DONE 210509 Isaiah Singing of The Servant Savior
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LEFT OFF AT III.b - Need to finish handout and message and powerpoints
OPENING SLIDE
INTRODUCTION
Good morning. Today we are going to be studying in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah, whose name means, “YHWH saves,” was a prophet of God that had a long ministry - approximately 50 years in the 7th century BC. He was believed to be related to King Uzziah and thus considered to be royalty. Isaiah served under four different kings of Judah. The portion of prophecy that we are diving into today is very unique. These four texts are called the Four Servant Songs of Isaiah.
The Servant Songs of Isaiah give us fantastic insight into three different aspects of God: SLIDE 1
1. The interconnectedness of the Trinity - and by interconnectedness I mean their relationship and how they interact within the Godhead SLIDE 2
2. The extreme detail of God’s redemptive plan for both Jews and Gentiles SLIDE 3
3. and show us, perhaps most importantly the character of the Servant of God - This Servant is none other than Jesus Christ.
In the message today I will do my best to make these apparent but I am also trying to develop the fact that the New Testament over and over again points back to these texts and then back to Jesus and says, “This is the guy!” Jesus is the One that was prophecied about. He is the fulfillment. He is the One we have been waiting for and He is all of the things listed in the text.
Let’s go to prayer before we begin.
PRAYER
G
SERMON
Just briefly, before I get into our text for the day I would like to highlight some context. MAP The book of Isaiah is split into two parts. The first half of Isaiah, chapters 1-39, are set with a prophetic forview of coming Assyrian aggression which resulted from God’s judgment on the people of Israel for their idolatry… Ultimately, Assyria took the northern tribes of Israel captive and then they set their sights on Judea. Assyria came against Jerusalem in Isaiah 37 and 38 but went home empty handed when the Lord struck down 185,000 of their army. CONTEXT SLIDE
The second half of Isaiah, which is what we will be in today, is written from the viewpoint of the Babylonian exile that would happened in 586 BC. The emphasis of the second half of Isaiah's text is to offer hope for the faithful remnant in Israel. We are to read these passages in anticipation, expectancy and hope - this is what Isaiah meant to communicate. Despite the idolatry and failures of Israel and her leadership the Lord will intervene and save. THESIS SLIDE
Main Point:
So, here’s the bottom line. What you must take away from this sermon and it is taken from Jesus’ own mouth in Matthew 20:28, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”REPEAT!!!!
We will see today that Jesus is the Servant that Isaiah’s songs point toward. Not only that, we will see the members of the Godhead working hand in hand to accomplish redemption for both Jews and Gentiles - thus revealing the Holy character of God.
This morning I invite you to open your Bibles to Isaiah 42 where we will begin in verse one. Verse one is explicitly Trinitarian. It shows the interconnection of the Father and His Spirit and the coming Servant. SLIDE I.a.1
I. Is 42:01-09 Song One: God’s Presentation of His Servant
a. Is 42:01 The chosen One as part of the Trinity Is11:1-2 Mt25:34
1 Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
1. 42:01b The Full Participation of the Trinity Is 11:1-2
In verse one God presents His cherished Servant. The Beloved One in whom He is well pleased. Here we see not only the Father and His Servant but also God’s Holy Spirit. This thing that they are going to do is cooperative. This plan that is going to be revealed has full participation between all members. Although seeing all parts of the Trinity in a passage in the Old Testament is relatively rare - we see another mention of the Godhead working together and placing His Spirit on the Shoot in Isaiah 11. SLIDE I.a.2
2. 42:01c The Servant will bring Justice to all
Here in chapter 42 the Lord states that He will place His Spirit upon His Servant to carry out a particular mission. Bringing about justice for all peoples everywhere. He is going to be used in the redemption of both Jew and Gentile. But let’s learn more about what God thinks about His Servant and His Character, verse 2. The Servant… SLIDE I.b.1
b. Is 42:02-04 The Character of the Servant Mt 12:13-17
1. 42:02-03 The Servant is gentle Mt 12:13-17
2 “He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. 3 “A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 “He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
