That's the point of this time of the year. When Mary held that baby in her arms, she was holding a child that was destined to die a hellacious, horrific death. There is no taking away of the sins of the world unless there is great sacrifice.

That's the point of this time of the year. When Mary held that baby in her arms, she was holding a child that was destined to die a hellacious, horrific death. There is no taking away of the sins of the world unless there is great sacrifice.

Welcome to living a Legacy featuring the Bible teaching ministry of Doctor Crawford Lawrence. Great to be with you as we anticipate Christmas week. Today we'll hear the second message in Crawford series. What a Savior. Our thoughts of Christmas reflect on lights, meals, family presence, music. But at the heart of Christmas is God's plan for heavenly intervention. Someone sent to redirect our lives to rescue us from coming eternal destruction. And in that rescue plan was the need for a sacrifice as payment for the sins of the world. Let's ponder that in today's message titled His Sacrifice. Crawford's commitment to Christian ministry began over 50 years ago. He's planted churches. He was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. Crawford served as senior pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia, for 15 years. His teaching ministry extends to seminary classes. He's authored nine books and today heads the Christian Leadership Mentoring Ministry called Beyond Our Generation. As followers of Christ, we need to be sure to keep the gospel the main focus of our lives living it, sharing it, reflecting on it. Christmas is such a wonderful time, but let's be careful to always keep the mission of Christ front and center. Let's get right to our study. Join us in Isaiah chapter 53. Here's Crawford Loritts on living a legacy.

Welcome to living a Legacy featuring the Bible teaching ministry of Doctor Crawford Lawrence. Great to be with you as we anticipate Christmas week. Today we'll hear the second message in Crawford series. What a Savior. Our thoughts of Christmas reflect on lights, meals, family presence, music. But at the heart of Christmas is God's plan for heavenly intervention. Someone sent to redirect our lives to rescue us from coming eternal destruction. And in that rescue plan was the need for a sacrifice as payment for the sins of the world. Let's ponder that in today's message titled His Sacrifice. Crawford's commitment to Christian ministry began over 50 years ago. He's planted churches. He was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. Crawford served as senior pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia, for 15 years. His teaching ministry extends to seminary classes. He's authored nine books and today heads the Christian Leadership Mentoring Ministry called Beyond Our Generation. As followers of Christ, we need to be sure to keep the gospel the main focus of our lives living it, sharing it, reflecting on it. Christmas is such a wonderful time, but let's be careful to always keep the mission of Christ front and center. Let's get right to our study. Join us in Isaiah chapter 53. Here's Crawford Loritts on living a legacy.

