Love (2)
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· 1 viewThe Love of God displayed in the death of Christ
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Love is one of the most misunderstood and therefore misapplied terms around the world today. When the Bible tells us in Isaiah 5:20 (ESV) 20Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
But, this is what the world has done with love. In more and more ways, how God defines love the world calls hate, and how God defines hate the world calls love.
God is the one who is creator of all things, and as the Scripture tells us in 1 John 4:8, God is Love, so for these reasons and more God gets to define love.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22:37-40). We are told numerous times in the NT to love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Thankfully, we are not left to ourselves in having and displaying such love, for we have been taught by God how to love (1 Thess. 4:9) and have been filled with the Holy Spirit which bears the fruit of love (Gal 5:22) within us.
The most glorious display of the love of God was revealed to us in the person and work of Christ, most specifically, in the crucifixion of Jesus.
John 3:16–17 (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.
John 15:13 (ESV) 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Continuing in our Advent series through Isaiah let’s continue in Isaiah 52-53 as we consider how God displayed His love.
Sacrificial Love
Sacrificial Love
Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.
As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
The physical suffering of Christ in leading up to the cross, being punched, beard ripped out, his scourging by the cat o’ nine tales and then his crucifixion.
Yet, He knowingly and willingly endured it all and told the disciples well in advance what was coming.
And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
He did so for this very reason in verse 15 of our passage.
so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.
Why did Jesus knowingly and willingly sacrifice Himself to purify us from our sins? Because of His love for us.
Jesus has loved us in the greatest way that He could display it, by laying His life down for us.
Believer, you need to hear this today. God knows you inside out and He loves you to the greatest extent He could love you. It wasn’t something you did, it wasn’t because of your talent, it wasn’t because He saw you would be a good addition to His work in this world. No, it was in spite of you that God set His love on you, to send His Son to die for you. God has loved you with a sacrificial love, a love that cost Him the death of His own Son. Jesus loves you so much that He laid His life down to sprinkle you clean with His blood.
Unbelievable Love
Unbelievable Love
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
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.
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.
As prophesied, many of those to whom Christ was sent, did not believe him nor did they believe His messengers.
When the people considered that Jesus grew up amongst them, was common, was not like King Saul, large and strong, He came out of Nazareth, they could not imagine Him being the fulfillment of the Messiah.
He was just too humble of origin and appearance in there estimation. They could not believe Jesus was King, Savior, Messiah, and certainly did not believe His claims to be God. The good news of who Jesus was and what He came to do was just too unbelievable. So, they rejected his message and plotted and killed Him.
There is a level in which even the Bible portrays Christ dying for sinners as unbelievable, and yet affirms Jesus did this unthinkable act of love.
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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.
Some of you are familiar with the gospel message, the life and death of Christ, but this message is too unbelievable to you as well. You may think to yourself the story is just too unbelievable that this Jesus who died almost 2000 years ago would have any relevance to me today. You Christians not only want Jesus to be relevant to me today but you want it to completely altar all of my life. You may say, I don’t despise or reject Jesus I just don’t believe in Him.
Sadly, if you are familiar with, but do not believe the message God as revealed in His Word, the gospel of Christ who died to save sinners like me and you, then you are rejecting Him, you are despising His command to turn from your sin, His command to believe in Christ, because you have not rightly esteemed Him.
If this is you, keep listening this morning as God is so good that He wants you to know more about His unbelievable love for sinners.
Substitutionary Love
Substitutionary Love
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
When I am sharing Jesus with people I like to ask this question at some point in the conversation. Do you know what God did to save us from our sin? Some people will respond with saying they do not know, some will say that Jesus died on the cross for us. Then I like to follow up asking, do you know why Jesus had to die on the cross to save us? Most of the time, people do not know the answer to this question. I don’t blame them primarily, I primarily blame weak and watered down pulpits for not making this plain or not bothering to focus on this gospel truth.
We are told what the love of Jesus lead Him to do, to suffer for us, by dying a brutal death on a cross. A sacrificial and unbelievable love. But why did He have to die like this to save us? Verse 4-6 gives us the reason why. Verse 4 says he has born our griefs, carried our sorrows. This referencing His suffering on the cross which we will return to in a moment, just have in mind the cross here. Look at how the people perceived what was happening on the cross, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. So, the people who did not believe Jesus was the promised Savior, thought that God was judging Jesus for being a sinner and hanging him on a tree.
his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
The people truly believed Jesus was getting what He deserved. But, that is far from the truth. Listen to why Jesus suffered on the cross.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus never sinned, was without sin, it is us who is full of sin. Yet, Jesus willingly suffered on the cross the full punishment of God for our sin, our transgressions, our iniquities, they were carried to the cross on the shoulders of Christ. Ours sins were accounted to Jesus and this is why He suffered so, because God poured out His wrath for us and our sin on Christ. As verse 5 says, he was crushed for our iniquities, it was Him suffering, not just the physical death, but suffering under the wrath of God for our sin that brought us peace.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
What a love, Jesus took on the frailty of human flesh 2000 years ago, lived the sinless life that you and I failed to live, yet took the punishment for our sin, God’s wrath which brought about the brutal physical death of Jesus.
This calls for your response, you cannot be indifferent to such a magnanimous act of love and not be considered hateful. God calls for you to behold the wonders of His love and respond in brokenness over your sin and trusting in the provision of Jesus’ substitutionary love that alone is sufficient to save you.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Rejected Love
Rejected Love
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
The Love of Jesus was on display throughout His earthly ministry, but by and large many rejected Him. Many of the religious of His day refused to believe that they needed a Savior for their internal problem of sin. Sure, they wanted a Savior to deliver them from the government that ruled their land, but they refused to believe that God was angry with them in their sin and they certainly refused to believe Jesus was the sacrifice God provided for their sin. They hated Jesus and His message so much so that they rose up to silence Him, and when they couldn’t silence Him, they plotted with an evil government to murder Jesus. With 100% accuracy this prophecy concerning Jesus was written over about 700 years before He fulfilled it.
Believer, the message to sinners that they are offensive to God and that they cannot make things right with God, but must look to Jesus alone to be made right with God, is a foolish message them.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
So, instead of responding to the Love of God wonderfully displayed in the gospel of Christ, they often respond as they did to Christ, who was/is the embodiment of Love, and that is with hatred for the message and messenger.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
But, notice the hatred we may face in this world as His messengers is not primarily because they are rejecting you and I, but rather because the world has rejected the love of Christ. In spite of all of this, look with me next at...
Victorious Love
Victorious Love
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
One might look at the ministry of Jesus, at how many rejected Him, His message, His death, and around the world today and think, Jesus was an utter failure. First, it was God’s will that Jesus be rejected and crucified. It was the will of the Lord to crush Him. Listen to part of Peter’s sermon in Acts 2.
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Considering verse 10-13 in light of the NT, we can see a prophetic word pointing to the resurrection of Christ. Through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, He will see his offspring, he will prolong His days, the will of God will prosper in His hand. Not only that, look at the result, their is no hint of lack of success in Christ’s death for the many.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Christ makes the many accounted righteous, because He bore their iniquities. We have no more sin accounted to us because Christ has satisfied the wrath of God for on our behalf.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Christ did not provide a possible satisfaction for our sins, but actually accomplished bearing the sin of many on the cross. Christ’s victory doesn’t stop after His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, he continues today leading us in His victory as He ever makes intercession for us!
