Astonished by the Cross
Let the Cross
Affect You to the Core!
Isaiah 52, 53
Astonished by the Cross
Let the Cross
Affect You to the Core!
Isaiah 52, 53 |
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March 20, 2016 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I.
Introduction (Isaiah 52:13 “Behold”)
A.
What gets
your attention?
1.
Probably
less and less things shock you and grip you these days – we have all
seen a lot of things
2.
TV and
movies have exposed the past several generations to the most gruesome
and awful things
3.
Oh, you
probably would run to see a house on fire in your neighbourhood – that
would get your attention
4.
Or someone
bringing in a newborn baby into the room might get your attention
B.
But we are
asked to ‘Behold’ something this morning – a very attention getting word
1.
Like
saying, “Hey! Look at this! What do you think about this?”
2.
So, here in
Isaiah chapter 52, GOD is talking, and trying to get Isaiah, and every
reader to:
a.
Take a very
long look at what He is describing, consider every detail
b.
And let it
all sink in
c.
And then
let it astonish us – surprise us, astound, dumbfound, overwhelm, even
shock us
C.
Because
THIS one event, more than all other great events throughout history put
together, has the power to
change, convert, transform, repair, release, and bless every life that
hears it and believes it today!
D.
By the way,
these words are all contained in a Book (the Book of the Jewish prophet
Isaiah) that is proven to have been written over 700 years before Jesus
was ever born
1.
A pile of
ancient scrolls were discovered in 1946 in the Qumran caves
2.
One of the
scrolls was a 24 foot long scroll that was written 100 before the birth
of Jesus Christ
3.
So all its
prophecies are valid!
E.
So, the
world had better sit up and listen! And that means you and me!
II.
Background
(Isaiah 52:13-15)
A.
God’s
Servant (52:13a)
1.
Describing
one person - The Son of God
2.
What a way
to talk about Him
3.
Philp 2:6,7
4.
He was the
Son of God, yet he was coming to be a servant! The lowest class of
people
B.
Will be So
Honoured (52:13)
1.
He shall be
exalted, extolled, be very high
2.
Worshipped
3.
At the
right hand of GOD the Father
4.
What a
thought for a Jew that could not yet conceive that God would become a
Man, and as a Man, die, and then rise again, and ascend to heaven
5.
That JESUS
would be worshipped just as much as Jehovah!
C.
But before
that day, He Will Shock You (52:14)
1.
Astonied
means astonish, amaze, surprise, shock, blow away!
2.
Because the
very Person who will be worshipped, and honoured as God’s Servant – the
just One, the Son of God…
3.
That very
same Person will be
4.
Marred
a.
To injure,
hurt by cutting, or by wounding and making defective
b.
To
diminish; to ruin what before what perfect.
c.
To deform;
to disfigure.
5.
His visage
means what is visible, will be so destroyed by what he will go through
6.
More Than
Any Man
a.
There is no
torture anywhere that can match what Jesus was going to experience
b.
The Spanish
inquisition
c.
The drunken
beatings of women
d.
Can’t begin
to touch what Jesus experienced on that final day of His life
7.
THE most
mistreated Person in all of time
D.
For What
Purpose? (52:15) To what end?
1.
Paying the
Price for All Nations (52:15)
2.
So shall HE
sprinkle so many nations
3.
The work of
THE High Priest
a.
Not
Catholic priests
b.
Not
Buddhist priests
c.
Not Hindu
priests
d.
But ONE,
perfect, Jewish High Priest
4.
JESUS
sprinkles that payment of blood over every sinful nation, every sinful
man, woman, and child
a.
The wages
of sin is and always will be death
b.
So God
became a perfect Man so that he could die for our sins
E.
And there
will be no one that is not shocked and amazed
1.
Kings will
not be able to speak in His presence
2.
Even THEY
will have to consider
F.
Let us all
consider what happened on the cross, and let it affect us!
III.
Message
A.
An
Unbelievable Report (53:1)
1.
What you
are about to read in chapter 53 is an unbelievable record of what was
GOING to happen 700 years later in Jerusalem
2.
Isaiah is
seeing things way out 700 years into the future!
a.
Not flying
airplanes, and iPhones, and flat screen TV’s
b.
Isaiah was
a prophet writing the things he saw
c.
