HAS GOD FAILED AT ADVERTISING?

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed OUR MESSAGE and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

ADVERTISE means to present or praise (goods, services etc) to the public especially in order to encourage sales; to make publicly known. In simpler terms ADVERTISING means sending out a MESSAGE publicly. Hence the above scripture can also read this way:

Who has believed OUR ADVERT and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed.

We all have to agree that in our modern society, ADVERTS have become a part of us almost as natural as the air we breathe. In every corner you turn, there is a form of MESSAGE which is aimed at you. And while advertising is not evil or bad in itself, its the seductive way the message is conveyed that is really the problem. You see, most adverts are directed towards your sensual appetite. What you see, touch, feel, taste and hear.

But why do people advertise in the first place? There are three main reasons;to introduce something new, to stand out as the best among rivals or to be seen as authentic. So did God score well on these three? Oh, if you didn’t know ISAIAH 53 is the grand way God first introduced HIS SON, JESUS to the world. But wait a minute? Why would God, the Creator choose to introduce HIS ONE AND ONLY BELOVED in such a crude, unedited form? If you read Isaiah 53 this in what you will come across;

– He is lacking in BEAUTY OR MAJESTY… nothing we are uncomfortable with.
– He is lacking in APPEARANCE…and of course, he doesn’t fit in our celebrity world.
– He is BEATEN UP and DESPISED..we have no time for the downtrodden in life.
– He is SICKLY and MOURNFUL…we prefer stadiums and theaters than hospital corridors or elderly homes.
– He is UNMANLY and QUIET…we like rebels and advocates of whatever rights.
– He is DEAD and GONE…we go on with our business as if nothing happened.

But I have news for you, what might have seemed like the most UNWISE, NONSTRATEGIC ADVERT of all times became the MOST EFFECTIVE of them all. Because unlike the message of the world, God does not appeal to us through our sensuality,that is (indulgence) but rather through sensitivity, that is (common sense). What you see, hear or read is not necessary what you need, but rather to look closely again at God’s ONE TIME advert. If I am not wrong…You will see yourself…the self you don’t like, the self you are not comfortable with, the self who has known nothing but rejection, the self that is lost in spite of all knowledge. And the most painful truth, the self that is DEAD while still living.

GOD’S ADVERT OF HIS SON...is actually YOU AND ME. He who did not know sin became sin for you and me. So next time, you see an advert what is offering you something better, remember there is ONE who did a good job, once and for all…and then HE CEASED ADVERTISING.

Jesus is THE ONE AND ONLY SON OF GOD; He has NO RIVALS; He is AUTHENTIC. Believe in HIS MESSAGE and live!!!!
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