Isaiah 52:13-53:12
God’s Suffering Servant
Introduction – Total Sacrifice for wife
It is said that Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, once had captured a prince and his family. When they came before him, the monarch asked the prisoner, “What will you give me if I release you?” “The half of my wealth,” was his reply. “And if I release your children?” “Everything I possess.” “And if I release your wife?” “Your Majesty, I will give myself.” Cyrus was so moved by his devotion that he freed them all. As they returned home, the prince said to his wife, “Wasn’t Cyrus a handsome man!” With a look of deep love for her husband, she said to him, “I didn’t notice. I could only keep my eyes on you--the one who was willing to give himself for me.” (Unknown)
As we gather here today, our purpose is to give our complete attention and devotion to the One who willingly gave Himself for a sinners like you and me. Let’s examine God’s Word regarding the suffering servant. What do we discover regarding this Servant who gave Himself so readily for us?
First we see…
THE SERVANT’S REVELATION
Isa.52:13-15 Behold, My Servant
As God reveals His Servant, we will see three things in this text about Him.
We see His EXALTATION in verse 13.
Three times the Word describes the Servant in prolific terms. Not only is He prudent or wise, but He is exalted or honored before man and God. He is then extolled or lifted up! This is a reference to His resurrection! Then He is described as being very high or seated at the right hand of God. He is worthy because of what He is about to do.
We see His HUMILIATION in verse 14.
You will find He is marred or disfigured. In the movie The Passion of the Christ, the appearance of Jesus is beaten viciously and unmercifully. He is unrecognizable. He took our humiliation upon Himself. He suffered what we ought to suffer. He became our substitute!
And then, we see His GLORIFICATION in verse 15.
He will startle kings and common people for the work He has completed. Most people will not believe. Even church people have head knowledge of the work He has done but will simply have a heart experience with Him. He will be glorified before all mankind at His great throne.
Illustration – Total Sacrifice
Bryan Chapell tells this story that happened in his hometown: Two brothers were playing on the sandbanks by the river. One ran after another up a large mound of sand. Unfortunately, the mound was not solid, and their weight caused them to sink in quickly.
When the boys did not return home for dinner, the family and neighbors organized a search. They found the younger brother unconscious, with his head and shoulders sticking out above the sand. When they cleared the sand to his waist, he awakened. The searchers asked, "Where is your brother?"
The child replied, "I’m standing on his shoulders"
With the sacrifice of his own life, the older brother lifted the younger to safety. The tangible and sacrificial love of the older brother literally served as a foundation for the younger brother’s life.
Jesus took our place on the cross. We are standing on the shoulders of the salvation God has made possible through His Son. What a sacrifice! He didn’t have to do it! He chose to do it for each one of us!
Second we see…
THE SERVANT’S REJECTION
Isa.53:1-3 He is despised and rejected…
In these verses, we will see the rejection of the suffering servant. How?
We see that His WORDS were rejected. They were rejected by the “who believes our report.” He spoke words that were radically different. No man spoke with the authority He had. Yet, many would not believe.
We also see that His WORKS were rejected. The arm of the Lord had been revealed but people wanted the benefits without the commitment. He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, and healed the crippled. But yet they wanted more!
Finally, we see that His WITNESS was rejected. He was despised and rejected by men. We regarded Him as a loser. He did not offer what we desired. But that did not stop Jesus from accomplishing what the Father had in store for Him…our salvation through the shedding of His blood.
Illustration – Suffering
One of the most powerful prayers in the midst of suffering was uncovered from the horrors of Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ravensbruck was a concentration camp built in 1939 for women. Over 90,000 women and children perished in Ravensbruck, murdered by the Nazis. Corrie Ten Boom, who wrote The Hiding Place, was imprisoned there too. The prayer, found in the clothing of a dead child, says:
O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us: Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering, our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble. When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.
Jesus suffered for us that we might not suffer the anguish of eternal damnation. He willingly suffered and died on a brutal cross for my sin that I might not have to experience hell. Glory, what a Savior!
Third we see…
THE SERVANT’S RESOLUTION
Isa.53:4-9 …He opened not His mouth…
Jesus was resolved in the purpose of His Father. He faced it knowing He was going to suffer the agony and pain of death.
He was PIERCED by the nails. Verse four states the obvious. He has carried our grief. He accepted our pain and heartaches.
He was CRUSHED by my sin. He was struck by God and inflicted with intense pain. Psalm 22:6 serves as great illustration of Jesus’ purpose. “He was a worm and no man.” The word worm is tola in the Hebrew. It is a worm that is crushed in order to provide a red dye to color the clothes of their day. Jesus was crushed to provide me a garment of forgiveness. Psalm 22 was written by King David 1000 years before Jesus death and only 500 years before the cross was invented. Only God could do this kind of work!
