Sing Of The Smitten Servant Is 53 4 6

Midweek Lenten Service 3                   3/26/25
Lenten Series Theme: Sing of the Lord’s Servant!
Sermon Text: Isaiah 53:4-6
Sermon Theme: Sing of: The Smitten Servant! I. Sing Casting All Your Grief , Sorrow, and Afflictions Upon Him! (Vs.4) II. Sing His Suffering is FOR YOU! (Vs.5). III. Sing He Rescues You Through His Cross! (Vs.6) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. Will you betray Jesus with a kiss? Run away when the sword comes? Deny Him in chilly darkness? Jesus chose Judas Iscariot, Simon Peter, and ten other men as His beloved apostles. His “sent ones.” For three years He catechized them planting His Word, His doctrine deep in their hearts. Teaching them walking by the way, sitting at table breaking bread in homes. Gathering together every Sabbath in local synagogues and within the Temple courts at Jerusalem. Evening and morning He taught them His Word. The Truth to set them free from sin, fear, death, and the devil’s deceptions.
        The world mocks Him as a failed Teacher. A crowd, at least 15,000 in number, wanted to make Him their King after a miraculous feast. He refused. The next day He preached a sermon and they abandon Him. His Words were too difficult, even for His disciples. His claims outrageous. St. John’s eyewitness historical account reports: John 6:66-69 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. (67) Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" (68) But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (69) Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
      “Do you also want to go away?” Fein a kiss of friendship with Jesus as you idolize a few more pieces of silver in your purse? He’d surely understand. Overtime is overtime. It’s too costly to be with Him every Sunday. Are you ready to fight for right? Draw the sword to defend Jesus, rather than daily die in Him? Are you the Rock? Never are you going to deny Him! Then it grows dark, cold, and you are isolated. Huddling with the world around a fire to keep warm - they ask, “Do you belong to Jesus?” Craving their company we deny Him. We curse, use foul words, so others clearly can hear that we don’t know the Man!
      Repent daily! Your flesh is weak - easily led into temptation by the devil’s lies and the world’s pseudo wisdom and glory. The Church calls to you: Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Join your voice with the hymn of all creation! Daily - Sing of: The Smitten Servant! I. Sing Casting All Your Grief , Sorrow, and Afflictions Upon Him! (Vs.4) II. Sing His Suffering is FOR YOU! (Vs.5). III. Sing He Rescues You Through His Cross! (Vs.6)
I. The Rock was ready to die for Jesus! History records:John 18:10-11 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. (11) So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" Jesus’ Kingdom doesn’t come through the power of our sword. God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.
      Hear His Holy Word! (Vs.4) Freely and willingly Jesus drank the cup FOR YOU! Stop trying to grapple grief or subdue sorrows! The God/Man comes serving you by being smitten FOR YOU! He takes your place! Substitutes Himself FOR YOU! Sing of Jesus alone! Cast all the grief you have brought upon others and yourself onto Jesus! Your sin’s death isolates you. Imprisons you in grief. Death tears from us those whom we refused to forgive. Stop trying to bear your grief - bring it all to Jesus! See Him bear it all for you!
    He drinks the sorrow filled cup of all the world’s sins. From Adam to the last human being born before He returns in glory. Come to His cross and lay all your sorrow on Him. Pray always, “Jesus, I am Yours - Save me!” The bitter cup of sin’s sour wine of grief and sorrow He alone drank FOR YOU! Sing of sorrow healed through the cup of His living blood poured upon your lips washing you forgiven. Filling you with His life - the promise that the grave’s grief is temporary. Reunion awaits all who cling to the Smitten Servant’s sacrifice!
      Look to His cross! Behold justice! God’s wrath against our sin! Esteem - count, measure, the cost God willingly paid to rescue you! The Innocent Man - Jesus is stricken, smitten, and afflicted by Whom? By God! You cannot pay your debt! You cannot tame your sin! You cannot earn your way into God’s favor!   He must do it all FOR YOU! In the Son’s willful obedience to His Father’s good and gracious will your afflictions are concluded! Hear the Holy Spirit preach, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (18) Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. (21) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Throw all your grief, sorrow, and affliction upon the Lord God - He cares for you perfectly and fully in His only begotten Son - Jesus!
II.   The message of Jesus’ cross offends good moral people. The ruling Jewish body didn’t want a God who made Himself weak. The Messiah in our flesh scandalized them. Jesus is judged a blasphemer worthy only of death.   Our God reveals Himself in suffering - the cross! (Vs.5) Sing of the Smitten Servant - His suffering is for you! Hear the Comforter’s preaching of the cross - “For our” “For our” “For our”!
    See the wounds of Jesus! Thorns pierce His forehead! The whip has shreds His back. Hands that healed the sick are spiked to the wood of the cross. Feet that brought the Gospel of peace are nailed to the tree. It is our transgressions - our wilful disobedience of God’s Law - our neglecting our neighbor in need. His wounds have your name written upon them! My name written upon them. They are FOR YOU! Our transgressions wound Him!
    Jesus bears the bruises of our prideful rebellion. The old evil serpent bites His holy heal injecting the venom of our guilt into Him who knew no sin. He takes all those true accusations against our sin into Himself - as His own FOR YOU! He sacrifices Himself FOR YOU!
    See Him beaten chastised to bring you peace with God. “Peace on earth! Goodwill toward men!” the holy angel preached at Jesus’ birth! Now that sermon finds its fulfillment as Jesus lays down His life FOR YOU! Forever bringing us back to our Father in heaven through His suffering and sacrificial death FOR YOU!
III.     The Rock was never going to deny Jesus! Satan had asked to sift all the twelve like wheat. Jesus prayed for them. Peter would deny His Lord - you will too - never trust your strength - look only to the Crucified and Risen One. Sing the song of the Smitten Servant Rescuing you through His cross! (Vs.6) The Holy Spirit taught denying Peter the meaning of Isaiah’s song as he wept. Later the Rock wrote to Christians suffering persecution and the temptation to deny their Lord, 1 Peter 2:24-25 [Jesus] who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (25) For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
      100% of us are straying sheep! Our prideful self chosen ways only lead us down sin’s path of false belief, isolation, doubt, despair, vice, shame, and death ending in hell. Twice Wisdom warns, Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. You cannot find your way back to God. You’ll never be good enough to earn heaven. Repent of trusting your good deeds! Look only to Jesus! Hear His promise! John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:17-18 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. (18) No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
    The Good Shepherd is your Scapegoat! Look to His Cross! John 1:29 ....."Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! “ He who does not know Christ, does not know God hidden in suffering. Bill knew Jesus, but he knew the depths of his own sin. Depression swallowed him. Despair hounded him with the thought the Lord had predestined to damn him. He tried to die by suicide more than once. What hope could there be for a miserable sinner such as he? His pastor, John Newton, fixed his eyes upon the Crucified and Risen Jesus. Bill - William Cowper teaches us to sing of our Smitten Servant!
1 There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains.
      2 The dying thief rejoiced to see That fountain in his day;
        And there have I, as vile as he, Washed all my sins away. (TLH # 157)
Jesus never betrays or denies you - dear sinner - trust Him alone! Amen.