Illus: On one of the GUNSMOKE episode Matt Dillon is in a serious gun fight in one of the episodes. Matt draws his pistol out of his holster to shoot the bad fellow with one hand and his other arm was slightly behind his back which was unusual for him.
Since this was unusual for him someone asked him why did he have one hand slightly behind his back and he said, “Because I had been sucking on a lollipop and I had it behind my back because I didn’t think it would look good on camera in a gun fight.”
I agree, he would not look like a tough gun fighter with a lollipop hanging out of his mouth.
So, every since then when I see Matt draws his pistol I look to see if he is using one hand or two hands when he draws his pistol to shoot a bad guy.
I guess about everyone enjoys watching the “Bloopers” on television.
That is, we enjoy watching the actors and actresses make all kinds of hilarious mistakes that we ordinarily would not see on TV.
Illus: But if you really want to look at some “Bloopers”, the best place to look for them is in the church bulletins or on church signs.
Let me share with you a few of bloopers put on church bulletins and church signs.
• At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
• Weight Watchers will meet a 7 p.m. at the First
Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
• The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They can be seen in the church basement Saturday.
• Don't let worry kill you--let the church help.
• Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church.
• This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
• The Rev. Adams spoke briefly, much to the delight of his audience.
We often HEAR THINGS or SEE THINGS, and immediately we recognize that something is wrong with what we have seen, read or heard.
For example, those who know the scriptures can hear certain preachers preach, and if they preach something from the Bible out of context, they immediately recognize that SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH WHAT THEY JUST HEARD!
For example, in our text for this sermon (Isaiah 53:4-6) some preachers have preached on this passage of scripture and taken this passage out of context and taught somethings the scripture does not teach.
• I am not suggesting that all these preachers who take these verses out of context are doing it because they do not love the Lord.
• However, there are some preachers who have had no formal training, and the things they preach are the things they have heard others preach. And unfortunately, if others have interpreted this passage incorrectly, they just ignorantly do the same thing.
Illus: It is like Matthew 15-14 tells us, “The blind leading the blind, they both fall into the ditch.”
Illus: When it comes to ignorance, these preachers make us think of three fellows that went deer hunting.
(1)The first one says he's going to get a buck.
He goes out, and indeed comes back with a buck.
The other two hunters ask how he did it. He says, "I see tracks. I follow tracks. I get buck."
(2) The second hunter says that he's going to get a doe, and he does.
They ask him how he did it, and he says, "I see tracks. I follow tracks. I get doe."
(3) So the third hunter says, "I'm just gonna shoot at anything I see."
So he goes out and comes back half a day later all beaten, bruised, bloody, and totally trashed.
The other two hunters ask him what happened and he says, "I see tracks. I follow tracks. I get hit by train!"
There are many good ministers in the pulpit who are ignorantly following the tracks that someone else laid out for them to follow. Unfortunately it is the wrong tracks!
Let me explain…
• For example, they teach this passage in Isaiah 53:4-6 deals with the PHYSICAL MAN.
They takes these words out of this passage “WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED” and preach divine healing.
• No! This passage of scripture is dealing with the the SPIRITUAL MAN.
So that we do not make the same mistake that some in miss-interpreting this passage, let’s look at this passage more closely, we read, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:4-6)
This passage is talking about the VICARIOUS DEATH OF CHRIST!!!
WHAT IS THE VICARIOUS DEATH OF CHRIST?
It simply means SUBSTITUTE. That is, on the Cross of Calvary He TOOK our place.
Illus: I love that song by Charley Pride called, HE TOOK MY PLACE.
Notice, these verses of scripture say, “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
• Not a few
• Not for some
• Not for some ethnic group
The precious Word of God says, “…And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
That is, on the cross of Calvary He took ALL OF THE SINS OF MANKIND AND PLACED THEM ON THE BACK OF THE LORD JESUS!!!
Some do not believe in the Vicarious death of Christ. That is, some believe in what is called LIMITED ATONEMENT!!!
Christ died for all.
Illus: I still love that song “Jesus Loves the Little Children” that was written by C. Herbert Woolston.
The lyrics goes like this…
• Jesus loves the little children
• All the children of the world
• Red and yellow
• Black and white
• They are precious in His sight.
• Jesus loves the little children
• Of the world.
The second and third verses swap out “Jesus loves the little children”
(Second verse)“Jesus died for all the children”
(Third Verse) and then “Jesus rose for all the children.”
The Bible supports the concept communicated by this children’s hymn.
HE LOVE ALL AND HE DIED FOR ALL!!!
Vicarious death of Christ means ON CALVARY HE TOOK THE PLACE OF EVERY MAN AND WOMAN WHO HAS EVER BEEN BORN.
Illus: I like what Alexander Maclaren said about this passage, he said.
• "You thought that He was afflicted because He was bad and you were spared because you were good.
