If you'd like to read with us, we're going to read quite a bit of scripture today. I hope I can get across what I seen and was feeling in this when I read it. We're going to be reading two verses out of the eighth chapter of Psalms. And this is roughly 1,000 years give or take a few years before Christ's birth. And listen close to this scripture, Psalm the third and fourth verse. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, what is it, man, that thou art mindful of him and the Son of Man, that thou visitest Him. Then you'll turn over into Isaiah, the 53rd chapter, and this is roughly 700 years, a little over, before Christ came. And listen to this. People that think that Christ come not knowing what he was facing apparently don't read the Bible very much. Because this 53rd chapter of Isaiah lets you know Christ knew everything he was going to be facing. Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 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 commonness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 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. Surely he hath borne our grief and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquity. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his strife we are healed. As we, like she, all we, like she, have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep before her shears is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. 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 transgressions of my people was he stricken, and he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grieve, and when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the And he shall divide the full with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death. And he was numbered with the transgressors. And he bared the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." And you know, you're reading that, and then you're reading back over there where I started. where he said, what is man that thou art mindful of him? That's what I was thinking about when I was reading that. What am I that God ever considered that I was worth what his son paid there at Calvary? What did I ever do that I should find even the attention of the almighty God that took the time to form everything that we've seen? And the universe as you look out, all but clear as dawn. Oh, I've been out here early in the morning when it was so cool. The last two days, and the sky was so clear. All the stars shining so bright. God, he made all of it. He would help me on what man could see. And he did all of it. And it was mindful of me. And what I needed to be redeemed. Not because his son done anything wrong. But for my transgressions, he went through all of it. And he seen it from the foundation of the world. But here, he testifies to it. 700 and some years before he come to pay the price that it took for my sin and your sin. And you know, I've never figured out what God's seen in man. I realize we was his creation and that he loves us. But you know, I just, just never have figured out What kind of love it took to see your son go through such as that because of somebody else's wrongdoings. Not because of his, but because of somebody else's wrongdoings. He was willing. You know, not for my sin and my iniquity did he say I had to pay the price like that. But he was willing to pay it for me because There was no way. I didn't have anything to pay that price for. You know, back in the Old Testament, you'll find where they give sacrifices, and they had to be a perfect sacrifice, but it did not change man. It did not really redeem him of his sins. It just covered him for a season. You and I today, Christ come to make me and you new creatures. the world were no longer what we once was. How he was so mindful to make a plan of salvation that would really change the very heart and nature of man. You see people in the world today and the things they talk about, the things they say in relation to God and what God is doing and then you look at their life and you realize They don't even begin to understand the price that God really paid. He didn't pay that price for us to live in our sin, but he paid that price for me and you to come out from our sin and be something that we can look at the whole world. of what a difference he made. Why, because Christ was nothing like any other sacrifice that had ever been given. Those other men that were dying on the cross that day, their blood, it was just going to the ground, and it was accomplishing nothing. But Christ's blood was being shed for me, because I needed it. I was desperate. I didn't see it. And you went out today. Each one of us, it took that plan there on Calvary, though we might not ever get to the place where we can understand the fullness of it or why God chose to do it. But, you know, even back here in Isaiah, you'll find Christ there, when he was being beaten before he went to the cross, that even was for me and you. There he said, and with his stripes, we are healed. You and I today, everything that Christ went through there was a purpose, but it was for me and you. It wasn't for him, for anything that he had done wrong. You know, a lot of times we deceive ourselves into thinking. Oh, I'm not that bad. I look around and I see people that's so much worse than me. That's the lie that everyone was telling me when I was out there and saying, oh, you're not in bed and so and so. You don't drink like they do. You don't do this or you don't do that. That wasn't making me right with God. And it took me getting there to truly see how bad I was. Just how needy you truly are. If