesn’t matter where you got messed up!”
2. He sees ___________ where others see ___________.
Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
A “reed” is a piece of ___________ – there’s nothing special about it. But even if it’s a damaged reed, Jesus won’t break it off!
To Jesus, you’re not a ___________-__________!!
3. He takes our ______________ and gives us His _________. Isa. 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the punishment that brought us peace was laid on 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.