• No, He was afflicted because you were bad, and you were spared because He was afflicted."
• Then he adds, "The transgressions are done by us, and the wounds and bruises fall on Him.
God’s Word says as emphatically as words can say, that we have by our sins deserved stripes, but the Servant bears the stripes which we deserved, and that therefore we do not bear them.
THIS IS THE VICARIOUS DEATH OF CHRIST!!!
The Lord Jesus was a marked man. God singled Him out for our punishment.
These verses talk about the tremendous price Christ paid for our redemption, as lost men and women.
The Bible clearly states:
• He was wounded for our transgression
• He was bruised for our iniquities
This passage of scripture is talking about our spiritual condition.
Our problem is spiritual.
Isaiah does not cut us any slack here, he lays it on thick and heavy concerning our spiritual condition.
• In verses 5 and 8 he speaks of our TRANSGRESSIONS
• In verses 5,6, and 11 he speaks of our INIQUITIES
• In verse 9, he speaks of our WICKEDNESS
• In verse 12, he speaks of our SINS
Spiritually we are in bad shape, we need spiritual healing.
Let’s look at Isaiah 53:4-6 more closely to see what these verses teach us.
It teaches us-
I. THESE ARE SERIOUS WORDS
Our life revolves around words each day. Some of these words are to be taken seriously and some are not.
But those who are considered to be wise, evaluate words more closely than the foolish.
However, sometimes those we consider to be wise among us have made some very serious mistakes, because they did not read instructions very wisely.
Let me illustrate…
Illus: Some Scientists at NASA built a gun specifically to launch dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity.
The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of collisions with airborne fowl, to test the strength of the windshields.
The British Engineer heard about the gun and asked if they could use it to test some windshields of their new high speed trains.
Arrangements were made, and a gun was sent to the British engineers. When the gun was fired, the engineers stood shocked as the chicken shot out of the barrel at unbelievable speed, crashed into the shatterproof shield, smashed it to smithereens, blasted through the control console, snapped the engineer's backrest in two and embedded itself in the back wall of the cabin, like an arrow shot from a bow.
The horrified British engineers sent NASA the disastrous results of the experiment, along with the designs of the windshield, and asked the US scientists for suggestions.
NASA responded with this memo: “Read the instructions again. If you had read the instructions better, you would have noticed that you forgot to unfreeze the chicken before discharging the chicken."
Words mean something.
THESE ARE SOME VERY SERIOUS WORDS.
Let me show you how serious words are…
A. THEY SPEAK OF A DISEASE
Before you have HEALING, you must first have SICKNESS.
All mankind has been plagued with this spiritual disease called sin.
(1) SIN IS AN EPIDEMIC DISEASE
Today we have those who are concerned about AIDS, and they should be.
• Millions are dying because of this deadly disease that is spreading like wildfire around the world.
• As bad as this disease is spreading in America, it is spreading even faster in other countries.
Many of our young people who are involved in pre-marital sex will never live to reach middle age.
• It is bad when thousands of people are infected by a disease
• It is tragic when millions are infected by a disease
• BUT LISTEN, IT IS CATASTROPHIC when all mankind is infected by SIN
Sin is a hereditary condition.
It began with Adam, and has been passed down to every person who is a descendent of Adam and Eve. (Except Christ)
Every child that is born has a SIN NATURE, and is CONCEIVED IN SIN!
Look what the Word of God says! David said in Psa. 51:5, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”
SIN IS AN EPIDEMIC DISEASE,
But also-
(2) SIN IS AN EXCRUCIATING DISEASE
The devil is great at deceiving.
One of the biggest deceptions on this earth is that sin brings happiness.
NO IT DOES NOT!!!
• Look at Proverbs 13:15, we read, “…The way of transgressors is hard.”
• Look what the Lord said to Paul at His conversion, in Acts 9:5, we read, “And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”
Illus: You may be a lost person today, and I may have never met you before in my life, but I know one thing about you according to the scriptures. If you have not accepted the Lord, you are traveling down the HARD ROAD OF LIFE!!!
This is what this dreadful disease called sin does to a person, it brings excruciating pain and misery into their life.
The lost world today is suffering because of sin.
They try to relieve themselves of these sufferings by turning:
• TO ALCOHOL
• TO DRUGS
• MEDICATIONS
• THERAPY
Illus: One lost man said, “Everything is fine during the day when I can stay busy, but I dread to see night time come because I have to confront this misery in my life, knowing I might go to sleep one night and wake up in Hell. I am so miserable!”
• HOW CAN A LOST MAN BE HAPPY WHEN HE KNOWS HE IS ONLY ONE BREATHE AWAY FROM A EVER LASTING BURNING HELL!
• HOW CAN A LOST MAN BE HAPPY WHEN HE KNOWS HE IS ONLY ONE HEART BEAT AWAY FROM A EVER LASTING BURNING HELL!