I love this language here and how the Servant is described. He is not loud, He is not abrasive. He doesn’t railroad people, He is gentle. He is mild and He does not brutally handle damaged people… If you are damaged, He will not crush you if you come to Him. If you sin and repent He will not turn you away.... This Servant is Jesus… we see that in Matthew 12 which tells us that Jesus is the fulfillment of this particular prophecy. When I have grown discouraged I know that Jesus is patient and kind to me. SLIDE I.b.2
2. 42:04 The Servant is focused on His mission Lk 9:53
Jesus is a good Servant, He is gentle. He doesn’t hurt - He helps. Furthermore, God says that He will be singular in His intent. He is focused on His mission. He will not get sidetracked. He will not be dissuaded or disheartened. The semantic range of this word “disheartened” includes the ideas of growing faint, becoming feeble, or failing in strength… The Servant is none of those things... He is singular in His mission to complete what God has commissioned Him with... And what did God commission with? Bringing about justice in the earth and this may be a surprise to the Jewish nation but He did not just come to serve them but the whole world. The verbiage used here for coastlands is used to describe Gentile lands. Lets look closer at God’s marching orders for His Servant in verse 5 SLIDE I.c.1
c. Is 42:05-09 The Commission of the Servant
5 Thus says God the Lord, (NO INFLECTION - NOT A QUESTION) Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, 6 “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison. 8 “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. 9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
1. 42:05-06 Simeon's Recognition of the Servant Lk2:32
When Jesus was a newborn, when He had become flesh, He was presented by His folks at the temple according to the Law and there was a man there named Simeon. Simeon had been promised that he wouldn’t die until he saw the Lord’s Anointed, who is the Messiah. What a promise to get, right? Well, Simeon came into the Temple under the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit and identified Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy. Luke 2:32 says that Simeon called the newborn, “A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” Same verbiage that is used here in verse 6. Jesus is Revelation to Gentiles and Jews alike. He came on a mission from God to reveal, to open eyes, to free people from sin and darkness, all people - not just Jews but also Gentiles. SLIDE I.c.2
2. 42:07-09 The Cabod or glory of God כָּבוֹד Ph 2:9
One thing that strikes me as unique here, in verse 8, is that God will not give His כָּבוֹד, His glory to another. He says in verse 8, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another,” He is jealous over His name and His glory. He will not allow others to have it. However, interestingly, although He will not share it He seems to manifest it, show it through Christ.
Glory, is God’s weightiness, His substance, it is the credit due Him as Sovereign Master over all and He is going to show it to creation through His Son. In Philippians 2:9 we see God highly exalting His Servant, Jesus Christ and giving Him the Name above every other name. Philippians 2:9 says
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Father is glorified by this Servant and we are given an opportunity to hear the Servant speak in Isaiah’s second Servant Song. Please turn to Isaiah 49 verse 1. PAUSE ALLOW THEM TO TURN TO THE CORRECT CHAPTER This is the second member of the Trinity, the Christ, opening His mouth and we hear God respond. SLIDE II.a.1
II. Is 49:01-13 Song Two: The Servant Speaks and YHWH Responds
a. Is 49:01-04 The Servant Speaks Rv 1:16
1 Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me. 2 He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver. 3 He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My glory.” 4 But I said, “I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the Lord, And My reward with My God.”
1. 49:01-03 The Servant will show the glory of God כָּבוֹד Rv 1:16
Although YHWH will not share His glory in with another as we saw in 42:8; Now in verse 3 the Servant says that God told Him that it is through the Servant that God would manifest His glory. Frankly, this trips me up. It is hard for me to wrap my head around the Son on the throne like we read in Philippians and God the Father being glorified.
Trying to understand Christ on the throne is like looking at the sun in its full strength and trying to distinguish the surface from solar flares it emits.... It is hard to distinguish the members of the Trinity especially around the throne.
