The Messiah’s Descendants
(Isaiah 53:7-12)
1. A billboard posted by an atheist group in Wisconsin this season advertised, “Nobody died for your sins.”
2. Dr. George Sweeting tells of an incident in the early 1920s when Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev to address an anti-God rally. For an hour he abused and ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed as if the whole structure of belief was in ruins. Then questions were invited. Church leader rose and asked to speak. He turned, faced the people, and gave the Easter greeting, "He is risen!" Instantly the assembly rose to its feet and the reply came back loud and clear, "He is risen indeed!"
3. In a way, your presence and the presence of Christians in other churches is agreeing with the crowd that says, “He is risen indeed!” He died for our sins and rose.
4. Jesus died and rose for a purpose, to bring you and I to him and to the Father.
Main Idea: We are the prize that Jesus bought through his death and resurrection.
I. Good Friday: A Messiah Cut Off Without GENERATION (Descendants) (7-10a)
A. The just one silently allowed INJUSTICE prevail (7)
B. Human injustice worked divine JUSTICE (8)
One of the strangest things is how God uses bad things to accomplish good purposes in the long run. And nowhere is this more clear than in the cross.
1. Cut off is a term for being put to DEATH
Who would have thought that a miscarriage of justice would be part of God’s plan to make us right with him and give us eternal life?
2. Generation here likely means DESCENDENTS
Commenting on the Hebrew word “dor” ?????
“… More frequently, of the circle of a man’s life from his conception and birth until the conception and birth of his offspring…” [Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Harris, Archer, and Waltke, Vol. 1, p. 186]
C. Ignoble burial plans turned into an EXTRAVAGENT tomb (9)
In our culture, burial is not a big deal; many folks are cremated, and impressive funerals are usually not our concern; but in the ancient middle east, they would hire mourners and an appropriate burial was a big deal…
That’s why a public graveyard for strangers….
Rabbinic law: providing for a decent burial is part of loving ones neighbor
D. Attempts to thwart the Messiah helped him accomplish God’s PLAN (10a)
When God has determined to do something, often incorporates enemies….
Jesus chose Judas as one of the twelve…
II. Resurrection Sunday: Victory and a Wealth of DESCENDENTS (10b–12)
1. I have known some people who came from big families; one Italian man I knew was one of 28.
2. According the Guiness Book of World Records, “The greatest officially recorded number of children born to one mother is 69, to the wife of Feodor Vassilyev (b. 1707–c.1782), a peasant from Shuya, Russia. In 27 confinements she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets.
Numerous contemporaneous sources exist, which suggest that this seemingly improbably and statistically unlikely story is true. The case was reported to Moscow by the Monastery of Nikolsk on 27 Feb 1782, which had recorded every birth. It is noted that, by this time, only two of the children who were born in the period c. 1725–65 failed to survive their infancy.” [http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com]
3. But there is another truth we rarely hear discussed, namely, that those of us who have received Jesus Christ as our Savior by faith are considered his descendants.
A. A WEALTH of spiritual children (10b-11)
1. Given AFTER he returns to life
2. NIV captures the Dead Sea Scroll (OLDEST) manuscript
“…After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…” (53:11a)
3. Jesus never MARRIED and had no genetic children (Matt. 19:12)
4. Hebrews 2:10-15 develops this theme: WE are the spoil, the prize!
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers;?in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Do you think of yourself as a prize, as a reward? Jesus does.
B. How he attains these ADOPTED spiritual offspring (12)
1. Poured out soul to DEATH
2. Numbered (identified) with the TRANSGRESSORS
3. BORE the sins of many
4. Made INTERCESSION for the transgressors in three ways
He cried, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:24)
He bore our sins to bring us to God (I Peter 2:24-25)
He is our mediator and defends us before the throne (I Timothy 2:5, I John 2:1-2).
C. You have been PURCHASED by Jesus and are his OFFSPRING!