• HOW CAN A LOST MAN BE HAPPY WHEN HE KNOWS HE IS ONLY ONE STEP AWAY FROM A EVER LASTING BURNING HELL!
This is why many go home and drown themselves in television and sports, trying to get their mind off of their pitiful, pathetic life.
WHAT IS THEIR PROBLEM?
• Their problem is that they have been affected by this spiritual disease called sin, and it has brought misery to their life!
• This sin is present in their life, and it is still growing, and one day it will completely destroy them.
SIN IS AN EPIDEMIC DISEASE out of control and no man on the face of the earth can help the sinner. NOT ONE!
The only One who can help us is the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ suffered for our sin. He was stricken for us.
Isa. 53:4, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
The Bible tells us How He suffered.
Illus: Mel Gibson made a movie about the crucifixion. He stated in an interview that he wanted to make this movie based on the scriptures.
Bill O’Reilly pointed out to him that many of the people in Hollywood were condemning him for making this movie depicting how Christ suffered for our sins. But thank the Lord, Mel Gibson had enough love for the Lord, he said, “I feel it is important that folks can see how he really suffered for the redemption of mankind.”
He is right, very few people know how He was SMITTENED for our sins.
Let me explain…
Jesus suffered severely throughout His trials, torture, and crucifixion (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19).
• His suffering was physical: Isaiah 52:14 declares, “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.” He was beaten beyond recognition.
• His suffering was emotional: “Matthew 26:56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
• It was our sin that caused Jesus to cry out, Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
• Psalms 22:14-18 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
• This passage specifies the reason why Jesus was SMITTENED “for our transgressions,” for our healing, and to bring us peace.
Why did Jesus have to suffer so badly? To fulfill the principle of INNOCENT DYING FOR THE GUILTY.
We have looked closely at these verses and found that THESE ARE SERIOUS WORDS.
Allow me to change the TONE of this sermon as we move on in this sermon.
THESE ARE SERIOUS WORDS,
Also…
II. THESE ARE SWEET WORDS
We all like sweet words spoken to us, don’t we?
Illus: A man was very ill and on the verge of dying. The doctor called the man's wife in and said, "There are three things that you can do to help your husband back to health."
"What are they, sir?" she asked.
• "One: You must make him three huge meals every day”
• “Two: Never argue with him”
• “Three: You must brag on him constantly”
“If you do all three of these things routinely, he will live a long life.”
On the way home, when the husband asked what the doctor said, the woman replied, "Sorry, honey, but you aren't going to die."
But these verses speak sweet words to us.
A. THEY SPEAK OF HEALING
When Christ died this dreadful disease of sin that we were born with the Word of God tells us, “BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED!!!”,
When we look at the long list of our sins in 1 John 1:7b, we see these words at the end of the list, “….the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
There was only one cure for our sins, and that was Jesus Christ the Lord.
Men have tried to mixed other concoctions, but nothing else is effective.
• MEN HAVE MIXED IT WITH CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
• MEN HAVE MIXED IT WITH CEREMONIES AND RITUALS
• MEN HAVE MIXED IT WITH FLOWERY SPEECHES
• MEN HAVE MIXED IT WITH LAWS AND ORDINANCES
None of these man-made cures will work to rid us of sin. The only cure is found in the blood of the Lamb of God!
These SWEET WORDS speak of HEALING.
Also…
B. THEY SPEAK OF HONOR
Christ is honored for HE HAS HEALED US.
1. By His Stripes we are healed from the plaque of sin.
2. His stripes bring healing that nothing else can bring!
3. His stripes healed our sin of every kind:
Praise the Lord, WE ARE HEALED!!
Illus: It is a wonderful thing when a person has cancer, and they go back to the doctor and he tells them we cannot find one cancer cell in your body.
It is even more wonderful that when a person is filled with sin and come to the Lord for salvation and when the Lord washes us with the precious blood of Jesus God examines us and cannot find one TRACE OF SIN.
That is He has healed us our…
• PAST SINS
• PRESENT SINS
• FUTURE SINS
The good news is that when Christ died for our sins, He died for all of our sins.
If he did not die for ALL OUR SINS, we would have to be getting saved practically every day of our life.
Illus: Erwin W. Lutzer said it this way, “Christ's death on the cross included a sacrifice for all our sins, past, present, and future. Every sin that you will ever commit has already been paid for. All of our sins were future when Christ died two thousand years ago. There is no sin that you will ever commit that has not already been included in Christ's death.” (Erwin W. Lutzer (1941- ))
Conclusion:
“...with his stripes we are healed...”
I. THESE ARE SERIOUS WORDS
A. THEY SPEAK OF DISEASE
B. THEY SPEAK OF SUFFERING
II. THESE ARE SWEET WORDS
A. THEY SPEAK OF HEALING
B. THEY SPEAK OF HONOR
YouTube - Charley Pride
He took my place
