Renewing Our Appetite: The Suffering Servant’s Indescribable Gift

Devotional

Day 1: God Bears His Mighty Arm in Surprising Ways

God often moves in ways that don’t match what we would choose or expect. From the Exodus to Bethlehem to the cross, His strength shows up quietly—easily missed by impatient eyes. Many see but do not perceive, because they are looking for flash rather than faithfulness. Ask for eyes to notice God at work in the ordinary, and for a heart ready to welcome what isn’t naturally attractive. Come and see His quiet power moving toward you today. [07:28]

Isaiah 53:1 — Who has truly trusted what we’ve told, and to whom has God uncovered His strong, rescuing power?

Reflection: Where have you dismissed something as too simple or ordinary that might actually be God at work, and what will you do to pay attention this week?

Day 2: Renewing Your Picker: Desire Re-trained by Grace

Our natural appetites don’t always aim at what is true, good, and beautiful. Genesis shows how “desirable” things can backfire, while Isaiah points to a Savior who doesn’t appear attractive yet brings life. Begin with confession—name where your desires outrun wisdom and ask for mercy. Then cultivate an appetite for God: linger with Jesus in Scripture, surrender what resists Him, and let the Spirit re-train what you want. Finally, pre-decide to choose God’s ways when the old patterns call your name. [17:39]

Romans 12:2 — Don’t be shaped by the current of this age; let God change you from the inside out by renewing your mind, so you can recognize and choose what He wants—what is good, life-giving, and whole.

Reflection: Which specific desire tends to steer you off course, and what concrete practice could help the Spirit re-train that desire this week?

Day 3: By His Wounds: Forgiveness, Peace, and Healing

Jesus carried our pain and took our sin onto Himself. Many misread His suffering as failure, yet through His piercing and crushing, our peace was purchased. Because He stood in our place, the barrier between us and God can be removed. Forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing are present-tense gifts you can receive now. Welcome His mercy and let His peace restore what sin has stolen. [25:02]

Isaiah 53:4–5 — He lifted our griefs and burdens, though we assumed God was striking Him; in truth, He was pierced because of our rebellion and crushed because of our wrongdoing. The cost that brings us peace fell on Him, and by His wounds we are made whole.

Reflection: Where do you most need Jesus’ wound-mended peace today, and how will you make space to receive it in prayer?

Day 4: The Good Shepherd Seeks Wandering Sheep

We all drift—into distractions, bitterness, or the cul-de-sacs of our own making. Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life and then comes searching for the lost. He does not begin with scolding; He begins with seeking, gathering, and carrying. Hear His voice inviting you out of the ditch and back to Himself. Say yes to His care and let Him lead you home. [31:06]

John 10:11, 14–15 — Jesus declares Himself the Good Shepherd: He knows His own and they know Him, and like a devoted keeper, He willingly gives His life for the sheep.

Reflection: What is one tangible step you can take this week to follow the Shepherd’s voice in the very place you’ve been wandering?

Day 5: Pre-Decide a New Way; Borrow Wisdom

Our “picker” often fails in the same places, so learn its patterns and pre-decide a better path. When the old impulse rises, choose the opposite of your usual shortcut and step toward life. Invite trusted people to help—sometimes you need to borrow someone else’s picker until yours is healed. Ask for counsel, accountability, and practical help so your choices align with God’s good. The Spirit can change you, and wise companions can steady your steps. [21:10]

Proverbs 15:22 — Plans unravel when we insist on going alone, but with a circle of wise advisers, they find a strong path forward.

Reflection: Name one arena where your picker keeps failing; who will you ask this week to advise and walk with you as you pre-decide a new response?

Sermon Summary

Christmas draws our attention to gifts, but the deepest truth is that no thing—no promotion, experience, accomplishment, or perfect season—can deliver the joy, peace, and fulfillment our souls were made for. Only the indescribable gift of Jesus can do that. Yet God’s gift doesn’t always come in the package we expect. Isaiah foresaw a suffering servant with “no beauty” to attract us, and history shows how often people miss God’s mighty arm because it doesn’t look impressive. This is as old as Genesis 3: we’re drawn to what seems desirable, and it backfires. Isaiah 53 answers with a Savior who doesn’t look desirable, yet heals the world.

