Isaiah 53:1-11

3:53 - 4:47 10:40-11:32

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

53 Who has believed what we have heard?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a young plant

and like a root out of dry ground.

He didn’t have an impressive form

or majesty that we should look at him,

no appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.

He was like someone people turned away from;

he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses,

and he carried our pains;

but we in turn regarded him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion,

crushed because of our iniquities;

punishment for our peace was on him,

and we are healed by his wounds.

6 We all went astray like sheep;

we all have turned to our own way;

and the LORD has punished him

for the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth.

Like a lamb led to the slaughter

and like a sheep silent before her shearers,

he did not open his mouth.

8 He was taken away because of oppression and judgment,

and who considered his fate?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

he was struck because of my people’s rebellion.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

but he was with a rich man at his death,

because he had done no violence

and had not spoken deceitfully.

10 Yet the LORD was pleased to crush him severely.,

When you make him a guilt offering,

he will see his seed, he will prolong his days,

and by his hand, the LORD’s pleasure will be accomplished.

11 After his anguish, he will see light and be satisfied.

By his knowledge,

my righteous servant will justify many,

and he will carry their iniquities.

Open with Jesus is the canoe

When we feel trapped, hopeless with no way out. When we feel guilt and shame ramping up - we need to remember that there is a canoe and Jesus is the canoe

I went out on my own thinking that I was strong enough, maybe you do too. Maybe you think you don’t need Christ. Well, he is there when you call.

Your own code. They had a better code.

Place the passage - the people were seeing that they weren’t getting better. They weren’t getting any better. They needed something new. They needed someone to save them

God knew of the problem. He knew there was no way out. So what did he do about it?

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

Who has believed what we have heard?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a young plant

and like a root out of dry ground.

He didn’t have an impressive form

or majesty that we should look at him,

no appearance that we should desire him.

He came as an ordinary man. God sent him to live a human life. John 1:1 says that the Word became flesh. That’s this same idea.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.

He was like someone people turned away from;

he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

When I was visiting Nicaragua, they said “oh, is that a missions trip?” no one would

Illustration: visiting Nicaragua

But he went to a horrible place. He went to someplace really poor. He knew what it was like to suffer. He knew what it was to be sick. Uncomfortable. Poor. He had grief.

He had family problems. At one point his family thought he was crazy. That’s hard. He knows your suffering.

Why? So that he could relate to us. So he could really know, experientially what it was to be human.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses,

and he carried our pains;

but we in turn regarded him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion,

crushed because of our iniquities;

punishment for our peace was on him,

and we are healed by his wounds.

6 We all went astray like sheep;

we all have turned to our own way;

and the LORD has punished him

for the iniquity of us all.

Now look at what it says - he bore our sickness and carried our pains. This was pointing to how he healed people.

We are about to see what he did for us. We are about see the reality of what it cost him. But here’s the deal, we turn and we think Jesus did it for no reason. He was a chump.

He bore our sicknsess. He carried our pains. He died for us, and we think it reflects poorly on him.

Now we don’t say it in so many words. We say it with our actions. We say it with our attitude.

I’ll do it with my own code. What are we saying - bless your heart Jesus but I don’t really need you.

We do it when we live for ourselves. Thanks for saving me jesus, now get lost! I don’t need you!

He was crushed - do you know what that means?

Think about all the things that Jesus endured in his crucifixtion.

He was beaten. They pushed a crown of thorns on his head. He was humiliated.

Let’s set the scene. Everyone is there watching him at his worst moment. He is beaten. He is bloody. Then they nail him to the cross. Each hammer blow. And he knew what it was like. He certainly screamed.

Imagine you are being tortured an you look around and all your friends are there. Your family is there. Your enemies are there and they are mocking you.

Now when you see an image of Jesus on the cross, one of the things that they do is they put a loincloth on him. They cover him up.

Why? Because it would be indecent to have him up there naked. It would be too shameful. It would be too inappropriate. But it also would be accurate.

He endured all that for you.

Why did he do that? Because of our sin. Remember Harvey George. Now think about that. It was our crimes. He was what we deserved.

Verse 6 said that the Lord punishemd him for the iniquity of us all! It was what we deserved. He took that for you.

Now imagine all that and harvey george’s nephew doesn’t visit him. Doesn’t talk to him.

Imagine that after the uncle get’s out of the prison, the Nephew goes to prison to pay for his debt. He allowed the uncle to take it.

Imagine if after all that, the nephew didn’t obey the law, but instead tried to live by his own code and ended up back in prison.

That’s what we do when we reject Christ. But there is even more…

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

7

At any time, Christ could have called down an army of angels to take him off the cross. At any time he could have spoken of his defense.

During his trial, pontus pilot, the man who was essentially his judge, was shocked at his lack of defense. He was silent. He was determined to take the pain for us.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

8 He was taken away because of oppression and judgment,

and who considered his fate?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

he was struck because of my people’s rebellion.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

but he was with a rich man at his death,

because he had done no violence

and had not spoken deceitfully

He was put on a cross with two thieves. He was assigned a grave with the wicked. Then he was burried in a rich man’s tomb.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

10 Yet the LORD was pleased to crush him severely.,

When you make him a guilt offering,

he will see his seed, he will prolong his days,

and by his hand, the LORD’s pleasure will be accomplished

I want you to write down that first line: the lord was pleased to crush him.

Here is what that means, All the pain and trouble that was placed on Jesus was there for one reason - because it was God’s will to crush Jesus so that you could live.

It says that it made him a guilt offering - if you remember in word habit that means that He turned his son, jesus christ into a sacrifice to save you.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 53

11 After his anguish, he will see light and be satisfied.

By his knowledge,

my righteous servant will justify many,

and he will carry their iniquities.

That seeing light points to Jesus resurrection. After all that anguish, He would still see light. He would still be resurrected.

Look it - he died for your sins. Think about what this means. THink about the worst sins that you have done. The ones that you try to hide and are filled with shame. Think about that.

Now imagine all that guilt you feel being taken off and put on Christ and him dying for them. Now you don’t have to face it anymore!

Maybe you say, but Pastor, you don’t understand what I’ve done. You can’t imagine what i’ve done. Pastor, I’m too sinful!

Listen, mira, it pleased the lord to crush him. He was pierced for your rebellion, crushed for your iniqueties punished for our peace!!

You say, you don’t know what I’ve done, But I say, that’s foolish thinking. If you think that you don’t know what my God has done. You don’t know what Jesus has done! You don’t know the lengths he went to.

It doesn’t matter what you did - it only matters what Jesus did and he pierced and crushed for you.

And why did he do that upon resurrecting from the dead, when he gets to see light, three days later on the first easter, we would be satisfied knowing that he died to bring an eternal reward You are his reward.

But how do we then respond to God? How are you responding to Christ? How are your responding to that?

Thanks - but I want to party. I’ll get serious about you when I am older.

Thanks - but I’ll live by my own code, thank you very much.

Thanks! But I’m just going to do do good works.

Thanks! but no thanks.

We join with the crowd. We despise, we reject, we spit on him with our actions.

All the while we are still stuck in the mud of our own sins. Its like we love being stuck more than we like being free.

Listen, if you are tired of being stuck in the sin in your life. If you are tired of being stuck in the misery of guilt and shame. If you are done with mistreating the savior who died to save men, then today I want to invite you to stop doing that, and start living for Jesus.

The ABC’s of repentacne

And for beleivers here, it is important to wake up sometimes and remember the price of your relationship with God. It’s a big deal. You are deeply loved. Deeply valued. And totally accepted.

If he would do that for you - what wouldn’t he do for you?