This is such a unique picture here and we see not only God’s radiance but also some other vivid imagery such as a sword coming from the Servant’s mouth… Isaiah is not the only one who saw this but also the Apostle John. John says in Revelation 1:16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. The Lord is pictured here not just as being as radiant as the sun but also as having a sharp two-edged sword coming from His mouth… A sharp sword coming from His mouth just like in verse 2… What is this sharp sword that comes out of His mouth… Quite simply it is the Word of God. The word of God divides. There are some that cling to it and some that refuse it. That is not new its has been this way since the beginning of time. SLIDE II.a.2
2. 49:04 The Servant to be rewarded Ph 2:9-11
In verse 4 we hear the Servant say “I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the Lord, And My reward with My God.” Jesus did not have a successful earthly ministry by man’s standards. All fell away, all abandoned Him - He died the death of a criminal... And yet, He was faithful throughout it all and it is this faithfulness that God rewards - the reward that the Servant will receive is the exaltion He will get when the Day of Judgment takes place when all will bow before Him. His service although unsuccessful by man’s standards was completely effective by God’s.
Let’s go to verse 5 and see just how effective the Servant’s sacrifice is. SLIDE II.b.1
b. Is 49:05-07 The Servant's Sacrifice is Sufficient for All Ac 13:47
5 And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the Lord, And My God is My strength), 6a He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
6b I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” 7 Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers,“Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
1. 49:05-06 The Servant came to save and serve Israel; Dt 7:7, Mt 15:24
God loved Israel first but He didn’t love them because of any great attribute of their own. He didn’t love them because they were the biggest or the strongest or most likeable but because He made a promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
These people consistently and repeatedly rejected God and yet God graciously sent the Servant to Israel first. How do I know… well Jesus was Jewish and came to Israel, to preach to them the Gospel. Matthew 15:24 tells us that at one point in Jesus’ ministry he dealt with a foreign woman. A gentile woman and He told her that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. But when she recognized her own inability and need and called Him her master He said her faith was great and healed her daughter. Jesus was empowered by God’s Holy Spirit for healing and His sacrifice was not just for the redemption of Jews - thats what we see in verse 6. God says to the Servant “it is too small a thing that You just save Israel but in 6b He says His sacrifice will be enough for all peoples. SLIDE II.b.2
2. 49:06-07 But His sacrifice is sufficient for Gentiles too Mt 28:19, Ac 1:8
Although Jesus ministered, almost exclusively, to Israel He had marching orders for His disciples to carry the Gospel throughout the world. The Good News is applicable to both Jew and Gentile, The Good News of Redemption from sin is available if you are black, or white or brown or yellow - Salvation is not just for Jews. Jesus gave His disciples these orders in Matthew 28:19 and Acts 1:8 and He told them that when they were empowered with the same Spirit that He was empowered with they would go to not only Jerusalem and Judea but also Samaria and the remotest parts of the earth.
If you are human, if you are made in the image of God, you need a Savior. The Servant of God is the Savior. Furthermore if you believe that this is true, you have a role in carrying it out, Did you know that you have a role in communicating the the Good News? Did you know that have a role in discipling. You have a role in communicating truth. You have a role in baptism. Time is short, today is the day of repentance. The harvest is ripe and ready folks. We have a limited amount of time to carry out our role.... Lets get to verses 8-13 SLIDE II.c.1
c. Is 49:08-13 The Favorable Day of the Lord is Now 2 Cor 5:20-6:2
8 Thus says the Lord, “In a favorable time I have answered You, And in a day of salvation I have helped You; And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people, To restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages; 9 Saying to those who are bound, ‘Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ Along the roads they will feed, And their pasture will be on all bare heights. 10 “They will not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; For He who has compassion on them will lead them And will guide them to springs of water. 11 “I will make all My mountains a road, And My highways will be raised up. 12 “Behold, these will come from afar; And lo, these will come from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Sinim.” 13 Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted
Just briefly, Jesus knew that this was about Him. When He began His earthly ministry He read in the synagogues these very words in Luke 4 and it says the people were in wonder at the gracious words falling from His lips. But they turned on Him when He connected His ministry with salvation to the Gentiles. He said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” They tried to kill Him. Jesus knew this passage was about Him and about salvation for Gentiles and Jews but the Jews rejected this and tried to throw Him down a steep hill in Nazareth… Probably this one… NAZARETH SLIDE
He knew that the period of grace was now, do we? In 2 Corinthians 5 and 6 Paul appeals to the Corinthians and says now is the time to repent. Now is the favorable day of the Lord. He uses this phrase from Isaiah. Time is short folks…
Ok, just a quick recap before we continue on to the third Servant Song. The Servant did not come to be served but to serve and offer Himself as a ransom for Jews and Gentiles. He came on a commission from God and He was empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to carry it out. Ultimately, He is going to be rewarded by having dominion over all the earth.
