He Was Led Like a Lamb

Introduction

Good morning and welcome back!

And welcome to all of our online viewers!

If you will, start turning in your Bibles back to .

In just a moment we will be reminded again of our passage and prophesy concerning Jesus.

But first, I know that the events over the past few weeks have been concerning and somewhat disconcerting for everyone.

With the level and types of media coverage, it is overwhelming and also confusing.

There is so much being said from so many different people and different angles that it is hard to believe and understand exactly what is fact and what is hysteria.

But, here, in this place, and online, for just a little while I would like for us to calm our spirits and calm our souls and understand one truth.

God is still God.

Regardless of what happens in this world, God is still God.

During the course of human history there have been many times of pestilence and disease, what we now call “pandemics.”

And one thing always remained constant though.

God was always there.

And God was always God.

Now, that doesn’t mean that we should just ignore and act like nothing is wrong.

The same God that created us also gave us something called common sense.

And common sense dictates that we do not blaze ahead ignoring all warnings and push our personal agendas.

Common sense tells us that viruses and diseases cannot spread, if they have no one to spread to.

So, for the first time in my lifetime and probably anyone’s here, we have been asked to change our lives.

We have been asked to be socially distant from one another.

We have been asked to not gather in large crowds. It started at 50 but now they are saying 10 to 20.

And many say they are being “too cautious” and “the number of cases do not support the guidance we are given.”

And there is politicizing all the way around on the issue.

But we are not going to do that.

None of us are infectious disease experts, so it is pointless to waste time debating.

What I want us to do is two things.

#1 Focus on doing what we can to help and support those who need our help.

#2 Remember God’s got this.

And why can I be confident in knowing God’s got this?

Because God is God.

And our Bible tells us . . .

1 John 4:8 NIV - Anglicised

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God is love.

Remember that.

1 John 4:18 NIV - Anglicised

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

God is love and because God is love God has prepared a way for us all.

Not a way to escape the problems, fears, and issues that surround us.

But a way of salvation.

A way of eternal life.

A way to him.

A way to find peace, rest, and comfort in every single situation, whatever that situation is.

And of course that way I am talking about is Jesus.

And just like we have talked about for the last few weeks, through Jesus’ suffering we find victory.

Through Jesus’ suffering we find peace.

Through Jesus’ suffering we find rest.

It is all through Jesus.

So, one more time if you have found in your Bibles, I am going to read the passage again and remind us of what love looked like.

Isaiah writes . . .

Scripture Focus

Isaiah 53:1–12 NIV - Anglicised

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Who Believes the Message?

Point 1

Now there are a couple of things here that I want to focus on this morning.

The first is found in verse 1.

And reading it again, Isaiah writes . . .

Isaiah 53:1 NIV - Anglicised

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

And that, in our time—today even we have to ask that question.

Do we believe it?

Do we believe in God?

Do we believe in Jesus?

And that question is important because what it is really saying is, “do we trust God?”

Do you trust God this morning?

And I am not asking that question as someone all high and mighty up here.

I’ve had to ask myself that very question these past weeks.

Do I really trust in God?

And I have been confronted by it as well.

And we really need to explore that.

And let me say this as well.

Trusting in God does not mean throwing caution to the wind and not making preparations.

For instance, I trust that God will provide what I need, but I also have been preparing.

We bought extra toilet paper because it was running out.

I was not panicking, but I saw empty shelves and prepared.

I was at Walmart at 6AM the other morning getting groceries.

I was not panicking but as other people panic and buy anything and everything, I bought what we needed for the next few weeks to be prepared.

Using the good sense that God gave us to be prepared is not a lack of trust in God, it is using the faculties that God has blessed us with.

However, we do have a lot of people who have no trust in God.

They have no faith in God.

If they did, I wouldn’t have had to buy extra toilet paper above what we usually buy.

I wouldn’t have had to buy extra food than what we usually buy,

And I don’t blame the people running around out here who have no faith in God and don’t claim to.

But what about the rest of us.

What about all of us out here who claim to be Christians and we are acting this way?

Running around like this is the Zombie Apocalypse and the end is here.

Where is that faith in God?

Where is that trust in His message?

Well there are two problems with that.

#1-in 1990 Americans were polled and 85% of Americans claimed to be Christians.

In 2001 that number dropped to 81%.

In 2012 it had fallen to 78%.

And the latest poll in 2019, the number had slipped to 65%

And this is the Pew Research Institute’s data.

One of the most renounced polling organizations in the world.

Do you see the pattern?

In just 30 years the number of people in this country, who claim to be Christians has dropped from 85% all the way down to 65%.

So, there is the first problem—the complete moral decline of our nation.

Problem #2 is related to that 65%.

Of the 65% how many who claim to be Christians are only doing so based on some sort of family heritage.

My parents were Christians, so I am too type of mentality?

Or they are confused and don’t really understand what it really means to be a Christian.

Or they ware just sort of faking it along the way.

That would encompass a great number of them.

Which is why, in times like this, we see this sort of mass hysteria.

The majority of the people in this country do not believe the message and many of them have never even heard it.

So for us, this leads us to two questions..

Question #1—Do we believe it?

And we really don’t need lip service and “I think I believe it.”

Do we really believe it?

And if we do, then Question #2—How are we going to share it with others?

How are we going to go about offering the hope that we know to be true to others?

And know those are hard questions.

He Was Stricken for Us

Partially because we may not understand the ins and out of the hope that we claim in Jesus.

Which is where I want to go to next.

Back to verse 7 of . . .

Isaiah 53:7–9 NIV - Anglicised

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

And I know we have been in this passage over and over again.

Isaiah 53:7-

And I am not going to rehash every aspect of it.

But listen to it here.

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter…He was cut off from the land of the living…for the transgressions of my people he was stricken.

He suffered so that we could have hope.

Hope in Him.

Hope in times just like these.

That is what Jesus offers us.

All he requires is our faith and trust in Him.

All requires is that we believe the message.

Point 3

Believe His message.

He even tells us . . .

Matthew 11:28–30 NIV - Anglicised

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Are we weary this morning?

Are we burdened this morning?

Then why don’t we give it to Jesus?

Why don’t we take rest in Jesus this morning?

But it’s hard you say.

I’m scared you say.

I don’t know what’s going to happen you say.

Well, I don’t either but will our fears and worries change anything?

Jesus even asks us . . .

Matthew 6:27 NIV - Anglicised

27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Matthew

Paul, in reminds us . ..

Philippians 4:6–7 NIV - Anglicised

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So, this morning, do we believe it?

This morning, do we trust God?

If we are struggling we can pray together.

You can come to the altar and pray.

Altar Call

You can pray right where you are.

But if there is anything weighing on you, you can pray right now.

Those online, you can pray as well.

You don’t have to be in the church building to pray.

You can leave a comment on the video asking us to pray for you and when I look at the comments I will pray for you.

But you can also pray right now where you are.

Will you do that?

I have preached for a long time that Church does not have to look like what we think it has typically looked like.

And right now for a while, it will not look like what we think it should.

And it may never look the same again.

But rest assured, God is still God and God still answers prayers.

So, do you trust Him this morning?

Our altars are open, will you choose to use them?