THE CROSS AT CALVARY
About 2000 years ago some people say one of the worst atrocities possible in history of humanity took place. Some say that it was the most wonderful and sacrificial act of love in the history of humanity. How could the same event possibly be mentioned in the same breath? How is this possible?
The worst atrocity possible was a man that was fully God and fully man would be persecuted, beaten beyond human description, and put to death on a cross at Golgotha. Yet it was the most wonderful and sacrificial acts of love in the history of humanity. Without the sacrifice of the perfect spotless lamb that the only son of God Jesus Christ humanity was doomed to eternal death. I want to look today at a description of this loving act that was predicted almost 1000 years before crucifixion was ever invented. Let’s turn to the book of Isaiah the 53rd chapter.
Let us pray
I. I want to take a look at this chapter and break it down. Vs. 1-2
A. 1 and 2 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
1. No where in the Old Testament is this prophecy more clear
2. Christ was to suffer, and then to enter his glory.
3. This is the most important act for salvation of sinners, through the Son of God.
4. The low condition God submitted Himself to a human form and his appearance in the world, not agreeable to the ideas the Jews had formed of the Messiah.
5. It was expected that he should come in pomp; instead of that, he grew up as a plant, silently, and insensible and came on a small colt
6. His whole life was not only humble as to outward condition, but also sorrowful
7. Being made sin for us, he underwent the sentence sin had exposed us to.
a. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
B. 4 through 9 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
1. In these verses it is an account of the sufferings of Christ; also of the design of his sufferings.
2. It was for all our sins, and in our stead, that our Lord Jesus suffered.
a. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
3. Sinners have their beloved sin, their own evil way, of which they are fond
4. Our sins deserve all griefs and sorrows, even the most severe.
5. We are saved from sin when we believe we are forgiven sin by giving them Christ.
6. This atonement was to be made for our sins.
a. He paid the price for a bill he didn’t owe that we could not afford to pay.
7. And this is the only way of salvation.
a. John 14:7 Way truth life no one comes to the Father but by me
8. Our sins were the thorns in Christ’s head, the nails in his hands and feet, the spear in his side, and every stripe on His back
9. By his sufferings he purchased for us the Spirit and grace of God
a. John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
C. 10 through 12 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
1. We could not put him in our stead, but he put himself.
2. Thus he took away the sin of the world, by taking it on himself.
a. Nails could not hold Him there. Love did.
3. He made himself subject to death, which to us is the wages of sin.
4. Christ would not trust the care of his family to any other.
5. And whatever is undertaken according to God’s pleasure shall prosper.
6. He shall see it accomplished in the conversion and salvation of sinners.
7. There are many whom Christ justifies as many as he gave his life a ransom.
a. Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
8. By faith we are justified; thus God is most glorified,
a. 1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
9. We must know him, and believe in him, as one who bore our sins took them upon himself.
10. On the cross Jesus defeated sin and Satan, death and hell, and the grave.
11. He set the captive free.
a. John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
12. While we look upon the sufferings of the Son of God, let us remember our long catalogue of transgressions consider him as suffering under the load of our guilt.
13. We are the purchase of his blood, and the monuments of his grace
14. He continually pleads and prevails, destroying the works of the devil
II. Now I want to look at the book of Mark and see what happened
A. Mark 15:16-28 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. 17. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, 18. And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! 19. And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. 20. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. 21. And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. 22. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. 24. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. 25. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. 26. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. 28. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)
a. Psalms 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin.
b. John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
c. John 3:16
B. But the tomb is empty
1. Matthew 28:5-6 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, who hath been crucified. 6. He is not here; for he is risen, even as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
2. Psalms 16:10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol “sheh-ole’” (Hebrew: Hades or the world of the dead); Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. (pronounced: shakh’-atha pit (especially as a trap); figuratively, destruction:)
3. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
4. Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