Let’s drop down to Chapter 50 of Isaiah as we begin the third Servant Song where the Servant describes the help that He has received from God. Isaiah 50 verse 4 SLIDE III.a.1
III. Is 50:04-11 Song Three: The Servant Describes God's Help
a. Is 50:04-06 The Servant Speaks of His Earthly Ministry Mt 26:67
1. 50:04-05 The Servant Uncompromising Obedience Jn 14:31
4 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. 5 The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back. 6 I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.
The imagery here evokes two ideas. Jesus’ uncompromising obedience to God and the humiliation that He faced while on earth.
Although Jesus’ life went from one extreme of humiliation to another, these three short verses take us right to the kangaroo court of the High Priest and Pilate where they judged Christ. The horrific abuse that He suffered at the hands of both Jews and Gentiles - that disgrace is reflected in this passage, and in the fourth Servant Song which we will get to momentarily.
John 14:31 tells us that Jesus never failed in His complete obedience to God - He obeyed God because He loved God. He was on a mission from God and He knew from eternity past that this humiliation would take place. SLIDE III.a.2
2. 50:05-06 The Servant's Humiliation App Pt He 5:8, Jn 15:18
Hebrews 5:8 says that Although Jesus was the Son of God, He learned obedience from His distress. He learned submission from His suffering. He learned, the Servant learned, the Son of God learned to a greater degree what it means to suffer as a human than any of us ever will. He learned humble obedience through this process. Application SLIDE
Here is an application point. The Servant is not greater than His Master. If the world hates the Servant it will hate those that love Him John 15:18 says. Believers are not in any way exempt from this process of learning obedience but we are to count it all joy brethern, when we encounter various trials - the testing of our faith is producing something. It is producing endurance, let it come to full fruition that we eventually become fully perfect, complete and mature James 1:2-4
How do we learn obedience? If the Son of God learned of His Father’s faithfulness and sufficiency through His suffering are we to expect anything different? No, but through it all to remain like the Servant, steadfastly trusting in God. Suffering is not to be avoided. We are not to try to dodge it, but to look to God to bring us through. Please look to verse 7 and 8 in Isaiah 50.SLIDE III.b.1
b. Is 50:07-08 The Servant's Trust in God
1. 50:07 God Helps His Servants Rm 8:32
7 For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. 8 He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me.
Turn with me to Romans 8. Romans 8:32 I want us to see Paul’s tie in to this text - because we can look at what the Savior suffered and be dissuaded. We can become frightened and scared and not want any part of this process of obedience I get that and I understand that but we are here to get a good perspective on this. A right perspective. Although persecution and humiliation are scary think of what we are alone in this and that simply is not the case. Christ was not alone, He was empowered by the same Spirit that the believer is empowered by. Grasp tightly onto what we have been freely given and magnify our glorious and gracious God. Romans 8:32
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. SLIDE III.b.2
2. 50:08 God Justifies His Servants Rm 8:33-34
Paul ties together Romans 8 to Isaiah’s prophecy by linking us not only to the source of help but also to the justification that we have in Christ. Christ is untouchable, cannot be condemned by the world. He is sinless. He is perfect and because He freely offered up His life as a substitution, a payment in place of ours, our sins are taken away. We are justified… Is there anything too great that our God cannot ask from us - we are justified, we have been made as perfect as the Son of God Himself, forever. Our sins forgiven - we now have eternal life and relationship with the Father granted to us.
