132 Gripped by the Sacrifice of God

Describe Moses’ time on Sinai standing in the presence of God and the angels. The sheer force of the holiness of God’s glory would physically alter Moses. Imagine having to go back up the mountain.

Exodus 34:6 NIV

6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

Exodus 34:6–7 NIV

6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Exodus 34:16 NIV

16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.

Merciful and Just?

Mercy and justice appear to contradict each other. We love the idea of justice as long as someone else is getting it. We want mercy alone for ourselves. God is both.

This displays itself in our lives as that nagging feeling that we haven’t done enough or that desire to hide our sins. We sing and talk about God’s goodness but ...

Then God does something no one expects, in a way no one expects.

Enter the mysterious Servant

Enter the mysterious Servant of Isaiah. God himself is speaking.

Isaiah 52:13–15 NIV

13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness— 15 so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.

Isaih 52:13-15

This Servant will act wisely - be successful. He will do what is right to make sure he is successful. That’s pretty important news for those of us who have been unsuccessful.

1 Ptr 1:10-13

Ac 8

Mark 10:45

This Servant will act wisely - be successful. He will do what is right to make sure he is successful.

What does God tell us about this Servant and what he will do?

Somehow the servant will be exalted.

Somehow he will be incredibly injured.

Somehow he will affect many nations (sprinkle or startle)

Merciful or just? Enter the Third Option. God himself enters the drama and changes the story. He becomes a man. The Word became flesh. Jesus came to face God’s justice so we could experience God’s mercy.

How do I know this is Jesus?

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and 1 Peter all explicitly state this text is about Jesus! The New Testament refers to at least 41 times!

Change of narrator (past tense like a news interview). Listen to the accuracy of 700 B.C.! To put that in perspective the US is only 240 years old.

Isaiah 53:1–4 NIV

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:1–3 NIV

The Life and Ministry of the Messiah

The arm of the Lord was entirely unexpected. Jesus is both the servant and the power of God.

A tender shoot is no more than an annoyance!

There was nothing impressive about his looks that should make us take note of him. He was definitely no Saul!

The religious leaders rejected him for goodness sake!

Yet he was a man of suffering and pain. The idea is that Jesus didn’t run from suffering or pain. He stayed and cared for the suffering.

They were ashamed of Jesus because he did’t represent the things that were important to them. He didn’t prize wealth, or prestige, or reputation, or being served by others. He prized holiness and service and prayer. He said the problem was our hearts not the things around us. They were ashamed of God.

man of suffering.

Today people treat Jesus the same. They want deliverance from the symptoms of their problems but reject the cure - a relationship with Jesus.

Isaiah 53:4–6 NIV

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:

Isaiah 53:5–8 NIV

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.

The Execution of the Messiah

We sinned, he suffered

These verses represent the center of the passage. This is the gospel message: the innocent Servant dies as a sacrifice for sin.

We/our:

transgressions (rebelliousness)

iniquities (crookedness)

Isaiah 53:7–9 NIV

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

our wandering

pierced (hands, feet and side)

oppression and affliction

crushed under the weight our our sin (the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all). Sin is an ever-increasing burden.

And no one protested. We sinned, he suffered. He died, we received peace.

How is this appropriated to our lives? Belief that leads to repentance and baptism.

Isaiah 53:9 NIV

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

The Burial of the Savior

He submitted all the way to death on a cross

Where were Jesus’ brothers? Even his physical family was ashamed of him.

Jesus would be with the rich in his death. tells us about Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (two wealthy men). Marvel at the precision of God’s plan!

Do you think it is coincidence that you’re here today?

Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53:10–12 NIV

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Resurrection: the Vindication of the Satisfied Servant.

We need to understand this from God’s standpoint. Jesus wasn’t a martyr. Jesus’ death wasn’t an accident. The cross wasn’t plan B ().

He will prolong his days - the resurrection is part of the plan.

Remember Satan offered him a Kingdom if he would leave God’s plan of sacrifice. Love kept him.

Love for the Father - love for his people (offspring-church)

Ephesians 2:8–10 NIV

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Application

Philippians 2:6–11 NIV

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Application

Those who fear they haven’t done enough - what could you add to his work? Live gripped by the sacrifice of God.

Those who struggle to feel love and worth - look at the price paid for your freedom!

Those who think of sin lightly - enough messing around!

Those who don’t know the Lord - why not know forgiveness?

Those who struggle to feel love and worth - look at the price paid for your freedom!

Announcements

Philippians 2:6–11 NIV

Easter invitation and schedule no 9:00

Camp Allendale workday April 29th 8-12

Student ministry 5:30

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