The Way of The Suffering Servant
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (ESV)
13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
14 As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15 so shall he sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths because of him,
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.
53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds 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.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Sermon Outline
Our longings to ascend are only satisfied in the one who descended. (52:13)
1. How Bad Things Are
53:6 “all we like sheep have gone astray”
53:2-3 “…no form… that we should desire… despise and rejected… we esteemed him not”
53:9 “although… there was no deceit in his mouth…”
53:4 “yet we esteemed him… stricken by God”
53:1 “who has believed?”
2. How Good God Is
52:14 “many were astonished”
53:3 “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief”
53:5 “he was pierced for our transgressions… with his wounds we are healed”
53:6 “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all”
53:11 “by his knowledge… make many to be accounted righteous”
3. How Wise We Need to Be
52:13 “Behold, my servant shall act wisely”
53:10 “it was the will of the Lord”
53:10 “when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring”
53:11 “out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied”
Prayer of Confession
Our great and exalted God, we need you to lead us in the way of life. We all are like sheep who have gone astray. We have not trusted you. We have not listened to you. We have not understood you. Foolishly rejecting you, we have done many things we should never have done. Our thoughts and actions expose deep roots of sin. We are astonished that your love is so sacrificial. We marvel that Jesus would suffer such terrible things to bear our iniquities. Forgive us. Heal us. Lead us in the way of righteousness and peace. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Describe your desires for an “upward” life. How are you desiring growth, progress, a better future, etc.? What do you imagine fulfillment of those desires will look like?
What is your response to the Bible’s claim that all humans have sinned/are sinners? What feelings does that provoke?
What can you learn from the metaphor that we are like sheep who have gone astray?
Why was Jesus, a person who did so much good and nothing wrong, treated so terribly? What can we learn about human nature from how we responded to Jesus?
How does the extreme suffering of Jesus reveal unique qualities of God? What do you see?
Why did Jesus suffer as he did? Do you believe that he did these things for you? What do you have trouble understanding?
Is there a way you can make yourself righteous? How does Isaiah 53 describe how things get fixed?
What deep wounds can start to be healed as you open your life to the sacrificial love of God for you?
Does Jesus teach us to seek suffering? Is the goal of life to give up good for misery? How do you wisely incorporate Jesus’ teachings on suffering into your life?
What are wise goals for life? What end are you oriented towards?
How can you follow Jesus through periods of suffering? What is helpful to remember, to hold to, to hope for?
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