Remembrance

Remembrance

Isaiah 53:5-9

Intro: This week has been a week of remembrance. As I sat around this week rehabbing my leg after surgery, I had the opportunity to watch all the different ceremonies honoring all the people who were killed on 9/11/01. The day the terrorists flew planes into the twin towers in New York and one into the pentagon. I heard stories of heroism about the guys that caused the plane to crash rather than allow it to fly into another target. One story particularly stuck with me. It’s the story of Welles Crowther.

. Wells is considered a hero. He was a lacrosse player who played for Boston College. After Graduation, he got a job in New York as an equities trader. He had worked at that job about three years and had decided that desk work wasn’t for him. He told his parents that he was going to apply to be a fire man in New York city.

. Then came Sept. 11. He was sitting at his desk on the 104th floor of the south tower. The plane struck the tower between the 78th and 85th floors. Welles called his mother on his cell and told her that he was ok and started down to the floor that had been hit. He found people who needed his help and he led them down a stairwell until he found some firefighters and he left these people with them and went back to help others.

. He went back to the 78th floor and found others that he directed and got safely to the stairwell. He turned and went back in to help others. Time and time again he helped others through first aid and direction. If he had followed them down as they went instead of staying to help others, he would be alive today.

. His body was found five months later during the excavations.

. Welles and many others were honored as heroes this week. They should be honored for their sacrifice.

. They should be remembered for their sacrifice.

. While they are honored for their sacrifice and heroism, theirs was not the greatest sacrifice.

. This morning, right here we are going to honor and remember the one who has made the greatest sacrifice that has ever been made.

. We are going to look at what Jesus Christ did for us with the sacrifice of his life.

. In remembering Jesus’ sacrifice, I want to fist look at and remember what the Prophet Isaiah wrote about this man in Isaiah 53: 5-9

. 5But 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.

6All 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.

7He 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.

8Unjustly condemned, he was led away. 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.

9He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone…

. The first thing e need to remember is that this has always been god’s plan.

. God has always planned to provide a way for us to come back to Him. A way for our sins to be forgiven.

. Isaiah told the people that there was a way back to God for us. God has not abandoned us in our sin.

. Look with me at verse 5 again:

. 5But 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.

. Isaiah says that this man will be pierced and crushed for our sins.

. He will be whipped so that we can be healed of our sins.

. The song we played for our offertory used this scripture.

He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our sins.

. Why would this man, this Messiah have to do that?

. Look at verse 6: 6All 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.

. Isaiah writes that this Messiah must sacrifice himself because we have all strayed away from God through our sin.

. The apostle Paul in writing to the church in Rome wrote in 3:23 tells them that we all fall short, we have all strayed away from God and that we need a sacrifice to bring us back into a right relationship with God.