The Big Picture: Isaiah 53:10

We’ve nearly approached the cross in our time together.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and the opportunity to see what God’s plan for redemption looks like in our life.

As we have followed Him as He set His face toward Jerusalem and the cross we will arrive one short week from now.

But for the cross to really change us, we have to develop the ability to know who we are and how in need of forgiveness we truly are.

Isaiah 53:1–10 KJV 1900

Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, Yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: And who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: For the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, And with the rich in his death; Because he had done no violence, Neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

You see in our life, we tend to try to go at it alone.

Many of us fail to acknowledge who we truly are.

People tend to be....

I.Confused

Think of this for a moment, we have all turned our own way.

We have all made decisions that we feel are best, that turn out to not be so good.

We set out, perhaps we have the best intentions.

regardless, our life is often driven by what we desire.

While on a journey looking for good we are led astray.

You see the world is an evil place.

As members of this world, alone, we will get lost.

Many of you know I enjoy spending time in the woods. I enjoy God’s creation.

I think of someone, perhaps inexperienced who takes of into the woods and hopes to find their way.

Now as many of you know it is easy to get turned around in the woods, especially if you are inexperienced.

So this inexperienced journeyman takes off into the woods alone and before he knows it he has no clue how to get back.

You see, that is what a life without Jesus Christ looks like.

We are inexperienced and confused and if we choose to go alone without Christ we will get lost.

Isaiah 53:6 (KJV 1900)

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

As our author is speak of Israel going astray in this passage, we like sheep are to often to go astray.

We wander, without a care in the world of what our next action may mean.

Many may say, I am doing just fine in this world alone.

I do not need any help.

I am successful monetarily.

I am successful socially.

I am just successful.

Yet, what we fail so often to acknowledge is that in our lost minds we do not always make the right decisions.

We fall… a lot.

Many of you have children or grandchildren and you think of them falling, many of you often help them up.

As a young child grows they are going to fall and get hurt, for some that'll happen a lot.

Even in what may look like success in our life we often fail to acknowledge that we fall often.

You for those who fall into this category of what appears as success, really evaluate yourself today.

Are you really success on your own.

I can promise that you and I mess up a lot when on our own.

For some, we find ourselves seeking a hope in this world.

But we never find it.

Looking with all of our might we ask the question, Why do I not fit in anywhere?

Why do I feel alone?

Why do I feel hopeless?

Often, our hopelessness comes through our aloneness.

Have you ever noticed that if something is on your mind being with someone you enjoy being around can clear your head while you are with them.

Yet often what happens is when you leave the presence of that person your mind begins to go in thousand directions once again.

Imagine, what it would be like to have someone with us to talk to always.

Upon salvation we have the most wonderful gift of being able to be walk this life, no longer lost nd wondering but with the presence of God among us.

You see the second part of verse 6 stated to us that Jesus Christ the servant bears the iniquity of our sins.

Through our faith and repentance He has covered us with His grace, that we may no longer wander alone.

He has set out with the goal of .......

II. A Mission for the Lost

A mission not just for any old lost but for all lost.

It Jesus Christ’s desire that all would come to know him through faith and repentance and receive this wonderful gift of grace.

the truth is that Jesus Christ came to this earth with us in mind, reigns in heaven with us in mind, and to this day carry’s a plan of redemption for you and for I.

Isaiah 53:5 (KJV 1900)

But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed.

600 years before Jesus came, we are told what He was going to face for us.

On what would be this Palm Sunday as He rode into Jerusalem, only a few short days later He would be punished for our sin.

This was God’s plan all along.

That there would be one, His perfect son.

This man would stand at the judgement for us.

This man would be beaten for us.

This man would die for us.

While we live a life confused and lost He seeks for us to be found and be redeemed.

He walked a walk that no one else ever has or ever will.

Imagine, the pain He felt.

He stood there through it as he was beaten.

He hung on the cross as His body shut down.

At any point He could have ended it.

Yet, He did not.

He carried out the fathers plan with us in mind.

Isaiah 53:10 (KJV 1900)

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Think of this.

His creation which betrayed Him into sin were the very ones He would die for.

He sacrificed His life so that we could be saved.

The pleasure and desire of the Lord is that this great servant would die for us.

God is presenting to us...

III. A Clear Picture

The king of Kings has now been brought down to that of a common sinner in stature.

hung with thieves and buried with the wicked.

but what does that mean for us.

the good news is that Isiah 53:12 says this

Isaiah 53:12 (KJV 1900)

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, And he shall divide the spoil with the strong; Because he hath poured out his soul unto death: And he was numbered with the transgressors; And he bare the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus did this all to intercede on our behalf.

In other words he has intervened for us.

upon our faith and repentance in Him Jesus Christ intercedes the father God on our behalf.

i just imagine how wonderful that conversation must be.

Jesus going to God, our child has repented and believed.

And as our name is written into the lambs book of life through Jesus Christ’s grace for us we are secured we are going to heaven!

I think how sad it is that many will never respond to this great sacrifice.

What Jesus did on the cross was so significant, yet many will never come to know the father.

This great sacrifice is one to take advantage of today.

Friend, what are you waiting on?

You have heard the gospel today and if you were stand before the father without receiving His grace you are guilty.

Sin has consumed you.

That doesn’t have to be the case, what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary was done so for you an I.

The scripture we have read today is often referred to as the servant passages, you see what Jesus did is He came as a servant, suffered and died, simply for us.

The Picture is now clear for us today.

We may be people who are riddled with sin but through God’s wonderful plan for redemption, through Jesus’s grace and love and through our choice to follow Him we can be saved.

friends, we can turn the ship today, we no longer have to be wondering lost and confused.

We can have clear direction and guidance in our life, we can have a promise for an eternity.

We can have Jesus Christ as our Lord today, if you have not made the choice to follow Him, let us do so today.