He could
not have dreamed these things up!
3.
He records
what was going to happen to that Servant
4.
And he
didn’t think ANYBODY would believe what he was writing would EVER
happen!
B.
An Unlikely
Saviour (53:2)
1.
The world
looks to HEROES! Our modern generation has picked up the word HERO again
a.
It is cool
to be into Marvel Comics – the Avengers, Iron man, Captain America
b.
All amazing
people that have special powers, and that save the world
2.
Well, what
Isaiah sees is no hero on the outside
3.
Only a
tender, gentle “child”
a.
Will start
off as a child
b.
And then,
Grows up! What a thought!
c.
He will be
tender – no massive biceps
d.
Like a dry
root that breaks under stress
e.
Not what
you would expect of a Saviour!
4.
Notice his
appearance
a.
No form –
as if to say, he has no fancy form, no style, no signature act!
b.
No
comeliness – no beauty
c.
Nothing
that would make people desire Him
1)
He would
never be hired by Hollywood!
2)
And would
not be welcome most anywhere today!
C.
An Unwanted
Man (53:3,4)
1.
Not just
undesirable - unpopular
2.
But
despised
3.
He will be
firmly REJECTED by people
a.
Especially
by men
b.
Women will
like Him more than men – always been that way! Shame!
4.
What Isaiah
is seeing 700 years into the future shocked him
a.
Here was a
Man who would be God’s answer to our sin problem, and our heart
problems, and our home problems, and our money problems, and our health
problems…
b.
And then
watching everyone, absolutely everyone rejecting Him – pushing Him away
– not wanting Him
c.
Closing
their eyes to what was happening to this Servant of God
d.
To ‘esteem
Him not’ means, they figured he was only rubbish, and not worth
living (Luk 23:13-23)
D.
An Unhappy
Friend (53:3,4)
1.
This best
friend of sinners (Luke 7:34)…
2.
He will be:
NOT a good-time Charlie
a.
A Man of
sorrows
1)
Not a
partying man – not a rockin’ roller
2)
But a man
that experiences sorrow – the deepest sorrows known
3)
Lam 1:12
Is it nothing to you, all
ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my
sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in
the day of his fierce anger.
b.
Well
acquainted with grief
3.
Not His own
sorrows or griefs
a.
Most of our
sorrows are for our own failures and regrets
b.
Grief is
emotional pain due to loss, and failure – again, not His own failure
4.
THANK GOD!
THANK GOD! Thank God!
5.
He is
affected by OUR loss, OUR hurts (Heb 4:15)!
E.
An
Unreleased Criminal (53:4,5)
1.
Notice the
words, “But he WAS wounded… stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted”
“bruised, chastisement, stripes”
2.
Criminals
should only pay for the crimes THEY have committed
3.
Not for the
crimes of others
4.
That would
be a Miscarriage of Justice
a.
A
miscarriage of justice is the conviction and punishment of a person for
a crime they did not commit.
b.
It has
happened throughout history
1)
The
Birmingham Six are said to have been innocent, but they were imprisoned
and punished for 16 years before their conviction was shown to be in
error
c.
The
Scandinavian languages (viz. Danish, Norwegian and Swedish) have a word,
the Swedish variant of which is
justitiemord, which literally translates as "justice murder." The
term exists in several languages and was originally used for cases where
the accused was convicted, executed, and later cleared after death.
5.
Well, Jesus
paid for crimes HE never committed
a.
Many people
have been convicted for crimes they never committed
b.
But only
ONE man paid for the crimes that EVERYONE else had committed
6.
As a matter
of fact, remember that a convicted and proven criminal named Barabbas
was released, and Jesus took his cross and died on it!
F.
An Unfair
Exchange (53:5-9)
1.
He, and all
that He is, was exchanged for us, and all that we are!
2.
All of us –
notice even Isaiah himself – have gone astray – gone our OWN ways
a.
We have
made our beds
b.
And we
should have to sleep in it
c.
We should
have to take the responsibilities for our wrong choices and wrong
actions
3.
But
instead…
a.
HE was
wounded
b.
HE was
bruised
c.
HE was
chastised
d.
HE was
whipped
4.
And we are
forgiven!
a.
There is no
more record of our sins, and iniquities
b.
It has been
“blotted out” – can’t read the official record anymore
c.
