The Suffering Servant (Isa. 53) 7th December 2025

Morning

everyone. Um just as we were singing

there, I was reminded of what a what a

privilege it is to stand in front of

God's people um and share this this

scripture this morning um

years ago uh one Christmas as we were

getting ready for Christmas and the in

the time past when Christmas cards were

a thing or are certainly much more of a

thing than they are today. So we were

looking for some kind of card that we

could use to, you know, send back to the

states to our friends and family there,

but also to use here uh among uh the

people that we knew when we were living

in Tr. And there was just the the the

standard fair, you know, there were

there were pictures of snowy scenes and

horses and sleighs and and winter

villages lit up for Christmas and

Christmas trees and snowmen and gnomes

and all the rest. you know, there was

the standard fair as far as Christmas

cards were concerned. And and we weren't

looking for something like that. We

wanted something that would be

significant, something that would say

something significant about the time of

year it was. And while Amanda was

searching, she found a very simple card.

Uh it was basically a blank front card.

Um and all it had on it was a a

heart-shaped pendant hanging from a a a

scarlet thread. And that was all that

was on the front cover. And it opened up

and the only thing that was found inside

was Jesus is the heart of Christmas.

And so we we ordered those cards. They

came we gave them out to everyone that

we could think of. And that card among

all the cards that we've sent in all of

our married lives, that card got the

most response.

uh one unsaved lady that was a friend of

Amanda's from the the parents council at

the school where our kids went. Uh she

commented regularly about how special

and how significant that card was to

her. And I think that's a it's a good

reminder um this morning for us as we we

begin our Christmas celebrations that

Jesus is the heart of what we do. He's

the heart and soul of Christmas. And

over the next four Sundays, uh, myself

and Peter, we're going to be sharing on

that that that idea that Jesus is the

heart of Christmas. And and over those

next Sundays, today and the following

three Sundays, we're going to be sharing

about Christ incarnate.

Incarnate means simply become flesh,

become man, Jesus entering our world.

And we're going to look at three four

different passages of scripture. This

morning we're going to be looking at

Christ incarnate, the the suffering

servant of Isaiah chapter 53. Next week,

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

Peter will be sharing about Christ

incarnate, the word become flesh from

John chapter 1. And then the week after

John 1 · chapter mention

that, Peter also will be sharing Christ

incarnate, the radiance of the father's

glory from Hebrews chapter 1. And then

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

finally, the end of the month, we'll be

looking at Christ incarnate, the image

of the invisible God. And our hope is

that like that card, like the message in

that card, that these messages will be a

reminder to us that Jesus is the heart

of Christmas.

I was reading uh in preparation for this

morning and I came across this story. It

was written by a man. I'm not sure how

long ago he lived. His name is James

Francis Allen and he wrote a an essay

called One Significant or One Solitary

Life rather. And this is what he has to

say. Speaking of Christ, of course, he

says, "Here's a man who was born in an

obscure village, the child of a peasant

woman. He grew up in another village. He

worked in a carpenter shop until he was

30. Then for three years, he was an

itinerant preacher. He never owned a

home. He never wrote a book. He never

held an office. He never had a family.

He never went to college. He never put

his foot out inside a big city. He never

traveled 200 miles from his home, from

his place of birth. He never did one of

the things that usually accompanied

greatness. He had no credentials but

himself.

While still a young man, the tide of

popular opinion turned against him. His

friends ran away. One of them denied

him. He was turned over to his enemies.

He went through the mockery of a trial.

He was nailed upon a cross between two

thieves. While he was dying, his

executioners gambled for the only piece

of property that he owned, his coat.

When he was dead, he was laid in a

borrowed grave through the pity of a

friend. 19th centuries have come and

gone, and today he is the centerpiece of

the human race and the leader of the

column of progress. And this is how he

concludes the essay. He says, "I am far

within the mark when I say that all the

armies that have ever marched, all the

navies that were ever built, all the

parliaments that ever sat, and all the

kings that ever reigned put together,

have not affected the life of man upon

this earth as powerfully as that one

solitary life." That amazing. You look

at the life history that we have in the

scriptures of Jesus Christ and there's

not anything about him, his genealogy,

his his upbringing. There's there's

nothing that would push him forward as

the greatest man to ever live. And yet

all that he said and all that he did

speaks to who he is. He is the Christ of

Christmas. This morning we're going to

take a look at um that one solitary life

through the life through the eyes of a

prophet Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

chapter 53. So if you have your Bibles

if you want to turn there with me. And

unlike the other portraits of Jesus

incarnate that we're going to be looking

at in the following weeks. This one was

written before his incarnation as the

other three will be uh those that are

looking back after his incarnation.

One commentator said this about Hebrews

chapter 53. He said, "Expositors have

called this chapter the the holy of

holies of Isaiah. It is also the middle

chapter in part two of the book that is

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

chapters 40- 66. Most of the

approximately 80 references to Isaiah in

the New Testament come from this

chapter. It is the most quoted or

alluded to Old Testament chapter in the

New Testament. Beyond question, this

chapter is the heart of Hebrew prophetic

writings. Um, let's let's listen to the

prophet as he speaks to us in Hebrew or

in Isaiah chapter 53.

