Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It Is To Men As They Are

"Preach The Word"

TITLE: Three Pictures of Christ
TEXT: Isa. 52:13-53:13
INTRO: When we think of the life of Christ, we immediately think of his death on the cross, but we don't really see the reality of that.
We don't realize that He died: (1) For everybody. (2) He died willingly. (3) He died in our place.
We can see more of the reality of the complete life of Christ from this passage than we can any other place. 700 years before Christ came, Isaiah prophesied just HOW Christ would come, and how he would DIE for
our sins. There are three portraits of Christ painted so beautifully here by Isaiah that I want you to see.

I. HE IS PICTURED AS A SERVANT. 52:13-53:4
"Behold my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted..."
(52:13) As a servant, he was not a big hit with the Jewish world. Why was this true?
A. Because they he been promised as a KING. V-13 "...shall be exalted, extolled, and be very high."
(1) They had expected a political king who could take over and over throw the Roman Government.
(2) As a servant, he was unpopular... they wanted a king.
B. Because He had been presented as a lowly babe. V-2
"For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant...."
(1) They were not looking for a child, but a conqueror.
(2) He humbled himself to a servant. This is He who spoke the world into existence, flung the stars into space,
(3) Verse 2 says, " he has no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." Nothing about him to draw attention. As a babe, he appeared to be just that.... a baby. But, they wanted a KING!
C. He was passed up unknowingly. V-3,4 "He was despised and rejected of men..... and we esteemed him not." V-3
(1) He was beaten and rejected and they didn't even realize who he was. Some of his own family did not, then.
(2) We often do the same. We wait for Him to show up like he did to someone else, but our experience will be different.
As a SERVANT, he was unpopular. They didn't understand.

II. AS A SUBSTITUTE, HE WAS PUNISHED. (52:14)
V-14 says, "his visage was so marred more than any man." He is saying that his form or body didn't even look human. Different than the pictures we see of the crucifixion. As my substitute, he was punished.
First:
A. By a Roman Whip. V-14, 53:5
(1) Beaten by a cat of nine tails. Used metal, glass, and even hooks on the ends of the leather thongs. Brought flesh....
(2) Psa. 129:3 says they made long furrows in his back.
(3) His back looked like a piece of raw steak.
(4) He was wounded for OUR transgressions. V-5 "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."
B. By a Rugged Cross. V-7-8 "He was oppressed... afflicted, ....brought as a
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers... so he
openeth not his mouth."
(1) They spit on him, plucked out his beard, crowned him with thorns, mocked him.
(2) Nailed him to cross... dropped cross in ground with a thud. He did it all for me.
C. The rejection of his father. V-10 "..he made his grave with the wicked.... had done no violence... yet it pleased the father to bruise him..... to make his soul an offering for sin." V-9-10
(1) The cup that DID NOT pass from him contained the sins of all the world, past, present, and future.
(2) The father turned his back. Jesus was hanging there as a God forsaken sinner, in your place. No wonder, even the sun refused to shine. All the demons of hell were turned loose on him.
As Servant, he was rejected. As Substitute, he was punished, but notice:

III. AS SAVIOUR, HE MADE PROVISION. (For you and me)
As he was born into the world, he was a servant. As he hung on the cross, he was our Substitute. But, as he bowed his head and said, "It is finished." He became our Saviour. As Saviour he made provisions:
A. For our sorrows to be carried. V-4 "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:" Glory!! Some of you are still trying to carry them yourself! We can't do it alone.
(1) He will carry your sorrow and grief when death invades your home.
What a difference it makes.
(2) Verse 7 says He was oppressed and sorrowful. He took ours for us.
Made provision for our sorrows to be carried. Also:
B. For our sickness to be cured. V-5 "..and with his stripes we are healed."
(1) He can heal the physical. Not always his will, but he certainly can if He chooses to do so. Some misuse this passage.
(2) He can heal the spiritual and emotional. He can close all the wounds the devil as put upon you.. Take away all your sins.
TRANSGRESSION: Open rebellion against God. INIQUITY: the inward corruption of the heart.
SIN: Outward acts of wrong doing. If you are
lost, you are sick unto death.. But curable!
C. Made provision for our sins to be cast away. V-11
"He shall see the travail of his soul.....by his knowledge
...justify many for he shall bear their iniquities." V-11
(1) He restores me back to the original relationship! V-11 says, "He shall see the travail of his soul...." Travail means intense pain or agony. The word means the kind of pain a woman experiences in childbirth. It means BIRTH PANGS. Don't miss this: As He experienced the travail of his soul, he was giving birth to the church... you and
me. He cast our sins behind his back forever.
As a lost sinner on the way to hell, condemned as a prisoner on death row... Jesus signed my pardon, and let me go free! Just as free as if someone took my place in the electric chair!
As a Servant... Jesus was unpopular. As a Substitute, he was punished. But as a Saviour, he made provision for you and me.

CONCLUSION:
SINNER: It is a free gift. All you have to do is receive it by faith.
CHRISTIAN: Is Jesus Lord of your life.? Do you really appreciate what he did for you enough to commit your life to him?
We are planning for revival. We'll never have revival until we first see in reality what Christ did on the cross for us.

SERMON FROM CECIL LOVELACE- GOODE'S CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH-
 

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