So listen very closely and you may want to read along with me. Um, I'll read out loud and you follow me in Isaiah chapter 53, verses one through seven. Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 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. 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. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his stripes we are healed. 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. 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 began last week by saying, they were in this brief two part series that we've entitled. What a Savior. Often when a baby is born and we go and visit that baby, or it's our baby, we hold that child in. Every parent wonders what is that child going to become? In our minds we're thinking, how can I shape that child? What are our values? What do I want them to be like? What do I not want them to be like? We're paying attention to their bents, you know. What are they interested in? And how can I kind of guide them in that area? And how can I get them help to leverage the jewels that's been placed inside of them. And so with us as human beings, our destiny is somewhat shaped. Although I have to balance that by saying God is sovereign and he throws curve balls in there. But our destinies are shaped well, not necessarily so with Jesus. His destiny was determined before the foundations of the world. Jesus was not born to become the Savior. He was born the Savior. But in order for us to embrace the Savior, tacit in that statement is an admission of need. You cannot have the Savior unless you admit that you need to be saved. And that's what I talked about last week, that we're in a grand moral mess. We're in a dilemma. We're over our heads. You don't get a little bit of Jesus because you happen to have a little fault over here. You get Jesus because you're lost. We're lost and we acknowledge the fact that our pride, our experience, our background, whatever we want to do can't get us out of this mess. We're in a moral mess. The Bible teaches Jesus could not be the Savior unless he suffered and sacrificed his life. And that's the point of this time of the year when we think about Jesus. Not to sound gruesome and mundane, but when Mary held that baby in her arms, she was holding a child that would that was destined to die a hellacious, horrific death. Jesus knew from the very time he was a child that he was born to die. Thus, his cousin saw him as he was walking down the road. In John 129 it says, Behold the Lamb of God that comes to take away the sins of the world. Lamb, referring to the sacrifice that was going to be made, that there is no taking away of the sins of the world. Unless there is great sacrifice. This Savior would die a lonely, excruciating, painful death. The three big ideas that are unravelled related to this suffering saviour is, number one, a recognition that he was like us. But then, secondly, he was rejected by us. And number three, he suffered for us. We see this first of all in verse, verse two. I want to set it up and I'll read verse one. Verse one it says, who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? And here's a line. For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground. It was a little bit of an irony here that he was a tender plant. Um, he looked like all other plants. But then this line that he grew up like a root out of dry ground. He flourished and blossomed in darkness, in dryness, in spiritual desert. Now I think what what what Isaiah is summarizing here. That is at the time that Jesus came on the scene in many respects was not, quote, an appropriate time for a Savior. He didn't come on the scene in the in the midst of a wonderful spiritual revival and awakening. He didn't come on the scene when people were were clamoring to to really discover who God was like in a wonderful, real way. Jesus comes on the scene in the midst of a desert. It is spiritual oppression. Uh, the Pharisees and the Sadducees have a stranglehold on the people. Uh, the Roman Empire is controlling folks. And yet at the same time, he's like a root that is flourishing and growing in a dry place. And yet the text also says that when he comes on the scene, there's nothing remarkable about him, nothing at all. Be careful of these pictures that we see of our Savior, that look so nice and sharp and attractive in this kind of thing. The text says that there's nothing compelling about his appearance. There was nothing majestic and royal looking about him. He was not particularly handsome. That's what the verse says. The fact that he's 100% man and 100% God does not mean that his humanity was startling, attractive. But then there's this little telling line don't skip over this in verse three. Back up in verse two. I'm sorry. For he grew up before him. It's interesting. Now, you could miss that. You can miss that. Who is the before him? He's not talking about humanity. He didn't grow up in the sight of men. He grew up before him. This is a reference. This is a reference to the fact that although Jesus was unknown to the world, Jesus mission was planned and overseen by God. Unbelievable. He was like us. And number two, he was rejected by us. Part of our problem is, is that we. We celebrate the first year and a half or two years of our Lord's earthly ministry. Most of his spectacular miracles were done in those two years. That's when the crowds were with him. That's when they were following him. That's when they were filling up every place. And that's when, you know, the curiosity seekers were there. But that only represents two years out of 33. But the bulk of his impact is seen in terms of what would take place in a few hours on a cross. And when Jesus dies, as he moves toward the cross, he's alone. The last year, year and a half of our Lord's earthly ministry, the crowds thin out. He's left in the upper room with 12 guys. Really? 11? Because Judas is going to betray him. You know, you can talk about God all you want to. In our culture, nobody has a problem. God bless America. God bless these people. God bless this. Nobody has a problem when you talk about God, but you stop talking about Jesus. People have issues and little tip my hand. One of the reasons why they have issues with Jesus is because at the name of Jesus, you got to make a decision. You're reminded and I'm reminded of something called sin. I'm reminded that I'm not what I ought to be. And Jesus is very disturbing. And that's the reason why they despised him. They didn't. They didn't like him. They pushed him off to the side. Jesus is not. They were saying Jesus is not what we aspire to be. I want to go someplace here with you. When we talk about Jesus, we say he's 100% God and 100% man. Now we can't mingle those two together. It blows our mind. But Jesus was fully man. He was lonely. He felt the weight of the world on him. He knew what he was. What was going to happen from the time he was a little something. He understood the fact that there would be a day in which all the sins of the world would be placed on his shoulders, and his father would turn his back on him. He knew grief. He knew tears. He knew what it meant to be alone. He was fully human. So personally, there's a sense of dejection. This grief and sorrow also works not only in terms of how he perceived himself, but in terms of how others perceived him as well. Uh, they were repulsed not only by his appearance, but by the tragedy of his life. He was a sufferer and a condemned criminal, and I think this is a specific allusion to the cross. There was nothing noble about Jesus