That gap points to a hard truth: our “pickers” are broken. What feels attractive, convenient, or flattering often isn’t good, and what is holy and life-giving doesn’t always feel appealing at first. So we take up a simple path of renewal. First, confess: name the specific things you reach for that don’t lead to life. Second, cultivate an appetite for God—especially in Jesus—because some of what Jesus says is an acquired taste: admitting our need for a Savior, forgiving enemies, giving generously, surrendering control. Third, name where your picker fails in the same recurring ways, learn from it, and pre-decide a different response. Borrow a wiser friend’s “picker” if you need to; humility accelerates transformation.

Isaiah’s breathtaking summary of Jesus tells us what all this is for: “He was pierced for our transgressions… by his wounds we are healed.” The manger, the cross, and the empty tomb reveal God’s mighty arm, not in spectacle but in self-giving love. And because we are sheep who wander, Jesus comes as the Good Shepherd—laying down his life and calling us home. So if you’ve drifted—into bitterness, politics, performance, isolation, or quiet numbness—hear his voice. Come and see. Come home to the peace, forgiveness, and healing that only Jesus can give.

Key Takeaways

1. Attraction often opposes God’s good What looks desirable may be the very thing that dims your vision of the true, the good, and the beautiful. Genesis 3 and Isaiah 53 expose how easily we chase what flatters us and miss what saves us. Cultivate a healthy suspicion of your impulses, and ask the Spirit to recalibrate desire. God often arrives in forms our appetites would never pick. [10:49]
2. Begin by confessing misdirected desires Confession isn’t self-loathing; it’s truth-telling that opens the door to freedom. Name the concrete things you reach for—status, control, comfort, resentment—and bring them into the light. Specificity invites specific healing. This honest humility is the first movement of a renewed heart. [14:07]
3. Practice an appetite for Jesus Some truths of Jesus will not taste good at first: our need for a Savior, forgiving enemies, generosity, surrender. Don’t wait to feel it—pray to want what God wants, even when you don’t. Over time, your palate changes, and obedience becomes joy. Surrender grows into real freedom. [16:17]
4. Come home to the Good Shepherd We wander—sometimes into obvious sin, sometimes into subtle distractions—and we get lost. Jesus bears our iniquity and then seeks us, not to shame us, but to restore us to peace, community, and purpose. Coming home looks like repentance, receiving grace, and walking closely with his voice again. [30:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:38] - Our mission: connect and engage
[02:05] - New service times and campus update
[02:26] - Christmas Eve and invite culture
[03:11] - Emmanuel and the limits of gifts
[05:03] - Isaiah’s surprising suffering servant
[10:49] - Our pickers are broken
[13:51] - Three prayers to renew desire
[16:17] - Jesus is an acquired taste
[18:38] - Name it, learn it, pre-decide
[24:46] - Pierced for our transgressions
[26:42] - Born to save: manger to tomb
[28:38] - We all like sheep
[30:52] - The Good Shepherd calls us home
[37:23] - Prayer room and benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Isaiah 53:1-6

Observation questions

In Isaiah 53:1-3, what reasons are given for why many did not recognize God’s work in the Servant?
According to Isaiah 53:5, what three gifts come to us through the Servant’s suffering?
In Isaiah 53:6, what is the human problem, and what does the Lord do about it?
The message connected Genesis 3 and Isaiah 53 through the shared idea of “desire.” What is the contrast between what looked desirable in Eden and the Servant who had “no beauty” to attract us? [10:23]

Interpretation questions

If “all our pickers are broken,” what does that say about the reliability of instinct and attraction when making spiritual and moral choices? [12:17]
Isaiah 53:5 shows substitution: the Servant is pierced and crushed so others can receive peace and healing. What does this imply about how forgiveness, peace, and healing are received—earned, felt, or given?
Isaiah 53:1 asks who has believed the message and who has seen the arm of the Lord. What might blind people today from seeing God’s mighty work, in ways similar to Pharaoh hardening himself during the plagues? [07:04]
If humans are like wandering sheep (Isaiah 53:6) and Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life, what does that reveal about God’s posture toward people who drift, doubt, or fail? [30:52]