today, I'm afraid, man is content to lie to This week, I think it's been almost two weeks now, that the Olympics has been going on. And you hear the years and the years and the years that them people put in to striving hours and hours a day, hoping to get a gold medal. And in every competition, there's a whole bunch of people in it. And only three end up getting anything out of it, gold, silver, and bronze. All the rest of them, all of that was done for little or nothing. God asked you and I to just give our heart and life to him and live for him. And what he's got to give us. If you had ever gold medal that's ever been given from the time ever started, ever a piece of gold that's ever been dug, it can't compare with what God's willing to give me and you if we'll only surrender to him. And here he told us that far ahead of time what it was costing him. And today, people act like, you know, it's too much if I've got to lay aside this or I got to lay aside that. Compare it to what Christ paid for you and then see if that's asking too much. You know, our whole thing in life should be not Asking God what he's going to do for us. Asking God what we can do for him. He's already done more than you ever deserve. We need to ask God, what can I do for you today? How can you use me today? Who can I witness to for you today? Each and every one of us striving to be that, because God was mindful of me. Oh, you know, not just He come and forgive me of my sin, but all of the prayers, all of the things that God has done for me down across my lifetime. I just, I'm not worthy of it. And I just look at it and marvel. God has proven to me hundreds of thousands of times how much He loves me. I hope to pray he realizes how much I love him. You and I, that's what we need to do. Strive to show God that the love we have for him. Look back there at the Bible, and the men that paid the tribes. And we were talking earlier about somebody mentioning to a man that's a preacher and he's not married. He's got one child that was born out of wedlock. But he's not married and the man said, oh you know the world can't be that high. Because the Bible says there's got to be a preacher or a minister of one God just can't. The Bible, he give it all to it. And the very one that wrote that We need to come back and remember that and look at Paul the price that he paid for the gospel. You know, Paul wasn't put to death for any other reason because he would not back down from the word of God. His stand on the word of God was why he was put to death. You and I, are we willing to have somebody talk about us a little bit? Because we take our stand for God. He said, if you're ashamed of me, I'll be ashamed of you. And he's got reason to be ashamed of us if we're ashamed of him before this evil and adulterous generation. And then when we stand before him and his holy angels, if we haven't been what he wanted us to be, he's got reason to be ashamed of us. And each and every one of us need to take time to listen to these. Really take time out this week and read this 53rd chapter here in Isaiah. And think of that, listen to it, reading it with understanding of what Christ went through, the price he paid for me and for you. And see that and then realize Christ knew this 700 years beforehand. than to know what it was going to feel like. He was God. It isn't like he didn't know. He knew what was going to happen, but he didn't know the pain that was going to be involved. He knew every bit of it. That's why the night before, he knew what pain was going to be like. And his sweat become as great drops of blood, and he was still willing to go for me and you. You know, when you read that and understand that, that far ahead of time, and he understood what he ever seen in man, especially when he come and then seen how they treated him here. He could have refused at any time, but he was willing all the way to death. You and I today, are we willing to suffer for God Even if it makes family mad, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, uncles and aunts, if they don't like your stand on the Word of God and you're standing on exactly what it says, why should you back up for them? You're selling out awful cheap. Because the Bible tells us Christ is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He's closer than anything you will ever find. Never found a time when he was asleep. I've been awake around the clock. I've worked as much as 28 and a half hours straight with only time out to eat and get you a drink or go to the restaurant. And then I've been awake driving all hours of the day and night. And I've never found a time when I called upon God that he wasn't there listening. He's proved to me he cares for me. Let's make sure that we prove to him that we care for him. Why don't we sing a verse of a song for someone here you feel the need of prayer? Will you come? Why God was so mindful of me, I can never understand. And I honestly think anybody that sees yourself for who you really are, you'll wonder, what did God ever see in me? Why did he love me enough that he was willing to die for me? You know, that's something I don't, I'd like, if somebody's figuring it out, I'd like for somebody to tell me what it was about them that was so special that they felt like God was justified in dying for you. It was pure love and mercy. That was the only reason he did it. It wasn't because you was worth that much. It was because he loved you that much. And He was showing mercy unto you when you didn't deserve it. That's what mercy is. It's when we get something we don't deserve. Why are we saying it? Will you come?