What a
crazy a swap – He got my sins, and MY punishment, and I got HIS
righteousness, and freedom!
5.
He came
into the world, meek, lowly, kind, gentle, loving, careful, tender
6.
And yet we
caused every sin we ever committed to be laid on HIM
a.
Every SIN –
the small ones AND the awful ones!
b.
Every wrong
thought
c.
Every wrong
attitude
d.
Every
sinful look
e.
Every
hateful word
f.
NOT just
YOUR sins – as small as you think they are
g.
But the
sins of Hitler, and Mussolini, and Attila the Hun, and Jeffery Dalmer,
and Jack the Ripper!
h.
The sins of
every lying politician, and every murdering abortionist
i.
The sins of
every paedophile, homosexual, trans-sexual, and pervert
j.
The sins of
every murderous dictator like Joseph Stalin, Pol Phot, Mao Tse Tung, and
Idi Amin
k.
All of
them, every last one…
l.
Was laid on
HIS back! Was dumped on HIS record! Was blamed on HIM!
7.
What kind
of exchange is that?
8.
Where is
the fairness? Where is the justice in that?
9.
He never
defended Himself – opened not his mouth in his own defense
a.
He LET
wicked religious men falsely accuse Him, then beat Him, and then drag
Him before Pilate
b.
He LET
Pilate hum and haw over His case
c.
He LET the
crowd call for His execution
d.
He LET
Herod mock Him, and beat Him
e.
He LET
Pilate’s soldiers whip Him, and mock Him, and beat Him, and strip Him,
and then parade Him through
Jerusalem, and then nail Him onto a 15 foot high cross
f.
And then,
beyond belief, Jesus STAYED on that cross, in spite of the pain, and the
shame, and the abandonment
10.
Why? I am
glad you asked!
G.
Providing
an Unlimited Forgiveness (53:10-12)
1.
Jesus did
something that no one else could do!
a.
He Pleased
God
b.
By HIMSELF
bearing our iniquities
c.
To satisfy
the righteous wrath of God against all those sins
d.
To make any
condemned sinner, who wants to be, made right – justified – completely
forgive!
e.
Atonement –
all past crimes paid for
2.
THAT’S why
Jesus is GREAT… and strong, and mighty like no other
3.
That is why
Jesus was able to pray “Father forgive them”
a.
Because
Jesus Himself carried them onto the cross, and there, He died, paying
the penalty for every last one of our sins!
b.
Now you
know what it cost Jesus to make sure that prayer could be answered
c.
No longer
will any believer carry their sins…
d.
Now you
know why He was able to say IT IS FINISHED!
e.
Jesus
interceded for YOU
4.
Have you
let HIM make the exchange? I did 35 years ago!
5.
It is
unlimited. There is nothing He didn’t die for. No sin you have
committed, and no sin you will ever commit that he hasn’t already fully
and completely paid for!
6.
But it can
not be experienced by you unless your self righteous pride breaks, and
start all over
7.
Accepting
forgiveness, not as a good man or woman, but as a sinner, ready to
IV.
Conclusion
A.
1Co 1:17,18
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none
effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
B.
So, what
happened on the cross?
1.
Something
Unbelievable – no wonder people have problems believing it
2.
An Unlikely
Saviour was born
3.
Who was
rejected and dumped
4.
Who took on
all OUR sorrows and griefs
5.
And became
the guilty criminal, “wounded… stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted”
for crimes HE never committed
6.
And
Accepted an Unfair Exchange – a swap – He got my sins, and MY
punishment, and I got HIS righteousness, and freedom!
7.
Unlimited
Forgiveness was made freely available
C.
THIS is
what got my attention 35 years ago
D.
And what
has gripped my life ever since
1.
God’s call
on my life was NOT fought, because of this one event!
2.
Jesus
earned the right to direct my steps, and govern my life
3.
Instead of
me just inviting Jesus into my life, the cross, and what happened their
drove me to my knees and compelled me to claim that blood as for me, and
beg for mercy when it should have been ME paying for MY own sinfulness
and shame!
E.
What will you do now?
1.
I know what
I will do! Praise Him, and live absolutely and totally in awe of Him
2.
What about
YOU?
3.
Will you
take the free gift today? Not tomorrow. Not next Sunday. Today! |