Believer, never once has God had anything but the best for us, we can trust Him in this process of learning obedience through suffering as the Son did - He will help us through the process...Nonetheless, those that abuse, those that hinder, that hurt, that injure God’s Servants - and here I link the believers to the Servant as Paul does. Those that persecute and humiliate us will be judged. Please flip back to Isaiah 50 verse 9 SLIDE III.c.1
c. Is 50:09-11 The Abusers of God's Servant to be Judged
9 Behold, the Lord God helps Me; Who is he who condemns Me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them. 10 Who is among you that fears the Lord, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. 11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.
Judgment will be properly measured out and distributed to all that reject God. Believers we are coming to a day when true persecution will rear its head. There will be suffering but we will have God’s own help through it every step of the way. Those that do not fear the Lord. Those that disobey Him and reject Him will be judged.
Believer, we need to divorce ourselves from the idea that we are better more effective or more appropriate judges than God Himself. The punishment that will be heaped by Him onto those that reject Him will be far greater, in severity and duration, than anything we can even fathom. There is no injustice in Him… Every millenium spent in the lake of fire will be just a drop in the ocean of God’s wrath. There is no escape, there are no do overs.
Believer, think of what we have been saved from, think of our own judgement that was nailed to our Savior on the cross and pity those that will suffer eternally. We have a short life with the potential for suffering… not so for those that reject God’s Servant.
Turn if you would to Isaiah 52 as we enter our final Servant Song. We have talked about God’s relationship with the Servant in Eternity past, His empowering of Him by His Holy Spirit and the Servant’s earthly ministry. Now we see the Servant looked on by God in the midst of His sacrifice. Isaiah 52 verse 13. SLIDE IV.a.1
IV. Is 52:13-53 Song Four: The Suffering of God’s Servant
a. Is 52:13-15 The Servant Exalted
1. 52:13 God's Promise of Future Exaltation Ph 2:9-11
Is 52:13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. 14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. 15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.
Earlier we read about the exaltation of Christ in Philippians, and verse 13 looks ahead to that when it says “He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted” but verses 14-15 talk about His marring… SLIDE IV.a.2
2. 52:14-15 The Servant Marred 1 Co 5:21
What is marring? Plainly stated it is to be disfigured… to be defaced, injured, scarred or mutilated. Although one aspect of this clearly involves Christ’s physical beating and crucifixion surely there have been others in human history more marred. How can God say that His appearance is marred more than any man…?
How was the Servant marred, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that 21 He made Him (GOD MADE CHRIST) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Sin is ugly and it is how the Servant was disfigured. He took upon Himself all of the world’s sins… not just believers and He suffered God’s infinite wrath. Only the infinite Son could suffer the wrath of God and we see that more clearly in Chapter 53 verse 1. I am just going to let this passage speak for itself. SLIDE IV.b.1&2
b. Is 53:01-09 The Gospel Account
1. 53:01-05 The Servant Crushed for Our Healing 1 Pt2:21-25
Is 53:1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 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 For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
I want to call out two ideas here… Healing and Suffering. Prosperity preachers will cite passages like verses 4 & 5 and say this is just about physical healing. They have some basis for that Matthew 8:17 ties these verses to Jesus’ healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law. I won’t deny that… But prosperity preachers will say that if you have enough faith you will be healed from any illness. Statements like that can undermine the Gospel. Building up false hope… When their claims fall flat and healing doesnt happen, they make statements like, “You must have sin in your life or you would be healed” that becomes such a major stumbling block for people.
