What Are the Odds?

For those who do not know, we are now into the season of preparation for Easter, called Lent, which we kicked off Wednesday night during a wonderful Ash Wednesday service led by Bro. Dennis.

And as we move through this time period on our calendars, inching closer and closer to Easter Sunday, we also need to prepare our hearts and our minds for what Easter really means.

What is Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Easter all about?

Why is it significant?

Why don’t we just celebrate Easter Sunday and be done with it?

Which are questions that I believe are asked on a regular basis.

And one reason it is so important is because in reality the odds of everything happening and lining up perfectly were very, very slim.

So slim that the people who read and knew the Word of God the best—the Jewish leadership, didn’t even really understand and recognize what was going on.

And in addition to this, as each generation has passed since the events of Easter, our understanding and remembrance of what it actually all entailed, has grown more and more distant.

Each generation has forgotten a little bit more about how significant the things that occurred actually were to the course of the entirety of human history.

So, we have to come along and be reminded of these things.

Which is what we will be doing for the next several weeks as we lead up to Easter.

There is a saying about Easter that goes, On Easter, God did what only God could do, in order to do what only God could do.

But what does that mean?

What did God do that only God could do?

God saw that human beings were racking up sin. We couldn’t make up for the things we were doing wrong, justice needed to be served and we couldn’t pay for it.

Well, God saw that human beings were racking up sin. We couldn’t make up for the things we were doing wrong, justice needed to be served and we couldn’t pay for it.

We were helpless to help ourselves. So God helped in a way only God could:

He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay for our sins: His life for ours.

And only God could do it because we were and ARE incapable of paying for our own sin.

God knew we couldn’t pay the price, so He sent His Son to pay it for us.

Only our punishment isn’t a monetary fine, it’s a spiritual one: when we do something it separates us from God, we have to live separated from God… forever.

And God didn’t want it this way!

God so loved the world that He didn’t want there to be separation from any of us. So He sent His Son, Jesus to pay for our sin. The only thing that disqualifies us from receiving this sin-payment is an unwillingness to accept His sin-payment on our behalf.

And the reason we are unwilling so many times is because we don’t understand the significance.

And not only that but we don’t believe things actually happened the way they did.

So, this morning we are going to be looking at the odds a little bit.

The odds that the things that came to pass in Jesus’ day, that were predicted about 700 years before his birth could have happened, just by chance.

Which is where come into play.

So, if you have found in your Bibles, I’d invite you to stand with me if you are able.

Starting in verse 13, Isaiah writes . . . .

Scripture Focus

Isaiah 52:13–53:12 NIV - Anglicised

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 man and his form marred beyond human likeness— 15 so will he 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. 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 men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten 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 upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his 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 her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 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. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, 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.

Isaiah 52:13-

Rolling the Dice

So, if you are not familiar with this passage, this passage is about Jesus, the coming Messiah.

And like I said, Isaiah received this message from God and put it to paper around 700 years prior to the birth of Jesus.

And the thing about this passage is that every single point came true, exactly as Isaiah had written it.

He wasn’t 30% right, 50% right or even 90% right.

He was 100% correct in his prophesy about Jesus.

Not one single aspect can be logically disputed.

And I say logically disputed because throughout history, you have had different people try to explain away different parts of Isaiah’s prophesy because the fact that it came true boggles their mind.

They cannot understand it.

But let’s take it a little bit further.

Several years ago, a man named Dr. Peter Stoner did a study in mathematical probabilities.

He knew from studying the Bible that Jesus Christ fulfilled over 330 prophecies of Scripture while He was on the earth.

Stoner, who was a mathematician by trade, set out to calculate the probability that anyone could fulfill that many events predicted in the future.

Now, if you toss a coin up in the air, the probability it will land heads is 50%, or ½.

The probability that it will land heads twice in a row is 25%, or ¼.

What is the probability that one man could fulfill 330 Biblical predictions?

We’ll never know.—Because the odds are too big.

When Stoner got to the probability that anyone could fulfill 8 Scripture predictions, the number was so large, he had to use an analogy for it.

Stoner’s number for 8 prophecies was 1 x 1017 power. That’s a 1 with 17 zeroes behind it. The English word for it is “One hundred quadrillion.”

Stoner said, “To appreciate how large this number is, imagine filling the state of Texas 2 feet deep in silver dollars.”

“Then, mark one silver dollar with a red “X” and mix them all up.

“Blindfold someone, spin them around, and have them pick that dollar on the first try.”

That’s the probability that anyone could fulfill 8 prophecies.

Stoner continued on to 9 prophecies. 10 prophecies. 11 prophecies. 12… when he got to 48 prophecies, he stopped.

Because the number he had come to was 1 x 10157. That’s a one followed by 157 zeroes.

The total number of atoms in the universe is 1 followed by 80 zeroes!

And Jesus fulfilled 330—all documented.

But back to Isaiah.

He had 24 predictions about Jesus Christ and guess what, they all came true.

So, did he just guess or did he have a little help from on high?

And this is also where our scripture comes in.

So, let’s take a look at a few of them.

The Prophecies Reviewed

First, in it says . .

Isaiah 52:13 NIV - Anglicised

13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

Isaiah

Now, just on the surface, this verse is really no big deal.

There are lots of people who can “act wisely” or “be successful,” which is a more literal translation.

But the thing that makes Jesus different is that he was successful in something no one else could do.

He was successful in providing a way of salvation for us all.

And as a result “he will be raised up and highly exalted,” and this does not mean exalted in the same way we ex halt athletes or actors.

He is exalted by God the Father and all humanity will recognize and take notice—acknowledge who Jesus truly is.

His name will be lifted above every name on earth and in heaven.

Isaiah 53:12 NIV - Anglicised

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.

-13

Now, look at very quickly, verse 17-18 says . . .

Revelation 1:17–18 NIV - Anglicised

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

In other words, Jesus holds the keys to the entire universe.

Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

His name is exalted above every name.

All foretold by Isaiah 700 years prior.

The next prophesy is one we are even more familiar with.

Isaiah 52:14 NIV - Anglicised

14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—

And go no down to chapter 53 . . .

Isaiah 53:3–5 NIV - Anglicised

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten 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 upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:3-

And . . .

Isaiah 53:7–11 NIV - Anglicised

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 her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 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. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, 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.

Isaiah 53:7-

And this whole thing is talking about how the Jews hated Jesus.

How they rejected and abused him.

How they took him and had him arrested.

How they employed the Romans to beat and disfigure him.

Mangle and wound his body.

And how it was all for us.

How it all was so we would not endure the the penalty for our own sin.

Point 3

Altar Call

But yet, after all of that . . .

Isaiah 53:6 NIV - Anglicised

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:

And that unfortunately is where many of us are at, in here, this morning.

We are like lost sheep who have wandered and strayed off.

We have abandoned the God who gave everything for us.

And we will try to rationalize and justify things by saying, “it’s not true,” or “its just an old story.”

And it is an old story—but it is a true story.

It is the story of the Son of God, who was foretold centuries before His very coming to this earth.

It was put into motion by God the Father, carried out by God the Son, and presided over by God the Spirit.

All so we could enter into and maintain a relationship with God.

So we could be restored and reconciled to God.

And all we have to do is to accept it and believe it.

Which brings us to the end this morning.

Do we believe?

Do we accept it?

Are we willing to follow Jesus?

What is God telling us this morning and what are we willing to do about it?