Watch or Listen here
 MP3 Audio

Isaiah 53

Purpose or chance?

People explain suffering in the world and in their lives in terms of chance. Is life random or is there purpose and meaning? God is loving and powerful but suffering still continues. Instead of removing suffering God does three surprising things. He shares your suffering, he dies in your place and he rose from the dead. None of these surprising events happened by chance but were purposed by God. This message has a few quotes from the Bible which I have included here for your ease. Please click on read more. the Rev 

Don't gamble your life on Chance

Christ Humbles Himself

• Philippians 2:5-7 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Christ shares your in your life

• Hebrews 4:15 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Christ shares in your suffering

• Isaiah 53:3-4 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 

Suffering perfected Christ

• Hebrews 2:10 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Christ is a sympathetic High Priest

• Hebrews 4:15-16 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Christ frees us from our bondage

• Hebrews 2:14-15 14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

The Just sufferers for the unjust

• 1 Peter 3:18 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

Christ bore our punishment

• Isaiah 53:5 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Christ’s soul was an offering for sin

• Isaiah 53:12 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

Christ makes you a conqueror

• Romans 8:37-39 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Don't doubt God's love

• Romans 8:32 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Christ predicted his death and resurrection

• Mark 9:31 31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”

All sin

• Romans 3:23 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Wages of sin is death

• Romans 6:23 23 For the wages of sin is death

All die because all sin

• Romans 5:12 12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Christ was without sin

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Christ conquered sin and death

• 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.