“Our Story Becomes His Story”

Isaiah 53:1-12

Good morning church I want us to turn our Bibles to Isaiah 53. I would like for us to look at this passage as though we have never heard it before. I want you to remove any preconceived ideas that you may have and I want you to step back and look at this from a whole different perspective. Now, I know that Isaiah, the prophet is prophesying the coming of the Messiah. We all can agree that the Messiah is coming not for Himself but for us correct? The messiah is coming because he wants to “Change our story”. The one thing about us humans is we always look forward to a good story. Well, this story is about Jesus coming to change our story. A hero who saves the day makes things that were once wrong right. Where good triumphs over evil. Superman flies in and saves the day. We know this story but what I want to do is focus on what He is saving us from. How it makes up our lenses on how we see God and how we tell His story. Today’s text will expose us to everything that we experience in life and how we came to who we are today. We have to have an old self to have a new self. I know we are looking at some very deep, textual verses, but two of the verses are the book ends to this story and will help us put into perspective those things we need to identify and work on as God continues to work on us.

Verse number 2 and 9. Are the bookends to this story? Once we have set the groundwork for these 2 verses we can add the meat to this lesson. Let's take a look at the chart that I used last week to place us in the context of today's lesson. Our vortex chart should always have us looking through the eyes lens of God and not the world. We should look up to God for all our strength all our help from once it comes from.

Romans 12:2 tells us, that the world would like us to conform to its view, but we must use the biblical lens to live in the life God desires. We need to live through His perspective, not the perspective of the world. Colossians 2:8-10 warns us of this. , 8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. So let’s dive into Isa. 53 verse 9 Isaiah says this

(Read Verse 9-NLT) He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

The intention of those making the Servant suffer is for him to die as a wicked person next to wicked people. A connection to this prophecy can be made when Jesus is crucified next to two criminals (Mark 15:27; Luke 23:32–33). Also, Jesus is killed by wicked people. This fits with the prophet’s words as well: those who kill the Servant are deceitful and violent. We live in a world that says you are innocent until you are proven guilty, but society judges us before the trial even starts.

The words “the rich at His death” connect with the narratives of the NT Gospels suggesting that the manner of Jesus’ burial fulfills the prophecy of the Suffering Servant in v. 9 (see Mark 15:43–46; Luke 23:50–56). According to the Gospel writers Mark and Luke, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus and a wealthy member of the Jewish council (Matt 27:57), 57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. requested permission from Pilate to take Jesus’ body and bury it in a new tomb (John 19:38 and note). The soldiers who crucified Jesus intended to bury Him with the wicked like the two criminals (John 19:31). However, He was buried with the rich, in the grave of a rich man named Joseph (Matt. 27:57–60). Signifying that Jesus will never lay or belong with the wicked. And that is how in our spiritual death we no longer are a slave to sin. Did you get that?

He had done no violence Nor was any deceit in His mouth The Servant will be killed despite being peaceful. Not only is the Servant innocent of violence, but He is never deceitful

Isaiah places a portrait of the suffering servant, in chapter 52:13–52 despised and rejected wounded and bruised. This unattractive servant would know, heartache and sorrow. What was the reason for his suffering? His life could not be the cause, for he was blameless, speaking only the truth, yet the servant would be led to prison and then to death for our sins. Why because he made our story His story. Words used in this text to describe what we have that God releases us from our Iniquity refers to illnesses of the soul. His healing of many people’s physical illnesses (though not all of them) in His earthly ministry anticipated His greater work on the Cross. Though He does heal physical ailments today (though not all of them) His greater work is healing souls, giving salvation from sin. This is the subject of Isaiah 53 is clear from the words “transgressions”, and “iniquities”. His story became a “ Suffering Servant” Additional words, Rejected, stricken, smitten, bruised chastisement, wounded stripes, judgement, wicked

I wanted to be clear and concise that Jesus did nothing wrong. He has taken our story and made it his. We see all the different words that were used to show the type of world that we live in. Words that describe who we are. I can’t understand why people would not want to have Jesus in their life. To receive peace, freedom, love, and some joy from all this affliction, pain, hurt devastation. Now let us look at the other bookend. Verse 2, but let's begin reading verse 1.

(Read Verse 1-2)NLT- Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. Though lamenting the fact that few people will believe (v. 1), the remnant will realize that nothing about the Servant’s appearance would automatically attract a large following (cf. v. 3). He grew … before God as a tender shoot (i.e., coming from David’s line; cf. 11:1), and as a root out of dry ground, (speaks from about its value, since farming was the way of life. Any root that cannot produce is of no value) that is, from an arid area (spiritually speaking) where one would not expect a large plant to grow. In His appearance, He did not look like a royal person (in beauty and majesty). The remnant was not excusing people for rejecting the Servant; it was merely explaining why the nation rejected Him.

as a tender plant(Physically, the state of being soft or easily damaged. Tenderness in relationships is an expression of love and affection which, in the case of God, is often linked with compassion for his people.) The role in Isa. 11:1–12 parallels that of the Servant. In both passages, Yahweh appoints a leader to bring about change in the land and the people. Isaiah 11:1–12 involves Yahweh bringing the people back and making them at peace with one another, and 52:13–53:12 involves Yahweh bearing the iniquities of the people (v. 12) through the “guilt offering” of the Servant—an act that results in prosperous things occurring for the Servant and His “offspring” (v. 10).

