JESUS, OUR SERVANT-KING, SAVES SINNERS (Outline)
April 1, 2007
PALM SUNDAY - Isaiah 50:4-9
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INTRO: Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the crowds shouted, “Hosanna”. They are looking at Jesus as the king who will deliver Israel from the rule of the Roman Empire. They want this Jesus-King to drive out the Roman soldiers from their country. But this Jesus-King is riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Jesus enters Jerusalem as a Servant-King. God’s plans for the world’s Servant-King were far, far greater than mortal man’s thoughts and wisdom. Jesus came to rule men’s hearts and minds not change their government. This was a hard concept for even the disciples to grasp. They often wondered when Jesus would really show his power. They also wondered who was the best disciple among them. Jesus’ reply was simple. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many"(MARK 10:45).
JESUS, OUR SERVANT-KING, SAVES SINNERS.
I. The Servant perfectly obeys, and:
II. The Father powerfully helps.
I. THE SERVANT PERFECTLY OBEYS
A. Isaiah continues in chapter 50 with the prophecy concerning the servant of the Lord.
1. This servant of the Lord is none other than Christ the Messiah who was to come.
2. Verse 4a describes the instructed tongue…that sustains the weary concerning Jesus.
a. Remember the boy Jesus in the temple instructing the religious teachers.
b. Remember Jesus’ words of comfort and healing to sustain the weak.
B. Verses 4b, 5 describe the willingness of Jesus’ spirit to listen and to do the Father’s will.
1. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prays the will of the Father be done, not his will.
2. Jesus never drew back from the goal of death that he was to face on the cross.
C. Verse 6 reveals the clear prophecy of the Lord through Isaiah concerning the suffering of Jesus.
1. With complete disregard the soldiers would beat Jesus mercilessly. They mocked him.
2. Jesus did hide his face from their beatings, mocking, and spitting. Jesus did it all FOR US!
D. Christ entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as a King. He left this world on Good Friday as a Servant. The kingdom of Jesus was not of this world. Jesus came as our Servant-King. Jesus came as the King of kings to perfectly carry out the will of his heavenly Father. The will of God was not that we should die for our sins. Instead, the very Son of God would take our place. He would live, suffer, die and rise again FOR US. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ’Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’"(GALATIANS 3:13). We are no longer cursed. Our Savior Jesus, our Servant-King, saves sinners. Our Servant-King saves us from eternal punishment in hell.
E. Jesus paid the price that our sins demanded by his perfect obedience to God’s will. Jesus paid the price that our sins demanded by his perfect obedience to God’s law. We disobey. Sin is the shadow that covers our hearts so that we do not carry out God’s will here on earth perfectly. Sin is the shadow that covers our hearts so that we do not always see or understand God’s will for us in this life. We cannot save ourselves by our good intentions – they simply are not enough. We cannot buy our way into heaven – the cost is simply too much. Praise God for his solution, a Servant-King. "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him"(HEBREWS 5:8).
F. We stand in awe at the salvation that Christ has purchased and won for us by his perfect life, innocent sufferings and death. None of us deserve any of the mercies that God has shown to us through his Son, Jesus. Scripture tells us why. "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst"(1 TIMOTHY 1:15). We shudder at the thought that each one of us is the worst of sinners. It is a devastating thought. BUT we also shudder with joy at the thought that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This is God’s grace.
JESUS, OUR SERVANT-KING, SAVES SINNERS.
The Servant perfectly obeys.
II. THE FATHER POWERFULLY HELPS
A. It can make one wonder – just how Jesus got through all this pain, torture, and suffering.
1. Isaiah gives us the powerful answer in verse 7. The Sovereign Lord helps me.
2. With the help of the Lord Jesus is not disgraced. Men thought so, but Jesus wasn’t.
3. With the help of the Lord Jesus is not going to turn back from the death on the cross.
B. We hear the challenge of the Servant of the Lord in verse 8b. Who will accuse me?
1. The false witnesses could not agree at Jesus’ trial.
2. Pilate was left powerless at Jesus’ silence. He who vindicates me is near – verse 8a.
C. Verse 9b speaks of the end of those who try to condemn Jesus.
1. The accusers and condemners disappear just like cloth that is eaten up by a moth.
2. Jesus’ strength is in the refrain of each verse: The Sovereign Lord helps me.
D. What power, what grace, what mercy, and what love we easily see in the actions of God the Father in strengthening his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ! The love of God does not stop with Jesus. Hardly. The love of God that is shown to Jesus, his Son, is the same love he shows us. By faith God considers us as his very own children. Imagine – we are God’s children. We are brothers and sisters of Jesus, God’s own Son. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him"(1 JOHN 3:1).
E. God is on our side. This is a great comfort for us here on earth. We face difficulties in this life. At different times in our lives there are different challenges that each of us may endure. These challenges can be physical, financial, family, or health. With our Servant-King we know, believe and confess: The Sovereign Lord helps me. "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?"(PSALM 56:3, 4; see PSALM 27:1). Our Father in heaven faithfully provides for our soul no matter what man may do to the body.
F. Hosanna to our Servant-King. Jesus rides into Jerusalem as the Savior of mankind. Not everyone saw that fact or believed in him as Savior. By grace, through faith Jesus rides into our hearts as THE Servant-King who saves sinners. We are free from the power of sin by the perfect obedience of our Servant-King. We are free from the fear of death by the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death"(ROMANS 8:1,2).
CONC.: Jesus our Savior-King saves sinners. Without faith the world looks at Jesus as a wannabe king who failed miserably. He never had an army. Jesus did not live in a palace. In the end, his followers tortured him to death on a cross. But Jesus never came as an earthly king. Jesus lived as a King who would be the ultimate Servant. Jesus would serve mankind by giving up his life. Jesus would serve mankind by perfectly obeying his Father’s will. The Father would never forsake his Son. The Father never forsakes us. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life"(JOHN 3:14,15). (This is great chapter to read.) Jesus perfectly obeyed because we could not. Jesus perfectly obeyed to pay the price we could not. The Father powerfully strengthened Jesus, our Servant-King. Our heavenly Father still powerfully helps us today – and, finally – right into eternity. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
Sunday radio broadcast @ 9:05am on KQNK 106.7FM or 1530AM + www.kqnk.com
PALM SUNDAY readings:
ZECHARIAH 9:9-10; PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11; LUKE 19:28-40
