Easter Series '23 (2)

The Message of the Cross

This Easter we are studying Isaiah 53 which includes Jesus’ ministry, His death, His burial, and His resurrection and exultation. To Sum up the entire chapter would simply be to call it the innocent Savior died in the place of the guilt sinner.

In theology we call this

Vicarious atonement

Vicarious meaning an action done for another

Atonement meaning The praying of a wrong and the reconciliation of God and his people.

When I was kid I used to hate good friday. Never understood why people called it good, until I grew up and realized that it wasn’t the actions of the people that made it good. It was the message and sacrifice of Jesus that made it good.

Isaiah opens the chapter with strentgth. I believe this is important because so many people have a skewed view of what strength is. We believe strength is overtaking. pushing our way, but like I try to teach my kids. True strength comes from restraint. Anyone can be a wild fire. It takes strength and will power to control your flame.

So we want to start in

Isaiah 53:1 ESV

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

We get this picture of the arm of Lord Kind of like the arm of Mom in the 80’s and 90’s when she would make a quick stop.

Deuteronomy 7:19 ESV

19 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.

One one hand the arm of the Lord is Salvation and Strength for God’s people, but on the other a mighty display of power and protection against it’s enemies.

John in Chapter 12 v37-40 uses the bare arm of God, but shows the great disbelief of the Jewish people. They should have recieved the arm. When Peter was drowned you often see poetic picture of Peter reaching reaching out, not grabbing Jesus’ hand but rather his arm in order to reach for safety. The reason is because it is the arm that gives strength. The hand provides movement for miracles, but the strength comes from the arm.

Jesus knew his strength. He knew who he was. He didn’t have to let people define him. Strong people always seem to be that way. And I’m not talking about the percieved strong. We know those people. They tend to have loud mouths. They flex a lot. Everything they buy is to show their wealth, their success, and their strength. But that isn’t the case. Growing up I learned to be weary of the quiet kids. The first fight I ever lost was to a quiet kid. Who knew he had 8 years of martial arts under him?

Control is strength. Humility is strength. Meekness isn’t weakness. Those are characteristics of strength. When you know you can destroy someone, but you don’t.

1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV

13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Act like men. Paul tells us to put childish things away. Pride. Arrogance. lack of control.

The cross stands for humility, self control, sacrifice, and love.

The image of a tree

In the proceeding verses Jesus is likened to a tree

Isaiah 53:2 ESV

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

The dry ground is the state of Israel. Dry ground represent no nutrients, no prospering, no way to grow. So the plant grows against the odds.

Israel in this time when Jesus was born was enslaved under Roman Rule and not in a very good position. Politically, economically, and spiritually Israel is dry and dying.

Israel wanted a savior but they wanted it the way they wanted it. How many blesssings have we given up because it didn’t come in the package we wanted it to come in.

He was nothing to look at. Born into poverty his birth caused no great scene. Growing a carpenters son he had no great wealth or heritage. He was a lowly tree in the desert.

Aside from his words and his works. He bore the appearance of the “average Jew.”

Isaiah 53:3 ESV

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Jesus came in as an avarage joe and most of God’s work is done through average ordinary people so if you think you can’t do anything because you don’t live an extravagant life Satan is lying to you. You are exactly where you need to be to do exactly what God needs you to do.

Jesus came in looking ordinary and how did they treat him?

Like a slave- They despised him, put a cheap price of 30 pieces of silver ($91 to today’s value), and they looked the other way when he was wronged

Why?

They were ashamed of him Because

He didn’t represent the things that were important to them. Wealth, social prestige, reputation, being served instead of serving.

Jesus was rejected, not because of what he couldn’t do, but because he didn’t fit in their mold of what they wanted. We have to be careful as His children that we don’t reject Jesus because he isn’t acting in a way we think he should. Or doing things just as we think he ought to. We must accept Jesus as he is and accept his plan as it is laid out.

We know that Jesus came to save us, He sent his son to heal our sins. We deserved death, but God stood at the base of your tomb calling your name to give you a new life. To give you a new meaning. The world may have labeled you, but the creator of all things created you and rebought you for a price we can’t afford. That’s resurrection Sunday. An overcome grave that we couldn’t overcome so that we could stand to have a choice to choose victory. To choose life. To choose more than this world has to offer.

John 3:16–21 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

This year focus on letting God shine through you. Allow yourself to be the true reflection of Jesus’ humility and sacrifice.

If you’re here this morning and haven’t received Jesus as Lord and Savior and would like an opportunity to please raise your hand I would like to pray with you.