Morning “I will help thee, saith the Lord.” / Isaiah 41:14

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: “I will help

thee.” “It is but a small thing for me, thy God, to help thee. Consider what I

have done already. What! not help thee? Why, I bought thee with my blood.

What! not help thee? I have died for thee; and if I have done the greater,

will I not do the less? Help thee! It is the least thing I will ever do for

thee; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose thee.

I made the covenant for thee. I laid aside my glory and became a man for thee;

I gave up my life for thee; and if I did all this, I will surely help thee

now. In helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for thee already. If

thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it thee; thou

requirest little compared with what I am ready to give. ‘Tis much for thee to

need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. Help thee?’ Fear not! If there were

an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help, it would not ruin thee to

give him a handful of thy wheat; and thou art nothing but a tiny insect at the

door of my all-sufficiency. I will help thee.'”

 

O my soul, is not this enough? Dost thou need more strength than the

omnipotence of the United Trinity? Dost thou want more wisdom than exists in

the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is

manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring hither thine empty pitcher!

Surely this well will fill it. Haste, gather up thy wants, and bring them

here–thine emptiness, thy woes, thy needs. Behold, this river of God is full

for thy supply; what canst thou desire beside? Go forth, my soul, in this thy

might. The Eternal God is thine helper!

“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismay’d!

I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.”

 

Evening “The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.” / Daniel 9:26

Blessed be his name, there was no cause of death in him. Neither original nor

actual sin had defiled him, and therefore death had no claim upon him. No man

could have taken his life from him justly, for he had done no man wrong, and

no man could even have lain him by force unless he had been pleased to yield

himself to die. But lo, one sins and another suffers. Justice was offended by

us, but found its satisfaction in him. Rivers of tears, mountains of

offerings, seas of the blood of bullocks, and hills of frankincense, could not

have availed for the removal of sin; but Jesus was cut off for us, and the

cause of wrath was cut off at once, for sin was put away forever. Herein is

wisdom, whereby substitution, the sure and speedy way of atonement, was

devised! Herein is condescension, which brought Messiah, the Prince, to wear a

crown of thorns, and die upon the cross! Herein is love, which led the

Redeemer to lay down his life for his enemies!

It is not enough, however, to admire the spectacle of the innocent bleeding

for the guilty, we must make sure of our interest therein. The special object

of the Messiah’s death was the salvation of his church; have we a part and a

lot among those for whom he gave his life a ransom? Did the Lord Jesus stand

as our representative? Are we healed by his stripes? It will be a terrible

thing indeed if we should come short of a portion in his sacrifice; it were

better for us that we had never been born. Solemn as the question is, it is a

joyful circumstance that it is one which may be answered clearly and without

mistake. To all who believe on him the Lord Jesus is a present Saviour, and

upon them all the blood of reconciliation has been sprinkled. Let all who

trust in the merit of Messiah’s death be joyful at every remembrance of him,

and let their holy gratitude lead them to the fullest consecration to his

cause.

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