death. Dare I say that? There's nothing noble about his death? Millions of people had been crucified. It was the. It was the capital punishment of the time. That's the reason why it's so despicable. That's the reason why it was so disgusting. How dare you say that? A man that died a criminal is a savior of the world. We know the rest of the story. They didn't. We know the resurrection. They didn't. Jesus was a source of disgust. That's what this text is saying. And then he was also dishonored. That's what the last clause of verse three is all about. And as one from whom we hide. Men hide their faces. Now I'm not walking past Golgotha. Okay. He was despised. And we esteemed him not. And yet he was and is the most important person in the world. In the universe. And let me just say this as an aside. The biggest mistake. And if you're not a follower of Jesus, I really want you to hear me right now. Okay? I say this with all love. The biggest mistake in your life is not to take Jesus seriously. That's why the Bible says the day you hear my voice, harden not your heart. And pretty soon after the cross and the resurrection, these folks understood well, well, well, well, well, this suffering servant. He was like us also very normal. Secondly, he was rejected by us. But thirdly, he suffered for us. Verse four talks about his compassion. And I need you need to grab the irony between verses three and four. Listen. Verse four says, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. There's an irony between verses three and four, isn't there? In other words, the people did not want to identify with Jesus, but he identified with them. The people didn't want to have anything to do with him, but he had everything to do with us. We didn't want him, but he's pursuing us. Many are ashamed and dismissive of Jesus, but he is never ashamed and dismissive of us. He's always coming after us. Always. And if you're here today and you don't know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you just keep. You just keep saying, you know, why do I keep running into these Christians? Why do I keep running to these people that say kind things about me? Why do I keep running into these folks to tell me about Jesus dying on the cross in my place, and for my sin when I keep running to these people, telling them about the hope that is there. What what? What's up with this? Jesus keeps pursuing us and pursuing us. I love you, I love you, I won't leave you. I'm with you. Respond to me. John said it. Herein is love. Not that we loved him, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the satisfaction of our all. That I had the words to tell you how much he loves you. Oh, that I could figure out how to describe the amazing love that he has for us. And that's the emphatic nature of this text here. It says it far more eloquently than I could ever say it again. The words in verse four he bore. He has borne our griefs. He has carried our sorrows. The man who was full of grief, the man who is full of sorrows. It was our griefs, our sorrows. And yet we still miss the point. You say missed the point? Yeah, we still miss the point. Why? Because look at the line here. Yet this man bore our griefs. He bore our sorrows, right? You notice, he says, yet we esteem him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. Do you know what that means? We thought God was judging Jesus for his sins. That's what that verse means. That's what that line means. But in fact, God was judging Jesus for our sins. Although Jesus was not guilty of sin, he bore our sins. Paul says it more clearly. For he hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. But the point being this it took a perfect sacrifice to deal with the hellacious nature of our sin. That's his compassion. And now his substitution. These incredible two verses, verses five and six, speak of his substitution. His agony is found in verse five. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. Literally Jesus hands and feet and sides were pierced. He was literally pierced. Literally pierced. The word bruised is the idea of, of of crushing inward and outward suffering. It speaks not just to the fact that physically he was bruised, but the bruising of the heart, the bruising of the emotions. Uh, I read Matthew chapter 26, in his prayer in the garden sometime. The word chastisement. Jesus took upon himself the punishment that brought reconciliation. Whenever you see a cross in that emblem, it's not cute. The punishment of our peace, our wandering was upon upon him. By the way, I want to say this. Here with his stripes, we are healed. Can I encourage you never to quote this passage to to to suggest that there's healing, physical healing in the atonement? That's not that's out of context. That is out of context. Now God does heal. He does heal. He is known as our healer and this kind of thing. But never quote this text to talk about physical healing, because in context, he's not talking about physical healing. He's talking about our spiritual alienation from God. All of these word pictures in context has to do with that separation from God. And when he says so, by his stripes we are healed. We are healed spiritually. We're made right with God. And by the way, that's the most profound healing. And some of us today need that healing in Jesus secured it for you and and for me. And now his judgment in verse six, 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. Sheep tend to travel together. And the imagery that's used here is that the picture is that Jesus is the head sheep. He's the head sheep. And sheep will do what its leader will do or whoever is wandering off will do. The sheep are supposed to go over here, but the head sheep decides, well, there's some more grass over there. So let me go over there. And so all these sheep will follow him over there. Now, that could be problematic. That could cause trouble. And that is exactly what has happened here in this text. The imagery is that here Jesus is portrayed as a lead sheep being punished for our wandering. Interesting. Now, Jesus didn't wander, but he's being punished for our wandering. The lie you told he got punished for the outbursts of anger I had. He got punished for the lust in your heart and mind. He got punished for the neglect in your heart. He got punished for. Did he do anything wrong? No. He didn't do anything wrong. But God said he's the lead sheep. And he has placed on him the iniquity of us all. Put it on him the iniquity of us all. Place it on him the iniquity of us all. He became our substitute. See, see the. The reason why we need a deliverer is because we're guilty. Amen. Can't save ourselves. Jesus did it all for us. Unbelievable. His compassion, his substitution, and now his submission. Verse seven says 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. I could go into some more of the imagery of sheep and what they do, and lambs, and this kind of thing, but I'm going to push that to the side and get to what I feel is the crux of the matter. This is a picture of the quiet, gentle, submissive nature of our Savior. The cross means that Jesus willingly submitted to the plan and the will of the father, just so that we might live forever. And he did it for you, and he did it for me. And all those sins were placed upon him. He opened not his mouth. He was not guilty. But he understood that before the foundations of the world, in order for all these lost folks, millions of them, to make it into heaven, a number that no man can number according to the book of revelation, that he would have to die.