People hear that healing is available and they want it - they ask for it believing, because they see these frauds on tv, and when it doesn’t happen and they are bilked out of their money to buy a miracle they are crushed… that is so tragic. To see people led astray and hardened against the gospel because of these wolves is so sad. Let’s get some perspective about pain, sin and healing. Turn with me if you would to John 9. In John 9 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
Did you catch that? Sin is not the only reason for illness and injury. Sometimes our Sovereign God allows it, maybe even up to the point of death to show His own works displayed in them… That’s a tough pill to swallow but it is what Christ did for us… Flip ahead to 1st Peter 2:21.
1 Peter 2:21-25 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Suffering is part of the deal folks. It was part of the equation for our Savior and if we are saved it is part of the deal for us in this life as well. Application SLIDE
2. 53:06-09 The value of suffering APP PT 2 Co 4:17
Here is our final application point. Suffering is not meaningless. It is not worthless and it has value. To survive it we must remember that God is Sovereign and is using this suffering to produce within us an eternal weight of glory. We need to remember that this suffering is momentary… although it doesn’t feel like it that how God’s word describes it. This suffering is light although it is so bad that it can cause us to gasp in pain but it is doing something… It is creating within us an eternal weight of glory.
This happened to the Servant Savior and it will happen in us. Our Servant Savior suffered well and we should too because He suffered on our behalf and took upon Himself the burden of our sins. The Lord punished our sins in His body and freed us from the penalty that we deserve… that our sins demanded. There is nothing we experience that is anything like what He suffered and our wonderful Servant Savior did it willingly entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. In verse 10-12 we see what this involved. SLIDE IV.c
c. Is 53:10-12 The Servant's Justification of the Unjust
10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
There is incredibly paradoxical language that must have been incredibly confusing to those that heard the prophecy but hindsight is 20/20. We can look back and see that when God crushed Him that wasnt the end of the story… This Servant will see His offspring. He will have prolonged days. What looked like defeat and failure was the greatest triumph in the history of mankind. Although He was numbered with the transgressors, although the Servant looked like a criminal He is the Victor and we who have entrusted ourselves to Him are now unemcumbered by sin. We are justified before God. We are clean, we are pure, we are perfect, we are holy, we are new, we have a new identity, we have been adopted, made free. We are so blessed and we do well to sing of our Savior as Isaiah did and marvel at our salvation. CONCLUSION 1
CONCLUSION
In conclusion I just would like to reiterate a couple of key things. The believer’s salvation is the result of the Trinity’s coordinated, preplanned project specifically arranged through space and time to deliver God’s chosen people from sin.
This plan of salvation is not limited to the people of Israel but is wider than that… It is for Gentiles as well.
CONCLUSION 2
Finally, in these various passages we see the revelation of the Servant, the anticipation of God made flesh and what His character would look like. He is gentle, He is humble and the Servant is entirely focused on His mission to make us clean.
Is not our Triune God worthy of all honor and glory and praise. Let’s stand as I close in prayer
THESIS
CONTEXT
SLIDE 2
SLIDE 3
THESIS SLIDE
CONTEXT SLIDE 1
CONTEXT SLIDE 2
CONTEXT SLIDE 3
SLIDE I.a.1
Here’s our first application point SLIDE I.
SLIDE I.a.2
SLIDE I.b.1
SLIDE I.b.2
SLIDE I.b.3
Application SLIDE
Personal application point 2
SLIDE I.c.1
SLIDE I.c.2
SLIDE II.a.1
SLIDE II.a.2
SLIDE II.b
SLIDE II.b.1&2
SLIDE II.c.1
SLIDE II.c.2
SLIDE III.a.1
SLIDE III.a.2
SLIDE III.b.1
SLIDE III.b.2
SLIDE III.c.1
SLIDE III.c.2
CONCLUSION
Please stand and I will close us in prayer
SUMMARY PRAYER
G
FINAL SONG
As a final note next week we will be studying
Where’s Jesus
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
You shall multiply the nation,
You shall increase their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Behold, My servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.
Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open 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
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
Prophecy:ForetellingForthtelling from the writers timeperiodForthtelling from our standpoint
Anybody that particularly needs to hear the messageAnybody that will be sensitive to the message