The Master’s Plan of Sacrifice:
A FOREORDAINED SAVIOR
Perth Bible Church, Good Friday Service April 10, 2009 Rev. Todd G. Leupold
INTRODUCTION:
Seven hundred years before Jesus of Nazareth was born, the LORD God Almighty revealed the details concerning the Messiah (Anointed One) that would one day come to bring salvation and ultimately peace to a sin-corrupted earth. Not only did God reveal this as a general truth, but He explained in agonizing detail just how this Savior would appear, how He would be received, and what He must and would do in order that all who believe might be delivered from Sin and its eternal consequences.
This extraordinary revelation was given to a Jewish prophet, Isaiah ben Amoz, to share to the captives from Gilead and Galilee during their Assyrian captivity in 721 B.C. The specific prophecy concerning the Coming Messiah was given within a greater preaching to Judah about it’s need for repentance. By His divine and compassionate Hand, the LORD made sure that all of this was recorded in His Word and preserved throughout history that all may read them and be blessed!
A.) A SERVANT’S SUFFERING & EXALTATION (Isaiah 52:13-15)
From the get-go God begins unfolding His salvation plan with a greatly unexpected ’zinger’ – the One who will do these things will be a SERVANT!
This is later confirmed as part of the plan and true of Jesus: Philippians 2:5-8
Yet, plain as it may appear and be confirmed in Scripture, it remains something many of us find as difficult to accept as did the people of Judah in the Assyrian captivity.
Why? Because it is the complete opposite of what we would think to do if we presumed to put ourselves in God’s place.
We assume that whatever seems right to us must be right. Too often, we’re like the guy who was so certain that he had figured out the exact time of the rapture that on that date – June 21, 1896, he climbed high into a tree and at precisely 9:04 AM leaped off his branch to meet the Lord in the air. . . It didn’t quite end the way he expected.
Let US, then, put our own assumptions aside and let closely at what the Lord actually and specifically says.
VIDEO: “Isaiah 53”
B.) WHO HAS BELIEVED SUCH A THING? (Isaiah 53:1)
Many of us have already heard, but have we believed to be point of trusting in Him alone for the power of our salvation?
Do our lives reflect the fullness of this truth, or are we like the little ’bus girl’ who one day in Sunday School made a little plaque that read “Have Faith in God.” After church, she got on the bus that would take her home and after it began driving off she realized that she left her plaque in the church. Immediately, she jumped out of her seat, and ran down the aisle of the bus screaming out: “Stop the bus! I’ve lost my ’Faith in God’!
How about you here tonight? Have you ever lost your faith in God? Or come to the sudden realization that what you have been holding on to all of this time was nothing more than a plaque or motto?
Romans 10:16-17
1.) A MESSIAH WHO IS LOWLY & REJECTED (vv. 2-3)
The grammatical form introduced here in the Hebrew is what is known as a “prophetic perfect.” This means it is a reference to something that is certain to happen in the future, but expressed as if it had already happened. The emphasis of this style of literature is to strongly emphasize the absolute certainty of the prophecy.
The Messiah is predicted to be one who would be seen as just one more young person who had come from poor and lowly circumstances and who had not yet done anything to establish Himself or His credibility. Nor would there be anything about Him that most would recognize as particularly remarkable or impressive. Further, we would be a man who would appear to be at least as weak as the next man.
Therefore, he would be despised and rejected as a wannabe imposter. Entirely in contrast to the royal, remarkable, established and mighty warrior that humans tend to expect as their heroes and deliverers.
As the apostle John would connect to the person of Jesus: John 1:10-11.
2.) A SUBSTITUTE WHO BORE OUR AFFLICTIONS (v. 4-6)
And yet He alone would have the necessary strength, power, will, and holiness to literally lift off of us and carry Himself all of humanity’s sickness, pain, troubles, mistakes, sins, and divinely required punishment.
So He did, and so He became our substitute, taking it upon Himself to carry and endure what only we ourselves deserved but could not!
ALL for our peace – reconciliation with a perfectly righteous and holy God and through that renewed relationship peace within our own minds, hearts and spirits!
More than 700 years after this prophesy was made, the apostle Peter would divinely quote these very same words in reference to what Jesus of Nazareth did for us (1 Peter 24-25) and the Apostle Paul applied even more specifically (Colossians 1:20-22).
As Matthew witnessed and recorded: Matthew 27:27-37.
Steve Winger had an interesting experience during last last college test – a final in a logic class that all of the students were worried about passing. To help them, the Professor went as far as to graciously allow them to bring and use as much information as they could fit on one 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper. At the time of the final exam, the students all began coming in with their pieces of paper full with as much writing as they could legibly manage. All, that is, except for one student. Instead, he brought in a blank sheet of paper and an advanced logic student. He put the paper down on the floor beside his seat and then had the advanced logic student stand on the paper. He was the only student to get an “A” on the exam.
One day, in our future, each of us will face a seemingly impossible final exam before God sitting on His throne of Judgment. The only ones who can pass that exam are those who bring the Crucified Messiah – Jesus our Lord – to stand before them and be their answer.
3.) A WILLING SACRIFICE (v. 7)
Voluntarily, the Messiah would submit Himself to all of this suffering and rejection – patiently and without even a word of protest.
1 Peter 2:23
Why? Because His necessary role to accomplish our salvation is to an Offering, not simply a martyr.
4.) UNJUSTLY CONDEMNED (vv. 8-9)
Taking full advantage of His willful submission, He is unjustly condemned, oppressed, beaten, and tortuously murdered among the guilty and wicked.
Yet, even in all of this, He maintained His perfect innocence and obedience in what was necessary for our forgiveness and redemption!
Men would dishonor Him in his life and death, but God would honor Him in his burial.
5.) A PLEASING SIN OFFERING (v. 10)
Here was an even bigger, more unexpected and humanly difficult to comprehend but intentional and necessary explanation of God’s plan for he redeeming sacrifice of His Son, the Messiah
First, we must note that while all of the above was physically carried out by the hands and mouths of men, the real directing force and cause was the LORD Himself!
Second, that doing all of this to the Messiah was something that “pleased” the LORD God Almighty!
Say what? How is this possible or even defensible for a just or loving God?
First, because He understands this is the ONLY acceptable sacrifice and thus only way that humankind’s salvation may be secured.
Second, knowing this, it is something that the Son willfully submits Himself to out of His love for the world.
Third, it is known and guaranteed to result in the absolute success of the Lord’s will for the redemption of humanity and eternal life for those who would become the “seed” of Christ through faith in Him as their Savior!
By the way, in so clearly referring to the future eternal days of the Messiah after His sacrificial death and burial, this text is also pointing to His resurrection and power over sin and death.
6.) A WILLING & SATISFIED SAVIOR (vv. 11-12)
Again, this wonderful reality is applied directly to Jesus: 2 Corinthians 5:19-21.
Before we go our separate ways this special evening, let me repeat the question we started with: WHO HAS BELIEVED SUCH A THING?
VIDEO: “What If” (Nicole Nordeman)
