Using the classic "suffering servant" text from Isaiah 53:4-6, this sermon was delivered for a worship service in which the sacrament of communion was shared. The message emphasizes the theme that Christ sacrificed Himself for each of us, even though we live over two thousand years after His crucifixion. A video recording of the worship service in which this sermon was given can be viewed by clicking here.
Written Excerpts:
Introduction:
You no doubt have seen the title of my message already. Many of you
will recognize it as the title of a popular song recorded by the Oak Ridge Boys
and perhaps other groups.
Here are the lyrics to that song:
This is the song that came to my mind as I began thinking about the message
I felt led to bring today.
I recently read excerpts from a sermon by A.W. Tozer titled, “Who Put Jesus on the Cross?” I will be sharing a few quotes from his sermon as we go through the message today. Because we are sharing the sacrament of communion today, I want to speak to you today about the fact that His suffering and death were all for you and all for me.
As we look at this familiar text in Isaiah, there are at least two
lessons we should learn from the passage.
I. We must assume
ownership for our sins.
(The Tozer Pulpit, vol. 6, Gerald Smith, editor) – “Let us not eloquently blame Judas nor
Pilate… Let us not curse the Jews for delivering Jesus to be crucified… Oh,
they were guilty, certainly! But they were our accomplices in crime.”
5 But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And
by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have
gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And
the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
“transgressions” – a rebellion or revolt; (Theological Wordbook of the
Old Testament) The fundamental idea of the root is a breach of relationships,
civil or religious, between two parties… This masculine noun represents those
who reject God’s authority.
“iniquities” – a perversion, or guilt; (TWOT)The basic meaning of the verb, "to
bend, twist, distort," can be seen in its concrete, nontheological uses…
"infraction, crooked behavior, perversion, iniquity, etc."…. it
denotes both the deed and its consequences, the misdeed and its punishment.
“peace” – the condition of reconciliation that was the goal of the
suffering.
Look at the pronouns used here in verses 5 & 6.
OUR transgressions; OUR iniquities; OUR peace… The LORD laid on Him the iniquities of US all. Yes, there were/are others who must assume ownership for their participation, but we all know that no one has ever found pardon and comfort by placing the blame on others.
Wherever we read in the Bible that Jesus died for the sins of the world, it is always imperative that we personalize it and remember that it was our “transgressions” and our “iniquities” that were the cause of His suffering and death. When we partake of the emblems of communion, it should be a vivid reminder of our sins and cause us to take ownership of our guilt, which made it necessary for Him to die.
II. We must assume
responsibility for His suffering.
Not only must we take ownership for our sins (i.e., transgressions and iniquities), but we must assume responsibility for His suffering. There are plenty of biblical references that describe the suffering of Christ as He paid the price of redemption, but we want to specifically look at the words used by the prophet here.
Isaiah 53:4-6 (NKJV) 4 … we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten
by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded
for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement
for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 …
the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
“stricken” – from root meaning to touch; to strike, inflict a blow
(possibly fatal)
“smitten” – to hit, strike or beat;
“afflicted” – from root meaning looking down or browbeating; to depress
(literally or figuratively); humiliate?
“wounded” – pierced, thus fatally wounded or slain.
“bruised” – crushed or broken; (TWOT) God did crush his servant… This emphasizes the emotional and spiritual
suffering of the Savior as he became sin for us….
“chastisement” – reproof, correction, discipline
“stripes” – Tozer – “The meaning… in the original language is not a
pleasant description. It means to be actually hurt and injured until the entire
body is black and blue as one great bruise.”
“laid on him” – to lay a burden
All of these descriptive words
stress the kind of suffering the Lord endured for us.
(Lyrics of song: The Hammer, by Ray Boltz - chorus)
And
I cried, "Who nailed Him there?
This Child of peace and mercy
Who nailed Him there?
Come and face me like a man
Who nailed Him there?"
And the crowd began to mock me
I cried, "Oh my God, I do not understand"
Then I turned and saw the hammer
In my hand.
(Song writer/singer speaking)
I nailed Him there
The child of peace and mercy
I nailed Him there
I am the guilty man
I nailed Him there
With my sins and my transgressions
I cried, "Oh my God, now I understand
When I turned and saw the hammer in my hand"
Tozer – The suffering of
Jesus Christ was not punitive (punishment)… not for anything He Himself had
done… The suffering of Jesus was corrective… that it might begin in suffering
and end in healing.
As we come to the communion table, we do so realizing that we must assume responsibility for Jesus’ suffering and His death. The awareness of this responsibility is included in repentance. Repentance is the act of turning away from sin and turning toward God. It is the reversal of direction. But the Bible says that “godly sorrow produces repentance” (2 Cor. 7:10).
That “sorrow” as Tozer says, is “remorse for the share we had in the revolt that wounded Jesus Christ, our Lord.” The godly sorrow is the result of owning up to our responsibility for His pain, His suffering and His death. That is why we can say the deeper the repentance is, the greater the commitment and loyalty will be. The greater our grasp of our role in the Lord’s suffering is, the more reluctant we will be to turn aside and go back to unbelief and sin.
Tozer – Many years ago, an
historic group of Presbyterians were awed by the wonder and the mystery of
Christ's having come in the flesh to give Himself as an offering for every
man’s sin.
Those humble Christians said
to one another: “Let us walk softly and search our hearts and wait on God and
seek His face throughout the next three months. Then we will come to the
communion table with our hearts prepared – lest the table of our Lord should
become a common and careless thing.
Conclusion:
At the beginning of the message I quoted the lyrics of the song: “He Did It All for Me.” “Each drop of blood was shed for even me. When the Savior cried, bowed His head and died, oh praise the Lord, He did it all for me!”
Let us sing a hymn before we
share the emblems of communion.
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