So listen very closely and you may want to read along with me. Um, I'll read out loud and you follow me in Isaiah chapter 53, verses one through seven. Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 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. 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. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his stripes we are healed. 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. 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 began last week by saying, they were in this brief two part series that we've entitled. What a Savior. Often when a baby is born and we go and visit that baby, or it's our baby, we hold that child in. Every parent wonders what is that child going to become? In our minds we're thinking, how can I shape that child? What are our values? What do I want them to be like? What do I not want them to be like? We're paying attention to their bents, you know. What are they interested in? And how can I kind of guide them in that area? And how can I get them help to leverage the jewels that's been placed inside of them. And so with us as human beings, our destiny is somewhat shaped. Although I have to balance that by saying God is sovereign and he throws curve balls in there. But our destinies are shaped well, not necessarily so with Jesus. His destiny was determined before the foundations of the world. Jesus was not born to become the Savior. He was born the Savior. But in order for us to embrace the Savior, tacit in that statement is an admission of need. You cannot have the Savior unless you admit that you need to be saved. And that's what I talked about last week, that we're in a grand moral mess. We're in a dilemma. We're over our heads. You don't get a little bit of Jesus because you happen to have a little fault over here. You get Jesus because you're lost. We're lost and we acknowledge the fact that our pride, our experience, our background, whatever we want to do can't get us out of this mess. We're in a moral mess. The Bible teaches Jesus could not be the Savior unless he suffered and sacrificed his life. And that's the point of this time of the year when we think about Jesus. Not to sound gruesome and mundane, but when Mary held that baby in her arms, she was holding a child that would that was destined to die a hellacious, horrific death. Jesus knew from the very time he was a child that he was born to die. Thus, his cousin saw him as he was walking down the road. In John 129 it says, Behold the Lamb of God that comes to take away the sins of the world. Lamb, referring to the sacrifice that was going to be made, that there is no taking away of the sins of the world. Unless there is great sacrifice. This Savior would die a lonely, excruciating, painful death. The three big ideas that are unravelled related to this suffering saviour is, number one, a recognition that he was like us. But then, secondly, he was rejected by us. And number three, he suffered for us. We see this first of all in verse, verse two. I want to set it up and I'll read verse one. Verse one it says, who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? And here's a line. For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground. It was a little bit of an irony here that he was a tender plant. Um, he looked like all other plants. But then this line that he grew up like a root out of dry ground. He flourished and blossomed in darkness, in dryness, in spiritual desert. Now I think what what what Isaiah is summarizing here. That is at the time that Jesus came on the scene in many respects was not, quote, an appropriate time for a Savior. He didn't come on the scene in the in the midst of a wonderful spiritual revival and awakening. He didn't come on the scene when people were were clamoring to to really discover who God was like in a wonderful, real way. Jesus comes on the scene in the midst of a desert. It is spiritual oppression. Uh, the Pharisees and the Sadducees have a stranglehold on the people. Uh, the Roman Empire is controlling folks. And yet at the same time, he's like a root that is flourishing and growing in a dry place. And yet the text also says that when he comes on the scene, there's nothing remarkable about him, nothing at all. Be careful of these pictures that we see of our Savior, that look so nice and sharp and attractive in this kind of thing. The text says that there's nothing compelling about his appearance. There was nothing majestic and royal looking about him. He was not particularly handsome. That's what the verse says. The fact that he's 100% man and 100% God does not mean that his humanity was startling, attractive. But then there's this little telling line don't skip over this in verse three. Back up in verse two. I'm sorry. For he grew up before him. It's interesting. Now, you could miss that. You can miss that. Who is the before him? He's not talking about humanity. He didn't grow up in the sight of men. He grew up before him. This is a reference. This is a reference to the fact that although Jesus