"We preach Christ crucified"

Notes from a sermon heard on Sunday 8 September 2013

Isaiah 53 verses 1 – 12

“but we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness.” 1 Corinthians 1 verse 23

This is the attitude we want to take.  We have no other message for men and women but simply that we preach Christ crucified.  Going to deal with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ and what it means to you and I.  We preach Christ crucified.  Luke 9 verses 31 and 32 the Lord Jesus on the mountain with his disciples when Moses and Elijah appeared there they are, they had come down from heaven’s glory to meet Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration.  The topic they are going to talk about – the death of Christ.

It is a sacrifice for sin.  The Lord came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost, reconciling a lost mankind unto God.  The only way he could do that was through the cross of Calvary, the only way to save us, remove our sins was by his death on the cross of Christ.  Verse 6 the word “we” have followed our own devices, turned our backs on God, broken God’s laws, commandments, could find no other way for it other than to send his son.  We are going out to face men and women who have been born into a world in sin, shapen in iniquity, know nothing of the one who died to save them.  Know nothing of the importance of Christ’s death.  Bring it down to a personal level.  Have we reconciled the death of the Lord to the situation I am in?  I am a sinner but for the cross of Christ who died for me.  Isaiah from the sole of the foot to the top of the head there is no soundness.  Could see men lying on his men wounds he would be.  There is a remedy tonight though – Romans 3 verse 12.  There is none that doeth good, no not one.  The sacrifice was to bring us into God’s presence.  Leviticus sacrifice had to be in God’s manner not man’s sacrifice.  There had to be a lamb or a bullock offered for a sin offering of a certain gender, perfect in every way.  Not one flaw in it.  Had to be the very best of the entire flock.  That lamb or bullock was brought to the high priest.  The man would put his hands on the animal’s head, in a sense he was giving his sins to the animal.  That animal was put to death and the man would go free.  That is what has happened with Jesus Christ.  He has come into the world to pay the price of sin.  God took it very seriously because God gave his only son to die on the cross for us.  It can be the little sin that we are setting aside.

Christ’s death was a substitute – verse 5.  It is all about Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.  There for a sacrifice for sin, there for a substitute for sin, there because that was the place where we should have been.  The Lord stepped up to the mark.  Abraham taking his son out to Mount Moriah.  Isaac was about to die.  The voice came from heaven “do thy son no harm.”  There in the thicket was a ram caught by the thorns.  The lamb took the place of the son.  The Lord has taken your place on the cross of Calvary.  Genesis 3 Adam and Eve sinned.  Sacrifice came to be but also substitute.  It came to bear when God came down to the Garden in the heat of the day.  Realised what had happened.  Sin had came into the Garden of Eden, into their hearts and it felt shame and guilt.  They tried to cover it with fig leaves.  Sometimes that is what we do when faced with the gospel.  Sometimes through up our arms and say we can make our own way to heaven.  God says there is only one way for it.  The substitution of the cross.  We have sinned, we have come short of the glory of God, there is only one way to be reconciled.  He is the substitute.  Jesus died for you.  He waits for you to come and accept that invite into your heart and life.

Christ’s death is sufficient – verse 6.  All we like sheep – that is the condition.  Have gone astray – that is the problem.  And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity on us all – the sufficiency of Christ.  Every animal brought to the priest’s feet was not sufficient because it has to be continually repeated.  Jesus’ death was sufficient however.

Christ’s death and the success of it – verse 11.  He shall bear that iniquity.  In Acts 9 the Ethiopian eunich travelling home from Jerusalem going down to worship God, down with all his self righteousness, now coming home.  The word of God was open.  He was reading the very words of Isaiah 53.  Stephen came alongside him and asked him “do you understand what you are reading?”  The eunich asked “I see one suffering here, is he the author who wrote this scripture or is he speaking of someone else?”  Stephen began at that scripture and told him about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, how he came into this world and on the cross he died.  He gave his life just for you.  What have I got to do?  Turn to the cross and the Christ of the cross.  His soul was saved that day through the death of Christ.  Christ’s death is a success.  Successful enough to save your soul, reconcile you to God.  If you will only come and trust him for yourself.  What does Christ’s death mean to you?