April 13, 2014
Evening Service

This morning we summarized the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry.  It began with a tremendous high as He entered Jerusalem with unhindered praise and ended with shouts of hatred to “Crucify Him.”  The crowds request was fulfilled as Jesus was crucified and buried before sundown on Friday.   How can things change so drastically in one short week?  Because it was all part of God’s divine and perfect plan for our salvation.

As we have journeyed through the Book of Luke, Jesus spoke of His destiny several times to His disciples.  He knew how His life would end.  As they made their way to Jerusalem Jesus again told them what was about to happen.

Luke 18:31-34 And He took the Twelve and said to them, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  (32)  For He will be delivered to the nations and will be mocked and insulted and spat on.  (33) And they will scourge Him and put Him to death, and the third day He will rise again.”  (34)  And they did not understand any of these things. And this saying was hidden from them, nor did they know the things which were spoken.

 

• This was God’s plan from the very beginning.  The old covenant was simply a “shadow of the good things to come.”  (Heb. 10:1)  God had a more perfect and complete plan in mind.  He would send His own Son to become sin for us and restore the lost relationship between God and man.  Tonight we will look at the prophecy Jerry mentioned this morning that was spoken by Isaiah the prophet over 700 years before Jesus was even born.

 

Isa 53:1-2 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  (2)  For He comes up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; He has no form nor majesty that we should see Him, nor an appearance that we should desire Him.

• This was certainly true as we read in Luke of Jesus’ birth in a manger.  His occupation was that of a carpenter.  He did not stand out or resemble the royalty that He actually was.  The King of kings and Lord of lords became a common man like us.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and the world did not know Him.

 

Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as it were a hiding of faces from Him, He being despised, and we esteemed Him not.

• Mark 15:16-20 And the soldiers led Him away inside the court, which is the praetorium. And they called together the whole garrisom.  (17)  And they clothed Him with purple and plaited a crown of thorns and put it around His head.  (18)  And they began to salute Him, Hail, King of the Jews!  (19)  And they struck Him on the head with a reed, and spat on Him, and placing the knees, they bowed to Him.  (20)  And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him and put His own clothes on Him and led Him out to crucify Him.

 

 

Isa 53:4-6 Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  (5)  But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. (6)  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, each one to his own way; and Jehovah has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

• 1Pe 2:24-25  He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that dying to sins, we might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.  (25)  For you were as sheep going astray, but now you are turned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

 

Isa 53:7-8  He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.  (8)  He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken.

• Luke 23:8-9 And seeing Jesus, Herod greatly rejoiced, for he had desired to see Him for a long time, because he had heard many things about Him. And he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  (9)  And he questioned Him in many words, but He answered him nothing.
• With a word Jesus could have ended this mockery of a trial.  He, however, had resolved;  “Not My will, but Thine be done.”

 

Isa 53:9 And He put His grave with the wicked, and with a rich one in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

• Luke23:50-53 And behold, a man named Joseph, a council member, a good man and a just one,  (51)  this one was not assenting to their counsel and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews; and he also himself waited for the kingdom of God.  (52)  This man went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus.  (53)  And he took it down and wrapped it in linen. And he laid it in a tomb that had been cut in the stone, in which no man had before been laid.
• Jesus had stated that “all” the prophecies would be fulfilled in Him and they were.

 

Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should put forth His soul as a guilt-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the will of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand.

• 2Co 5:21  For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
• Jesus’ suffering to complete God’s Will pleased Him.  Our suffering to follow Jesus also pleases God.

 

Isa 53:11  He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many; and He shall bear their iniquities.

• Mar 15:33-38  And it being the sixth hour, darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.  (34)  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (which being translated is, My God, My God, why did You forsake Me?)  (35)  And hearing, some of those standing by said, Behold, he calls Elijah.  (36)  And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But they said, Let alone, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.  (37)  And letting out a loud voice, Jesus breathed His last.  (38)  And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
• In some of the other accounts Jesus is recorded as saying, “It is finished!”  The price for our sin had been paid in full, the debt satisfied.

 

Isa 53:12 Therefore I will divide to Him with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death; and He was counted among the transgressors; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.

• Col 2:10-15 And you are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power,  (11)  in whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,  (12)  buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the dead.  (13)  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  (14)  blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.  (15)  Having stripped rulers and authorities, He made a show of them publicly, triumphing over them in it.
• There it is.  God’s perfect plan of salvation spelled out so plainly that anyone can understand it.  It is also available for “whosoever will” accept a gift of eternal life that came at an immense cost.

 

The Hebrew writer in chapter 2 verse 3 said, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation.”

 

Lord, may we never neglect the greatest gift ever given at the greatest cost ever required.