was unknown to the world, Jesus mission was planned and overseen by God. Unbelievable. He was like us. And number two, he was rejected by us. Part of our problem is, is that we. We celebrate the first year and a half or two years of our Lord's earthly ministry. Most of his spectacular miracles were done in those two years. That's when the crowds were with him. That's when they were following him. That's when they were filling up every place. And that's when, you know, the curiosity seekers were there. But that only represents two years out of 33. But the bulk of his impact is seen in terms of what would take place in a few hours on a cross. And when Jesus dies, as he moves toward the cross, he's alone. The last year, year and a half of our Lord's earthly ministry, the crowds thin out. He's left in the upper room with 12 guys. Really? 11? Because Judas is going to betray him. You know, you can talk about God all you want to. In our culture, nobody has a problem. God bless America. God bless these people. God bless this. Nobody has a problem when you talk about God, but you stop talking about Jesus. People have issues and little tip my hand. One of the reasons why they have issues with Jesus is because at the name of Jesus, you got to make a decision. You're reminded and I'm reminded of something called sin. I'm reminded that I'm not what I ought to be. And Jesus is very disturbing. And that's the reason why they despised him. They didn't. They didn't like him. They pushed him off to the side. Jesus is not. They were saying Jesus is not what we aspire to be. I want to go someplace here with you. When we talk about Jesus, we say he's 100% God and 100% man. Now we can't mingle those two together. It blows our mind. But Jesus was fully man. He was lonely. He felt the weight of the world on him. He knew what he was. What was going to happen from the time he was a little something. He understood the fact that there would be a day in which all the sins of the world would be placed on his shoulders, and his father would turn his back on him. He knew grief. He knew tears. He knew what it meant to be alone. He was fully human. So personally, there's a sense of dejection. This grief and sorrow also works not only in terms of how he perceived himself, but in terms of how others perceived him as well. Uh, they were repulsed not only by his appearance, but by the tragedy of his life. He was a sufferer and a condemned criminal, and I think this is a specific allusion to the cross. There was nothing noble about Jesus death. Dare I say that? There's nothing noble about his death? Millions of people had been crucified. It was the. It was the capital punishment of the time. That's the reason why it's so despicable. That's the reason why it was so disgusting. How dare you say that? A man that died a criminal is a savior of the world. We know the rest of the story. They didn't. We know the resurrection. They didn't. Jesus was a source of disgust. That's what this text is saying. And then he was also dishonored. That's what the last clause of verse three is all about. And as one from whom we hide. Men hide their faces. Now I'm not walking past Golgotha. Okay. He was despised. And we esteemed him not. And yet he was and is the most important person in the world. In the universe. And let me just say this as an aside. The biggest mistake. And if you're not a follower of Jesus, I really want you to hear me right now. Okay? I say this with all love. The biggest mistake in your life is not to take Jesus seriously. That's why the Bible says the day you hear my voice, harden not your heart. And pretty soon after the cross and the resurrection, these folks understood well, well, well, well, well, this suffering servant. He was like us also very normal. Secondly, he was rejected by us. But thirdly, he suffered for us. Verse four talks about his compassion. And I need you need to grab the irony between verses three and four. Listen. Verse four says, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. There's an irony between verses three and four, isn't there? In other words, the people did not want to identify with Jesus, but he identified with them. The people didn't want to have anything to do with him, but he had everything to do with us. We didn't want him, but he's pursuing us. Many are ashamed and dismissive of Jesus, but he is never ashamed and dismissive of us. He's always coming after us. Always. And if you're here today and you don't know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you just keep. You just keep saying, you know, why do I keep running into these Christians? Why do I keep running to these people that say kind things about me? Why do I keep running into these folks to tell me about Jesus dying on the cross in my place, and for my sin when I keep running to these people, telling them about the hope that is there. What what? What's up with this? Jesus keeps pursuing us and pursuing us. I love you, I love you, I won't leave you. I'm with you. Respond to me. John said it. Herein is love. Not that