Application questions

Begin by confessing misdirected desires: What is one concrete thing you reach for (status, control, comfort, resentment, distraction) that doesn’t lead to life? Would you be willing to name it specifically and ask for forgiveness today? [14:07]
Practice an appetite for Jesus: Which teaching of Jesus currently feels like an “acquired taste” for you—loving an enemy, forgiving again, giving generously, surrendering control? What is one small step you will take this week to practice it? [17:07]
Name it, learn it, pre-decide: In what one area does your picker fail in the same way over and over? What “do the opposite” pre-decision could you make for the next 30 days? Who will know about this plan? [19:49]
Borrow a wiser friend’s picker: Where do you need help choosing well (money, relationships, priorities, time, faith rhythms)? Who is one wise, healthy person you can ask for guidance—and what exactly will you ask them to do with you? [21:10]
Come home to the Good Shepherd: If you’ve wandered (into bitterness, politics, performance, isolation, or quiet numbness), what is your next step to hear his voice and come home—confession, a conversation, an act of reconciliation, serving, or showing up to worship? [30:16]
Hide God’s word in your heart: Will you memorize Isaiah 53:5 this week? What daily trigger (morning coffee, commute, lunch break) will you tie it to so it actually happens? [35:01]
A simple heart-check: When you feel yourself getting grumpy or fixated, will you pause and ask, “Is this my picker, or is this God’s priority?” Where did you notice this recently, and how will you re-calibrate? [14:55]

Sermon Clips

So listen, here's the reality. Most of the world is living for those things. So it takes a lot of work to unhook from those things. But if you can't unhook, if you can start to be even just open to unhooking from those things, here's the good news and here's the good news of Christmas. Here's why Christmas is so great, that the indescribable gift of Jesus can and does. Yes, invite us into a path, into a relationship with God, whereby we experience the joy and the peace and the fulfillment that you and I were created for. [00:04:27] (26 seconds) #ChristmasInvitesHome

Others of you, you're very, very spiritual. I've got friends who are very, very spiritual. And Jesus is nice and all, but it's not about Jesus. It's about kind of the general vague spiritual world because Jesus isn't the thing that kind of connects with you. That seems the thing that is the pinnacle of what God has done. And that's no surprise. Isaiah said you wouldn't get it. So we have to work at it. [00:15:57] (18 seconds) #JesusAtTheCenter

And then if you keep taking Jesus seriously, he says a bunch of other things that are really hard. Love your enemies. Forgive as many times as you have to anybody that sins against you. I don't want to do that, Jesus. Give your money away so you're not a slave to money. I don't want to do that, Jesus. Give control of your life over to God. I don't want to give control of my life over to God. All these things that Jesus is going to say that aren't going to be naturally, intuitively attractive to some of us. [00:17:02] (26 seconds) #RadicalJesusCommands

Jesus is an acquired taste. But if you don't do the work of acquiring the taste for Jesus, then you never experience the joy and the peace fulfillment you were created for, because that's what you were made for. So here's the reality. Here's the thing. Our pickers are broken. What we think of as attractive and beautiful, what we want, what's desirable for us, does not always match pitch with what's actually true, right, or good. [00:17:27] (17 seconds) #AcquireTasteForJesus

Sometimes, sometimes here's what parenting feels like. Sometimes parenting feels like making sacrifices for little people that they'll never understand, and later they just pay you back with eye rolls. Amen? There it is. That's how they repay, right? Those, all the sacrifices, they don't understand. Isaiah describes the suffering servant. Here's what the suffering servant is going to do. The suffering servant is going to make sacrifices that nobody's going to understand. And even some of us are going to give him eye rolls. That's how it is. [00:22:34] (28 seconds) #SufferingServantSacrifice

Jesus is on the cross, taking up our pain, bearing our suffering, taking on our sin. He's going to talk about that really specifically here in just a beat. Jesus has taken all this on himself. But while Jesus is on the cross, do you know what people are doing? Laughing, mocking. They don't get it. The Lord is bearing his mighty arm right there in front, in public. And the people think that God has rejected him, right? He called himself the son of man. He called himself the son of God, and clearly God's not coming through for him now. [00:23:26] (31 seconds) #CrucifiedForUs

``Jesus is like, I want to pay for that. I want to pay for that. I'm going to pay for that. So that your sin and my sin does not have the last word over us. Grace does. Forgiveness does. Healing does. Reconciliation does. Oh, my friends. Oh, my friends. Don't miss the Lord bearing his mighty arm this Christmas. Don't miss what he's come to do. Don't miss how he's come to save you and me from the consequences of our sin forever and ever. He's come to rescue us and to call us home. [00:27:17] (29 seconds) #JesusPaidItAll

So easy to wander, isn't it, my friends? So easy to wander. And so when Jesus comes, one of his favorite titles for himself is, I'm the good shepherd. I'm the good shepherd. You know what the good shepherd's going to do? The good shepherd is going to lay his life down for the sheep. That's what he says he's going to do. The good shepherd's going to lay his life down for the sheep. Not because we're so wonderful, although you are, but because he's so good. He's so loving. [00:30:41] (27 seconds) #GoodShepherdLeads

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