Break It Down- Week 4 “Paying” Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Review> We are in out series “Brea it Down” We are using this acronym: God Our Sins Paying Everyone Life. We are using this to talk about the good news of Jesus Christ. Here is how we have defined this good news: “The Gospel is the good news of God loving and saving lost mankind through the ministry in word and deed of his Son, Jesus Christ.” – “To be a Christian” Anglican Catechism pg 23

INTRO> This popular song was released in 2011 and went straight to the top of the charts. It was #1 in 15 different countries, certified platinum and sold $!10.2 million. It was from the album entitled “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” from a young theologian by the name of… Bruno Mars, the song, “Grenade”. “I’d catch a grenade for ya (yeah yeah) Throw my head on a blade for ya (yeah yeah) I’d jump in front of a train for ya (yeah yeah) You know I’d do anything for ya (yeah yeah) Oh whoa oh I would go through all this pain Take a bullet straight through my brain Yes I would die for you baby But you won’t do the same No no no no..”

APP> Now, what is Bruno singing about here? He is singing about love right? But not just any kind of love, a sacrificial kind of love.

CONTEXT> Well, the passage that we are going to be exploring today is another kind of song… a song that was sung by the people of Israel. It was a song that was about the promised, coming Savior of the world and how God was going to make everything right. It’s a shocking song and one that you wouldn’t think would be sung. Between the rest of the NT and the words of Jesus himself, every verse apart from verse 2 is quoted in the NT and is directly referenced to Jesus Christ. (See John Stott’s “The Cross of Christ” page 145) We see a major point about the death of Jesus Christ and what it accomplished for us.

Big Idea> Sinners receive pardon from sin because Jesus paid the penalty for sin.

CONTEXT> What is interesting about this passage is, through the prophet Isaiah, God is speaking. He is telling the people of Israel HOW we is going to save them and through them the world. In a 30,000 view, this passage is God’s view of the cross. APP> So what did Jesus’ death accomplish, what was it?

1. The cross was a substitution for sinners. v4-6

• • • • “for our transgressions…” I am making my entire first point out of the simple word, “For” That why the words of our bibles are important. The very words.
      • The hebrew word here means, because, it’s a clause stamens, it joins to ideas together.
      • We also see this carried over by the words of Jesus himself. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
      • “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—“ Galatians 3:13

*ILL> On September 14 2008, Susan Collines realized her first book of a three part, apocalyptic book called “The Hunger Games” The Entire 3 part trilogy has sold more than 65 million copies! On March 21st 2012 the movie was realsed and broke records grossing $152 million the first weekend! In the first movie there is a very moving scene, Katnis Everdene is the main character, the country is split into districts, insanely rich and the insanely poor. The rich people once a year, draw names from the poor people to have a representative from that district fight other representatives in a battle, in a battle for wealth. The scene is that Katniss 12 yr old sister get’s her name drawn, the crowd gasps.. then Katniss speaks up! “I Volunteer, I volunteer as tribute!” Very moving.

APP> Now… there is something wrong with this illustration.. it is lacking, why? Because Katniss substitutes herself for her sister… that’s wouldn’t actually be that uncommon. Paul puts it this way…

• • • “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7-8

APP> The gospel is the story of the hero dying for the villain.

2) The cross was a satisfaction for God. v10

• • • • “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him…” This might be one of the most controversial passages in all of the bible..many people struggle with this, including myself. One person has questioned whether this was divine child abuse..? No it is not and let me explain why?
      • “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” Romans 3:25

APP> If God is holy and perfect and his creation has rebelled against him, what is to happen? Does God change? no… Do we pay? No… so what happens here? There is a problem… God’s wrath…many people have a problem with this.

• • • God’s wrath is God’s love in action against sin.

APP> We have to be careful here though, it is NOT wrath that motivated God is it his love…

“God does not love us because Christ died for us; Christ died for us because God loved us. If it is God’s wrath that needed to be satisfied, it is God’s love that did the satisfying.” John Stott, The Cross of Christ, pg172

APP> The story of the Bible is God saving us from himself, by himself and for himself.

3) The cross was the solution for life. v10-11

• • • • “ he shall see his offspring and be satisfied…” This is a foreshadow of his resurrection and the check clearing!
      • I want you to look again at v6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-everyone- to his own way.” That’s the key, that’s literally the problem. We can’t even understand this process.

“It may be that the devil thought the death of Christ was defeat of Christ. If so, how greatly was he mistaken, for when Christ died, he won an eternal victory. He is no longer dead. Jesus left the realm of the dead, never to die again. He died but could not long be held a prisoner of the grave.Losing his grace clothes, he came forth in life and immorality. Centuries have passed since he rose from the dead to his newline, and he still lives. And his days, we know, will be continued while this earth will stand. yes, and at the end, when he will deliver up the kingdom to God the Father, he will still prolong his days. This verse also indicates that Christ’s death was the work of bringing God’s people out of darkness into light from nature to grace and from grace to glory. It is called the Father’s pleasure because his pleasure is the source of all saving work.” Spurgeon Study Bible,

APP> The gospel is counter-cultural because it proclaims that salvation comes through suffering.

Big Idea> Sinners receive pardon from sin because Jesus paid the penalty for sin.

Application>

• • Because God through Christ satisfied his wrath. Those in Christ are celebrated, delighted in and loved by God.
  • Because God did what he said he would do, you can trust him.
  • Because Jesus lives, you can live.

*Read corporately Isaiah 53:1-12 (Message Translation)*