The suffering Servant
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Intro
Intro
We are into the Servant of Suffering | The Climax, Week 4. Spoke about: Justice and Mercy | Calling | Obedience to that calling | now, suffering.
Suffering | Preface with - I have NO IDEA the suffering you may be, or have gone through | Not standing here and saying “I get it” - because I don’t |.
My hope though is this Sermon God speaks to you | God Comforts you | his great love gives you peace
Alright let’s get into it.
You might say | I don’t see any reason to suffer | People can endure suffering, if there is purpose | Some pay = Marathon | Crossfit | If you have given birth you know, but when you get baby (My ring) |
People don’t hate suffering, they hate suffering…without a purpose.
This message is called: Your purpose is not always pretty, but it’s ALWAYS worth it.
Isaiah 52-53
Isaiah 52-53
We are in the 4th servant song | 700 years | Servant of suffering | Break it down | Application
More in passage about his suffering then the whole new testament.
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—
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.
servant will sit on the throne | What did we talk about last week, reward in heaven - you must cling to that.
acts wisely | does what’s right | purpose was not pretty but worth it | the people that humilated, marveled | Sprinkle many nations | Psalm 22 he gets called worm = translation grub (TOLAH)
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.
Starts with Question | Who believes? Question to the jews but for us today
Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
Grow up humble (infant), helpless | Messiah, will be an infant | out of unbelief, dry ground (spiritually) | Out of hoplessesness comes what? Hope | Out of death, god sends life | When you are at the end, God can work.
Not because of positive thinking | He is great redeemer, nuturer
God is inviting you, to join him in his efforts - How beautiful
had no majesty|
I would have come with six pack
You will recognise him not because of how he looks, but what he says and what he does - This is why we are passionate about real change - You change in here (heart) you will change out there.
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.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
Jesus’ suffering did not start at cross | Born of a virgin | King Herod ordered to kill all infants to kill him | religious leaders, home town, tempted, he faced opposition entire time
Verse 4: he was stricken, Jesus knows your suffering because he himself knows what it is to suffer
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Imagine if this was tought in schools? *Alexis Story*
Imagine if this was taught instead of evolving from monkeys | Let it sink in
Understand this love, he did it for you. Died for you. God knows the suffering and purpose.
God understands both how you feel, and why you’re going through it - beautiful?
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.
Hebrew for Peirced is: “Peirced Through” | We could do an entire sermon on this one verse | in this day, Stoning was the death penalty | Crucifiction wasn’t even invented | You can have peace in the finished work of Christ
Last part, wounds we are healed? I don’t believe this means that we will always have physical healing as a covenent promise | The only time it’s quoted in the New Testament:
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Context here is clearly spiritual | One other reference in the gospels
That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
Mathew does relate to physical healing but NOTICE it says Jesus healing to fulfil the prophesy, not ours | Does this mean that healings does not occur? Of course not, but its not an absolute promise every time.
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.
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.
He remained Silent - When John in revelation 5 sees what? A lamb, he sees a lamb.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It was GOD’s WILL | Let’s get this | He took our place - Written in scripture 700 years before his death |
Maybe you are suffering, have suffered or about to | Feel a smidge of what Jesus did
There was purpose in Jesus’ suffering - His purpose was not pretty, but God thought it was worth it | thought YOU were worth it.
What I want to do, is go through some instruction Jesus had for Peter. Go through what you do when you suffer, what is our response and we will visit a story in the Old Testament, and our response to suffering.
Jesus to Peter
Jesus to Peter
Remember when Peter boldly said he wasn’t going to deny Jesus?
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
What? If that was me “Lord just take it away” Why would you allow me to go through this suffering?
The suffering may be preparation for what he is preparing in you, before he does something for you. Your purpose may not be pretty but it will be worth it.
What do you do when you suffer?
I think sometimes we can be like “Cmon God…where are you!? Job said “I look north, not there, east, not there” We can be intellectual and know what the Bible says but sometimes we just cant get there.
Suffering is Hard…Sometimes, suffering doesn’t make sense and I want to look at one lady in the OT that it didn’t make sense to.
Hannah
Hannah
I want you to see her response | and the outcome
Hannah Married to Elkanah who had 2 wives | One Hannah | One Peninnah . Peninnah had children, Hannah could not concieve | Peninnah use to provoke her | all she wanted was to bear children | Went on for years
So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.
Deeply distressed | instead of comfort from who she was living with, she got insult
Imagine this
This is what she did:
She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
instead of angry | instead of asking WHY | what does hannah do? | she gives it over to the Lord, not only the situation, but what she wanted | the one thing that is causing her suffering because she can’t have it, she will give up
When your world is falling apart, this is not the time to run FROM him, it’s the time to run TO him.
A low view of God in the suffering means that the suffering will OWN YOU. A high view of God in the Suffering means that the crisis does not have the last word. Don’t go looking at the creation for answers but instead look at the creator. Things of this world can not help you get through the suffering.
Moses and the read sea : God didn’t remove hte problem he gave him a way through it. Moses didn’t go to the bottle.
God can make a way for you - Rely on him.
Purpose is not always pretty but its ALWAYS worth it.
What do we do when we are going through the suffering? We can read it in Isaiah 40 - Isreal is about to be taken by the Babylons, they are about to go through some intense suffering.
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Those who wait - Hebrew for “Those who wait” - Girls will know this: Plat the hair. Quava - To Bind Together. twist together.
oh -o, you can no longer say “Oh I’m just waiting on the Lord” - The Lord don’t wait on nobody by the way.
What is he saying? Let’s Bind Together - Not just sunday but EVERY part of your life. You don’t need a Sunday when you;re struggling | you need God all week
it means Do not go outside God to fix it.
How do you know if you’re waiting on God in this way? You;re Worshippin and not complaining
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
You can be hannah | Take it to Lord | Praise him |
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Your purpose is not always pretty, but it’s ALWAYS worth it.
What ever happened to Hannah? let’s check
They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”
She got her son, and what did she do?
Hannah then, had 5 more children. But, she had to have her heart right first. | You might not always get a happy ending |
See your suffering, through a perspective of purpose. He will do something IN YOU, before he does something THROUGH YOU.
It might not end well but I tell you what, your suffering is for someone and as a Christian - IT ALWAYS ENDS WELL.
Sometimes God doesn’t take away your pain but he will give you a way through it.Look at life over a 5 year period and than glance back at the suffering, then you would be able to see how God used it. You might say, I would never want to go through that again, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone - so by FAITH, we need to look THROUGH the suffering.
Once you are through it, what are you to do? We do what Jesus did.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
You look back, at your brothers and your sisters, and you find who is suffering, right here, right now - think about the people that are sitting here - these are your brothers.
What did Jesus do, when he got a call, and when he was obedient?
**Church stand**
**Close your eyes, think about the person you love the most - Now think about someone that may have wronged you in the past, someone that may have gone astray, someone that you may not agree with their actions…now think about sending that person you love to die**