Clement of Alexandria said this”

Man is born to have a connection with God.

Clement of Alexandria

Two things here I want us to know people want to have a connection and relationship

people want to be seen. People look for a connection in our jobs, homes, and surely our churches. Relationships are a main theme throughout the bible.

So i want to ask a question? What is your worth, not your income worth, but your worth? How do you see yourself and your value in this world?

Point 1-Knowing your self-worth your value Worthiness ( Isa. 53:2)-

no form There was no physical or social reason to desire the Servant; his service was, therefore, wholly unexpected. His appearance would contradict the normal expectation for a charismatic deliverer.

society depicts our value based on your resume, where you live, drive, and work. Many will not return to their high school reunions because they are ashamed of who they did not become or what they no longer look like back in the day. Critical, judgmental, and bad memories in high school are two of the 3 top reasons.

let's talk about a person named Zacchaeus, He was the second person in Jericho who came to faith in Jesus. Zacchaeus, like the blind man, was considered an outcast to the normal Jewish system because of his activities for Rome as a tax collector (cf. 5:27; 18:9–14). Zacchaeus is a prime example of a person who valued himself off what the world or in his eyes didn't see. Zacchaeus was a short man who chose a profession so that people could see him. He would be rich and get anything he wanted. But he realized that it did not give him what he needed so He responded to Jesus’ message in precisely the opposite way the rich ruler had responded (18:18–25). Zacchaeus, also wealthy (19:2), knew he was a sinner. When Jesus called on him, he responded with a greater enthusiasm than Jesus had asked for. This gives us affirmation of Jesus’ words that with God all things are possible (18:25–27), for Zacchaeus was a wealthy person who found salvation. He was able to give 4 times more because He realized His worth was in Jesus and not in the world. Unlike the rich ruler, Jesus exposed his sin and he was unable to do what he needed to do.

Read Isaiah 53:3-4 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

Rejection/Outcast (Isa.53:3-4)

53:3 He is despised and rejected The phrase connotes quick dismissal, not a strong willful and emotional rejection. The Servant is considered worthless, and not worthy of attention. You feel driven to over-exaggerate in your words, thoughts, and actions to ensure no one can reject you. That’s the story of Zacchaeus. or our big fish stories ( Lie)

Read Isa. 53:5-7 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

Abuse/betrayed (Isa. 53:5-7)

This is when you are tired of being mistreated. It makes it hard to believe and trust in anything. This is when we cannot phantom God’s love

From the words of Tupac me against the world

Read Isa. 53:8-9 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. 9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

Abandonment (Isa. 53:8-9)

You will disengage and sabotage your relationships in order to prepare yourself for what's to come. Loneliness, depression, despair.

After His oppression (being arrested and bound, John 18:12, 24) and judgment (sentenced to die, John 19:16) Jesus was led to His death. He died not because of any sins of His own (for He, the Son of God, was sinless, 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 John 3:5) but because of (for) the sins (transgression, Isa. 53:5) of others. To be taken away means to be taken to death. It is parallel to being cut off from the land of the living, an obvious reference to death, and stricken. Some verbs in this verse (“was cut off, was stricken”), like those in verse 4 (“smitten, afflicted”) and verse 5 (“was crushed”), indicate by their passive voice that these actions were done to Him by God the Father (cf. v. 10; 2 Cor. 5:21, “God made Him … to be sin for us”)

Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt leaving the majestic wealth of heaven, with all of its abundance to come to a place like Earth? Especially to live in a place that would be classified as the ghetto of Nazareth. Think about Jesus being born in a manger, with this not be the equivalent of being homeless in America? How do you think Jesus felt being scorned as a bastard child by well-meaning but misunderstood adults? Worthlessness would be an understatement of what he has just felt.

Self-rejection. When this occurs, we experience the state of rejection, we feel driven to compensate in our words, thoughts, and deeds to avoid being rejected, causing us to live in constant distrust of others, and always be afraid of being rejected. Interestingly, enough, Jesus had to deal with the emotional state of rejection throughout his life. Isaiah said he had no beauty or attractiveness that humanity would desire him. Jesus was so rejected by human beings that as Isaiah said, we hid our face from him. Saying we did not see him nor did we want to know him. Have you ever heard anybody say that or feel that way as though they felt invisible, knowing that people saw them, but they didn’t want to see them?

Why Does This Matter?

As we continue to see our value and worthiness. We resonate with one of these over the others meaning we have to work hard to remove this old self so that God can use us.

John 10:10 KJV -The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.

This New Testament scripture should have more meaning after listening to this sermon. The prince of this world came to do those things, but Jesus said I came to give your life meaning and fulfillment more than you could ever have imagined for yourself. Fulfilled prophecies matter. If someone predicts something hundreds of years before an event takes place, the odds of that happening by a mere guess are astronomical. Let alone all the prophecies that point to Jesus in the Old Testament.

Read Isa. 53:10-11 10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.

This passage also gives us insight into Jesus’ life and his work on the cross. We can read and appreciate just how much he has done for us. Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians that we have access to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Zaccheus was a rich man, but in Christ, he was a billionaire. We are billionaires and we have everything we need. We can bless the church, bless the community, bless our jobs, and surely our homes. We just need to know what our value is. Do you? Because if you do its time to act.

That’s our story and we have a chance to correct and use what the devil deemed useless for good. Next week “the rest of the story” To Be Continued