we loved him, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the satisfaction of our all. That I had the words to tell you how much he loves you. Oh, that I could figure out how to describe the amazing love that he has for us. And that's the emphatic nature of this text here. It says it far more eloquently than I could ever say it again. The words in verse four he bore. He has borne our griefs. He has carried our sorrows. The man who was full of grief, the man who is full of sorrows. It was our griefs, our sorrows. And yet we still miss the point. You say missed the point? Yeah, we still miss the point. Why? Because look at the line here. Yet this man bore our griefs. He bore our sorrows, right? You notice, he says, yet we esteem him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. Do you know what that means? We thought God was judging Jesus for his sins. That's what that verse means. That's what that line means. But in fact, God was judging Jesus for our sins. Although Jesus was not guilty of sin, he bore our sins. Paul says it more clearly. For he hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. But the point being this it took a perfect sacrifice to deal with the hellacious nature of our sin. That's his compassion. And now his substitution. These incredible two verses, verses five and six, speak of his substitution. His agony is found in verse five. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. Literally Jesus hands and feet and sides were pierced. He was literally pierced. Literally pierced. The word bruised is the idea of, of of crushing inward and outward suffering. It speaks not just to the fact that physically he was bruised, but the bruising of the heart, the bruising of the emotions. Uh, I read Matthew chapter 26, in his prayer in the garden sometime. The word chastisement. Jesus took upon himself the punishment that brought reconciliation. Whenever you see a cross in that emblem, it's not cute. The punishment of our peace, our wandering was upon upon him. By the way, I want to say this. Here with his stripes, we are healed. Can I encourage you never to quote this passage to to to suggest that there's healing, physical healing in the atonement? That's not that's out of context. That is out of context. Now God does heal. He does heal. He is known as our healer and this kind of thing. But never quote this text to talk about physical healing, because in context, he's not talking about physical healing. He's talking about our spiritual alienation from God. All of these word pictures in context has to do with that separation from God. And when he says so, by his stripes we are healed. We are healed spiritually. We're made right with God. And by the way, that's the most profound healing. And some of us today need that healing in Jesus secured it for you and and for me. And now his judgment in verse six, 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. Sheep tend to travel together. And the imagery that's used here is that the picture is that Jesus is the head sheep. He's the head sheep. And sheep will do what its leader will do or whoever is wandering off will do. The sheep are supposed to go over here, but the head sheep decides, well, there's some more grass over there. So let me go over there. And so all these sheep will follow him over there. Now, that could be problematic. That could cause trouble. And that is exactly what has happened here in this text. The imagery is that here Jesus is portrayed as a lead sheep being punished for our wandering. Interesting. Now, Jesus didn't wander, but he's being punished for our wandering. The lie you told he got punished for the outbursts of anger I had. He got punished for the lust in your heart and mind. He got punished for the neglect in your heart. He got punished for. Did he do anything wrong? No. He didn't do anything wrong. But God said he's the lead sheep. And he has placed on him the iniquity of us all. Put it on him the iniquity of us all. Place it on him the iniquity of us all. He became our substitute. See, see the. The reason why we need a deliverer is because we're guilty. Amen. Can't save ourselves. Jesus did it all for us. Unbelievable. His compassion, his substitution, and now his submission. Verse seven says 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. I could go into some more of the imagery of sheep and what they do, and lambs, and this kind of thing, but I'm going to push that to the side and get to what I feel is the crux of the matter. This is a picture of the quiet, gentle, submissive nature of our Savior. The cross means that Jesus willingly submitted to the plan and the will of the father, just so that we might live forever. And he did it for you, and he did it for me. And all those sins were placed upon him. He opened not his mouth. He was not guilty. But he understood that before the foundations of the world, in order for all these lost folks, millions of them, to make it into heaven, a number that no man can number according to the book of revelation, that he would have to die.

