Is 52:13 - 53:5
On Palm Sunday we remember Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. He wept over Jerusalem, because they did not recognise the time when God visited them. They despised and rejected Him, ushering Him in with Hosannas and palm branches, but shortly afterwards they cried for His death. Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem would be besieged and destroyed, which also happened 70years later when the Romans raised it to the ground.
In our text we read of Jesus' intense suffering. His face was marred more than any man's. His back was plowed like a field with the scourge. He was despised and rejected of men. They counted Him as forsaken and smitten by God because of His own iniquity.
God did smite Jesus, but it was because of our iniquity. It was because of our lies, immorality, disrespect, bitterness, hatred, murder. But He suffered not only physically but even more in His Spirit - even to the point where God forsook Him and He cried, "My God My God why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
Isaiah's description of Jesus' passion is very vivid. It is as if he stood at the cross and witnessed the whole crucifixion, although he lived nearly 600years before it happened. It is impossible to enjoy sin once you had a vision of Him as Isaiah had. Once you see the awfulness of sin and what it did to the Lord Jesus you cannot continue in it.
Only a heart of stone cannot be touched and moved when they see the suffering of Jesus on the cross because of your and my sin. Jesus should be precious to us, even more than father, mother, brother, sister, wife of children.
He carried even our sicknesses upon the tree, but sin is worse than the worst disease. Disease destroys your body, but sin destroys your soul for all eternity.
Only fools would imagine that secret sin can remain hidden and will not destroy their souls. Unless you part with sin quickly it will certainly destroy your soul. The flames of hell will lick you even while you're still alive. When the women wept for Jesus because of His suffering, He answered them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." Sin destroys not only your own soul but even your children's and unless you part from sin, both you and your children will end in hell. They will accuse you for all eternity.
When Jesus died on the cross, His enemies rejoiced and celebrated. Hell thought it had conquered Him. But it was to be their greatest defeat, their utter defeat. In the midst of their celebrations, the Hero of heroes arose from the dead. He had conquered death and destroyed the works of the devil.
We read in 53:11, "He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities." Test yourself whether this is true of your life.
May Jesus be revealed to you as He was revealed to Isaiah, that your life may never be the same again.
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Erlo Stegen (1935 - Present)
Used of God in the Zulu revival in South Africa. He helped found the Kwasizabantu Mission where a few thousand live on the mission doing work for the Lord. He shares a powerful burden for the purity of the Church and revival in the Church.Many ministers have preached in their large conventions through the years namely David Wilkerson who enjoyed greatly the mission's work. They have established over 30 other missions around the work as a work of the Spirit of God.