He was PUNISHED for my sin. He was wounded and bruised for our transgressions and iniquities. Our rebellion (transgressions) and iniquities (distortions) was laid upon Him. He took my sin and shame to the cross.
He was SILENT before his accusers. As He was accused, ridiculed, and mocked, He was silent before His enemies. Nothing would change their minds. He was THE Lamb of God who came to take away our sin.
He was CONFIDENT in his Father. All the way through this, we still see Jesus trusting in the Father. His confidence lay in the Father’s will. No matter how bad it got, Jesus trusted the Father.
Illustration – He wasn’t cured but he was healed
Can sickness, even sickness unto death, be such a blessing for a Christian? On the surface it would seem not. How can a Christian do God’s will if he is lying in bed, flat on his back? How can pain, discomfort, medical treatment and surgery as well as the compounding effects of medication be in any way a blessed state? Tony Campolo tells a story about being in a church in Oregon where he was asked to pray for a man who had cancer. Campolo prayed boldly for the man’s healing. That next week he got a telephone call from the man’s wife. She said, “You prayed for my husband. He had cancer.” Campolo thought when he heard her use the past tense verb that his cancer had been eradicated! But before he could think much about it she said, “He died.” Campolo felt terrible. But she continued, “Don’t feel bad. When he came into that church that Sunday he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn’t take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him. It was an awful thing to be in his presence. But the lady told Campolo, “After you prayed for him, a peace had come over him and a joy had come into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of our lives. We’ve sung. We’ve laughed. We’ve read Scripture. We prayed. Oh, they’ve been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and praying for healing.” And then she said something incredibly profound. She said, “He wasn’t cured, but he was healed.” (Tony Campolo, “Year of Jubilee”, Preaching Today Tape #212.)
Jesus died so we might be healed of our sins. We may not be cured, for we still sin, but we are now healed from the presence, power, and eventually, the presence of sin. God does all things well.
And finally, we see…
THE SERVANT’S RESTORATION
Isa.53:10-12 He shall see His labor…
In these last few verse, we see the rightful Heir of the throne restored to His proper position. He shows us three items worthy of notation.
It was in God’s PLEASURE. It was God using human instruments to accomplish His work. Jesus was bruised or wounded as in battle. He was in a battle for our souls! And He won! God was pleased that His Servant completed the work He was sent to do.
It was in God’s PURPOSE. Because God desired for man to commune with Him, Jesus completed the work the Father commissioned. Luke 19 stated that Jesus came to seek and save that which is lost. The Servant will see the fruits of His work. The mission was accomplished.
It was in God’s POWER. Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. He became one of us that we might have His righteousness imputed upon us. He completed the work required,
Illustration – Molokai
You have probably never heard of the island of Molokai. Well, it’s located in the state of Hawaii. And it has quite a history. You have to go way back to the late 1800’s to understand its significance. You see, back then, there was no cure for the highly contagious and deadly disease called leprosy. A disease that would attack the extremities of the body, the ears, the toes, the nose, the fingers. A horrible dreadful disease which today is curable, But it wasn’t back then.
- So, in order to keep the disease at bay. In order to keep it from spreading and creating an epidemic, the government would send lepers to a colony on the island of Molokai where they would be secluded and isolated from those who were not infected with the disease.
- Well, in 1873, there was a young, brave Catholic priest named Father Damien who volunteered to spend his life serving the people secluded on the island of Molokai. When he arrived, he was startled to see people who were not only suffering physically, but socially, and emotionally, and spiritually. In the leper colony he saw extreme drunkenness, immorality, abuse, and an overall sense of hopelessness. What he saw were people who desperately needed to know the answer to a question we all ask... where is God? They needed God’s presence in their life.
- And so, in 1873, Father Damien lived among the 700 lepers. Knowing the dangers, realizing the inevitable results of so much personal contact with a highly contagious disease. He built hospitals, clinics, and churches and built some 600 coffins. And the whole while he was giving them the answer to that question... where is God?
- And whenever a church service was held. He would stand up in front of the lepers, and he would warmly and lovingly address them as "my dear brethren." But then one morning in 1885, at the age of 45, in a calm clear voice, instead of "my dear brethren," he began with, "My fellow lepers, I am one of you now."
- You see it was out of love that a humble priest became one of the them. Out of love he gave those lepers a gift that would change their life for all of eternity. He shared with them the answer to the ever-present question... "Where is God?" And the only way he could give them the answer is by becoming one of them.
http://visitmolokai.com/kala.html
Jesus came to die for sinners like you and me. He became sin for us that we might have the opportunity to live in Him. He took our place that we might have a place with Him. Have you chosen Him today because of what He has done for you?
