Skip to main content

"And We Esteemed Him Not"



During a recent Sunday evening service, Pastor Bickelhaupt asked what it was that is so important as to keep church members from attending church when they know the doors are open and services are being held. He went on to say that people willfully reject the prospect of meeting with Christ Himself (as His presence is promised when the church meets together in His name). Jesus promises in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  Pastor implied that there are too many professing Christians who find it preferable to attend the weekly Sunday morning worship hour, but find gracing the church building outside of that service to be merely optional, an inconvenience, or just not that important.  

It got me thinking. What could possibly be more important than meeting with the Savior?! Here is Someone Who gave everything for us. He literally sacrificed a heavenly abode for an earthly bed mat, for scripture reveals that He had no place to lay His head. He was despised and rejected by His own people. He endured temptations like no man before Him ever had or after Him ever will. He was wounded for our transgressions. Ultimately, Christ died for us because of His deep love for mankind. Yet, many today are like those in Isaiah’s day–claiming to be God’s people, but rejecting His presence because they “esteem Him not.”

Many Christians claim to want the Holy Spirit’s filling in their lives, but words are cheap and their actions reveal their reality. That reality is that they simply do not care to be in Christ’s promised presence, because they esteem Him not. According to Strong’s Concordance, that word esteem means “to regard,” or “to highly think upon.” They think more highly of the Sunday night football television broadcast, their kids’ Wednesday evening high school athletic practices and games, spending time with friends or family, or perhaps they think more highly of the convenience of staying home or completing tasks around the house. Whatever the reason–except for health-related or mandatory work-related circumstances–forsaking the assembling together of the church comes down to an esteem issue. It comes down to not regarding Christ as we should. What a shame. Christ esteemed lost man so highly that He willingly suffered for him, but those who claim to be His reject Him by esteeming Him not. 

Christian, get a fresh glimpse of Christ. Rediscover His love for you. There may be no greater passage to reflect upon this concept than Isaiah 53. Read it below. He desires to meet with us. When we esteem Him like we should, we, too will want to meet with Him… more often than once in a while. We will want to meet with Him as often as the church doors are open and more! Esteem Him! □


ISAIAH 53: "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 comeliness; 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 griefs, 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 iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 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. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth 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 transgression 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 grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see 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 great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crossing the Line.... The Sin of Androgyny

  Puke, Vomit, Hurl. These are the best words I can bring up (pun intended) to describe my disgust for cultural androgyny – the societal blurring of the gender lines. We live in a culture where masculinity is criticized for its rough exterior and insensitivity, and feminism is elevated as the preferred trait among men. To succumb to this idea, it is now acceptable for parents buy their son girls’ jeans and allow him to grow his hair out long enough to make Rapunzel jealous. This same culture that belittles masculinity in men, promotes it for women. Our daughters are told that there are no barriers or rules for dress. Anything goes, even if that means looking the part of their male counterparts. Society warns that it would be an epic failure to ask individuals to don a gender-appropriate hairstyle or wear gender-appropriate attire because “you may damage their psyche” and you might “limit their opportunity to express individuality.” In the 1970s, Sandra Bem – the inventor of t...
2 comments
Read more

Avoiding Factions in Fundamentalism

  Factions within fundamental Christianity are ungodly and unattractive. The factions are, for example, those that usually are birthed from education. Specifically, from what I have seen, it pins one school or church doctrine against another. (I know some will be offended by me naming names, but deep down, the following examples are well-known to those who are named) Graduates from Pensacola Christian College are looked poorly upon by Bob Jones graduates, Hyles-Anderson grads and many others (and vice versa). There exists a "rivalry" between Fairhaven folk and the people of First Baptist of Hammond, IN. "Westcoasters" are labeled compromisers by those who consider themselves more conservative. Those who attend Crown College - "Crownies" as they have been deemed - are seen by other fundamentalists as Sextonites . The list goes on and on and includes schools and churches from all around the country. Even smaller local churches try to take on the attribute...
2 comments
Read more

My Dad wants to adopt more children?!

Did the title catch you off guard? At 55 years old, my earthly father isn't in that market... at least I don't think he is. But the Heavenly Father is looking for more children to bring into his family. Last year, I had the opportunity and privilege to write, direct and perform in a Christmas play entitled A Baseball Card Christmas . Some of you may remember it. The theme of the play was the gift of adoption through God's most precious gift -- His Son Jesus. It was a challenge from writing it to directing it, to performing it; but in the end, more than 160 attended and 3 raised their hand for salvation. A success if I do say so myself. Prompted by several to see it published, I found Performance Possibilities, a company started by my former college speech professor. She read it and accepted it for publication. Now, this weekend, the play will be performed by two more churches -- one in Florida and the other in a nearby Ohio town. I feel so honored that God has used th...
2 comments
Read more