The Vicarious Death Of Christ

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)