And he did it for you and for me.

And he did it for you and for me.

Doctor Crawford Loritts here on Living a Legacy three ideas that flow through the first seven verses of Isaiah 53 that we looked at today, a recognition that Jesus was like us. He was rejected by us and he suffered for us. Jesus Christ came to suffer and die for the sins of the world, and to defeat death by his resurrection. We're grateful when you get in touch with us and let us know how God is using this program each week. A quick email is all it takes to living a legacy. Org look for the link called Contact Living a legacy.org. Coming up on next week's program, put.

Doctor Crawford Loritts here on Living a Legacy three ideas that flow through the first seven verses of Isaiah 53 that we looked at today, a recognition that Jesus was like us. He was rejected by us and he suffered for us. Jesus Christ came to suffer and die for the sins of the world, and to defeat death by his resurrection. We're grateful when you get in touch with us and let us know how God is using this program each week. A quick email is all it takes to living a legacy. Org look for the link called Contact Living a legacy.org. Coming up on next week's program, put.

On the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. This is not heaven down here, and the fact that you're a Christian does not mean that you're alienated and isolated, cocooned and protected from the blows of the devil. Quite the contrary.

On the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. This is not heaven down here, and the fact that you're a Christian does not mean that you're alienated and isolated, cocooned and protected from the blows of the devil. Quite the contrary.

Crawford's New Year's message dressed and ready to go. Join us again from all of us here at Living a Legacy. Thanks for listening and Merry Christmas. This program is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.

Crawford's New Year's message dressed and ready to go. Join us again from all of us here at Living a Legacy. Thanks for listening and Merry Christmas. This program is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.