Sermon: The Suffering Savior
Scripture Isaiah 53:1-12 “Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? 2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. [b] No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. 10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. 12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”
Introduction: “He paid a debt, He did not owe, I owed a debt, I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sin away, and now I sing a brand new song, “Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid the debt I could never pay!” When reading Isaiah 53 one could almost believe the prophet Isaiah lived during the days of Jesus and was at the cross when he died. However these words were written approximately 700 years before Jesus was born. Again, 700 years before Jesus was born Isaiah captures Jesus’ pain and death Jesus experienced on the cross. The day we call Good Friday! Think for a moment, the details given by the prophet Isaiah concerning the forthcoming pain and suffering of Jesus are amazingly precise. Isaiah asked, “Who has believed our report?” “And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
The arm of the Lord has been revealed to believers who have become friends of God. The Bible calls believers precious, valuable, and highly esteemed. In Genesis 1:27, God created all of us in His image, male and female, and in His likeness with a mind. The question is, “Who has believed our report?” Maybe Isaiah asks the question because who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this? Paul in Romans 10:16 repeats this question when he says, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report? The question is, Who? Who hears? How well do you hear? What do you hear? What will you do with what was heard?
One commentary writes, Jesus, the Messiah will spring out of the earth without notice; low in its beginning, slow in its growth, liable to be crushed with the foot, or destroyed with the frost. No great birthplace could Jesus claim. No flamboyant parent, just simple people. That’s enough. Isaiah predicts, Jesus wasn’t renowned, He had no political favor, He didn’t belong to any social clubs. Yet, He was God’s only Son and God’s plan for salvation.
Isaiah 53:2-3 “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Why would God choose to send such a perfect gift in such a dull package? In a world impressed with pedigree, popularity and pomp and circumstance, Jesus was born in a stable with a manger for his bed. Yet, the angel sang the message we were all needing to hear, “Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men.”
It was necessary for the man of sorrows to suffer if mankind was to be saved. The sin debt must be paid. It was the main thing that He came to do, paying the price for our sin and rebellion, so that we could be reconciled to God, and one another.
Isaiah 53:4 “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.”
The fact is, it was our pains he carried - our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. people thought Jesus brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. It was for our sin.
Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
Every stripe, all the beating, piercing, cursing, every insulting remark and slanderous word, Jesus took for us and then he died for all our sin. All!
It was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. Regardless of man’s opinion, His personal injustice and suffering, Jesus did it anyway! God’s gift was a divine transfer. Our sin for His innocence, our rags, for His riches! Our debt his payment – A Divine transfer! Can you believe it? Isaiah asks, “Who has believed our report?” “And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” This question is often repeated to emphasize its importance. Salvation and deliverance is for believers. Many turn their backs because they are not impressed with the package. They leave in search for pedigree, popularity, and social media followers. They never consider Why did Jesus suffer? Why did it please the Lord to bruise Him? Why was Jesus satisfied with God’s process? Consider this, Jesus had to suffered more than any other man, though completely innocence to show us the high cost of sin and to reveal the extreme love of God for His creation.
1.To show the High Cost of Sin. The depth of our sin and the cost of redemption required all the suffering revealed in this text. Our sin was so great, bulls and goat were inadequate to pay the price. Our sin required a prefect, sinless sacrifice and mankind had no power to save himself. Christ suffering reveal the terribleness of sin, the universality of sin and the consequences of sin. All had sinned and were separated from God. The wage of sin is death! Sin could not be overlooked by God; the full price must be paid. God’s Justice, Righteousness and Holiness demands it! All who walk away from God’s gift must face His wrath alone.
God sent His only Son to die for our sin to demonstrate His love for us. We see God’s love in the price He willingly paid for our redemption. Because of His great love, Jesus borne our grief and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Jesus brought us back into fellowship with God the Father. 1Pe 3:18 “Christ suffered[a] for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.”
2.To Be Our Faithful High Priest. Hebrews 4:16-18 “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Jesus satisfied our debt and then assumed the role of High Priest. He can aid those who are weak, uphold those who are tempted, sympathize with our struggles, appreciate our challenges, and intercede for us regularly. He gives us the assurance that we can find grace to help in time of need.
3.To Be Our Example. 1Peter 2:21-24 “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. 22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”
Isaiah 53 is quoted in the Gospels, In the epistles of Romans, Hebrews, and Peter to signify its importance. Since believers are saved by His grace, redeemed by His blood, interceded for by Christ himself, we must follow Christ’ example. “He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.”
Jesus suffered to be an example for His followers. True follower of Christ, walking in His steps will have occasions to suffer. It will happen, don’t be surprised. When believers are mistreated, misjudged, misunderstood, or suffer abuse of any kind, follow Jesus’ example! We too can overcome the world, the flesh and devil. We can courageously obey God’s will despite the trials we face. We can endure persecution and walk in victory.
Romans 8:28-32 “And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn[b] among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?”
Jesus’ sufferings led him into an eternal glory that exceeds any thing we can think or imagine. If we suffer with Him, we should reign with Him. Our present sufferings for Christ are short lived and temporary. Apostle Paul, journey led him through suffering, being beaten with rods 3 times, 5 times he received 39 stripes, hunger, lack, false accusations, a day and night in the deep, yet he called all these things a light affliction. Our present suffering will not have the last word. When Satan thought it was over for Jesus, when it looked like it was over, Jesus got up! Jesus rose with all power in his hands. He got up so we can get up! He is our example.
The message begins with a question: For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report? The question is, Who? Who will hear? How well do you hear? What do you hear? What will you do with what was heard?
I trust that you can appreciate more fully why our savior had to suffer. Sin carries a high price, redemption was costly. The debt had to be paid. It demonstrates God’s great love of mankind. God built a bridge over the gulf separating man from himself. We have been reconciled to the Father! We have a faithful high priest making intercession for us. He is our example, and we should, must walk in His steps. God’s discipline proves His love.
Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”
