Chapel 7/24 Isaiah

Isaiah

Good morning, I’m Tony Graffanino, I played professional baseball for 20 years, over 10 years in the big leagues.

I used to go to Chapel, in the minors and in the show, and I went for a long time for a couple of different reasons, maybe you can relate to them.

Maybe this morning your hear because it’s Sunday and it’s what you should do?

Or maybe you’re here because you’re trying to get on God’s good side, so you can play well, get moved up, make it to the big leagues, etc.

If I play good today, this week, then I’ll go back, if I don’t then I won’t.

Or maybe you’re playing so bad, you figured you’d give this a try.

Remember, I played, those were some of my reasons.

But at some point, I started to want to go to Chapel because I wanted to hear what the chaplain had to say,

I wanted to hear what God was saying, what God was doing.

I hope that’s why you’re here today.

I’m going to talk about a prophet named Isaiah, but before I do, let me pray.

Isaiah

An O.T. Prophet who lived 700 years before Jesus, in BC time

His name, Isaiah, means Yahweh is salvation and it is the purpose of his book, to remind the people that God will save them.

It is one of the largest of the O.T. prophets and that’s why it’s in the section called the Major Prophets, because of it’s size.

The minor prophets were called that because their books were rather small in comparison.

Isaiah writes and declares the words of God, a lot about the future, but he calls out the present state of Israels leadership, and warns of impending disaster if the people don’t repent and return to the Lord.

He writes in pre exile, but writes also of exile and post exile, he looks forward to the Messiah, and also to the ultimate consummation of His Kingdom, of a future Heaven.

He is most often quoted for his Messianic prophecies, his descriptions of the Messiah, The Christ, of Jesus.

Jesus and his disciples quoted often from the book of Isaiah

In fact in the Gospel according to Matthew, in describing the Messiah in chapter 1, Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14, behold the virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, Matthew tells us the name means God is with us.

We hear that at Christmas time every year.

But Isaiah has a chapter that describes Jesus, His ministry, and the people so well, and that’s where we are going to spend the bulk of our time.

It’s Isaiah 53, it’s only 12 verses, and we are going to look at each one

Isaiah 53:1–2 ESV

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.

The people were amazed and had a hard time believing in the “suffering servant” as Isaiah will call Him.

Who has believed and who has heard is meant to draw attention and to introduce Him as God’s means of salvation.

Yahweh or God has chosen to reveal His arm which is His symbol of deliverance

The servant is characterized by humility, a tender shoot from dry ground

He’s ordinary, not royal or majestic that would draw attention to Him, He wasn’t even going to be good looking, no reason to look at Him, worldly reason I should say.

Isaiah 53:3 ESV

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.

The suffering servant was despised and rejected it says, He wasn’t received as John would say in His gospel

He was full of sorrow and grief, lived a tough life, and in ministry as well, He knows the human condition all too well, a life of suffering and difficulty.

Even his station in life, born of a virgin, lived in obscurity, poor, with no advantage

At the end He was despised by most, not esteemed by the people or the religious establishment, rejected.

Isaiah 53:4–6 ESV

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 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. 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.

This now is the personal aspect of His ministry

He bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, yet even we don’t esteem Him, don’t revere Him, obey Him.

He was stricken by God, and carried our sins and shame.

Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, He was crucified for ours sins,

It says upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, God’s anger, His wrath, fell on Jesus, and brings us peace because if we are followers of Jesus, then Jesus took it for us therefore we won’t have to. We have peace with God

By His wounds we are healed,

The servant suffered not for himself, but rather to bear “our sorrows,” “our transgressions,” and “our iniquities” (vv. 4–5). The benefits of the vicarious suffering of the servant include being made right with God and forgiveness. He carried the sins and guilt of the people; therefore, he was able to bring the people of God back into fellowship with their heavenly Father. All mankind has gone astray, but through the suffering of the servant there is still the possibility for peace and healing. Jesus Christ gave himself that he could be our peace and that through him we could experience healing and restoration of fellowship with the heavenly Father.

VanGemeren, W. A. (1995). Isaiah. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, pp. 507–508). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

He did this not for Himself, but for you and me if we’ll have it.

Isaiah 53:7–9 ESV

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. 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.

He was oppressed and afflicted but didn’t fight back, He did nothing wrong, yet He did not receive a fair and just sentence

Even though His suffering was unjust, the servant accepted his humiliation so we wouldn’t have to.

He was put to death and then was to be buried like a criminal

He was buried, though in the tomb of a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb

Finally verses 10-12

Isaiah 53:10–12 ESV

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.

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him, this is not ultimately what God wanted to do, but what God had to do, therefore it was His will to do so.

Jesus’ soul makes an offering for our guilt

But, Jesus will have offspring, not biological children, but followers, lots of followers, God will prolong His days and prosper Him in this way.

Out of Jesus pain and anguish, His soul shall be satisfied, Jesus the righteous one will make many righteous, by bearing their iniquities or sins.

The only way to be right with God is by Jesus. What He has done, not what we think we can do.

Because of Jesus we can be counted as the many, we will have an inheritance, and Jesus is in heaven now interceding for us before the Father.

So, in light of this chapter, where are you?

Are you one who has not yet believed?

Do you recognize how the Lord has provided a way for you to be rescued from your sinfulness and disobedience?

Do you see what Jesus has done, how He has done it all, everything necessary for your to be forgiven, brought back into right relationship with God, and how He has brought you peace?

Because all of us have gone astray, gone our own way, and yet it’s God’s desire to bring us back,

The punishment of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus died for you and for me, we just need to believe it, receive it, place our faith and trust in it, and then swear our allegiance to Him, our Lord and our King.

Let me pray