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

Who has believed what he has 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 pierced for our

transgressions. He was crushed for our

iniquities. Upon him the chastisement

that brought us peace. And with his

wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray. We

have turned everyone 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 before its

sheerers is silent, so he opened not his

mouth. By oppression and judgment he was

taken away. And as for his generation,

who considered that he was cut off out

of the land of the living, stricken for

the se the transgression of my people?

And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death.

Although he had done no violence, and

there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it

was the will of the Lord to crush him.

He has put him to grief. When his soul

makes an offering for guilt, he shall

see his offspring. He shall prolong his

days. The will of the Lord shall prosper

in his hand. Out of the anguish of his

soul. He see he shall see and be

satisfied. By his knowledge shall the

righteous one, my servant, make many to

be accounted righteous, and he shall

bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will divide him a portion

with the many, and he shall divide the

spoil with the strong, because he poured

out his soul to death and was numbered

with the transgressors. Yet he bore the

sin of many and make intercession for

the transgressors. Let's let's pray.

Father, as we approach this text this

morning, as we approach you in this

text,

we pray for minds that are clear and

ready to hear, ready to think, ready to

consider

these truths that you have written.

Father, they speak of our savior Jesus

Christ. They help us to know him better.

They help us to understand his mission.

And we pray, Father, that we would see

it with fresh eyes this morning. It's a

very familiar passage, many times

referred to in other teachings,

and yet this morning, Father, we need of

we need to see it freshly, need to see

it a new. We pray that you would help

us. Help us to understand our Savior and

his mission at this special time of

year. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Isaiah is writing this this book uh to

the nation of Israel at a time in

Israel's history when they were on the

decline both morally and spiritually. Um

most of the first half of the book, the

first 39 chapters have to do with the

pronouncement of judgment. Isaiah

pronounces judgment or God through

Isaiah pronounces judgment on the the

nations that surround Israel, but he

also pronounces coming judgment on his

own people. And for most of the 39

chapters, that's all we read about. And

then when we get to the second part of

the book, chapters 40-6, Isaiah changes

his his subject. He changes his tone.

Although judgment is coming on the

nation of Israel, God is going to send

Babylon to conquer Israel. And out of

out of judgment because of their their

rebellion against him, he's going to

send Babylon. Babylon will take the

nation of Israel into captivity.

And that doesn't seem like a very

encouraging message, but but through

that discipline, God promises that he

will once again bring the nation home.

He will bring the nation back. And not

only that, but he will in the future, he

will fulfill all of the promises that

he's made to Abraham and to Isaac and to

Jacob, all the promises that he made to

David and Solomon, that there would be a

king and there would be a kingdom. And

one day, God will through the the

ministry of the Messiah will bring the

nation back to its land and he will rule

and reign on the throne of his father

David in Israel. Uh that's the

encouragement that that Isaiah is giving

to the nation in these last several

chapters of the book. And Isaiah 53 is

kind of the central passage of all of

that encouragement.

And and as I was reading this, not only

just a moment ago, but through the week,

it doesn't sound initially, it doesn't

sound like a very encouraging chapter.

I mean, just think about the words that

that Isaiah has used in the chapter. Um,

just a a quick rundown again. He was

despised and rejected. Sorrows, grief,

um, esteeming him not. He bore our

griefs, carried our sorrows. We esteemed

esteemed him stricken. All of those

things don't speak of a very encouraging

thing. And yet Isaiah is encouraging his

people. He's encouraging the nation with

God's promises.

In this last section of the book of

Isaiah, there are four what what

commentators have called songs that

speak of the servant of the Lord. And

that servant, of course, in these

chapters is identified as the Messiah,

the one that God had promised to send to

Israel. And Isaiah 53 is the last of

those four songs. And it's the central

song of those four. And so it's

important for us this morning to

understand what Isaiah shares with us.

Because as you read the New Testament

and you think back on what Isaiah has

said in chapter 53, the parallels

between the servant of Isaiah chapter 53

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

and the son of God in the New Testament

are undeniable.

The servant of Isaiah 53 is the son of

God of the gospel records. So our

purpose this morning is to highlight his

identity, to highlight this servant, the

Messiah, the savior, the deliverer who

is the heart of Christmas. And if you're

taking notes this morning, just a a

quick outline so that you can kind of

follow the thought. Uh in verses 1 to3,

we see the servant despised.

In verses 4 to six, we see the servant

wounded. In verses 7 to9 we see the

servant cast off. And finally in verses

10 to 12 we see the servant satisfied.

So with that structure with that

framework in mind let's begin to examine

more closely these these verses. And in

the first three chapters the the chapter

opens with a couple of questions. The

commentators really have have said that

these are these are more rhetorical

questions. They're not they're not

looking for a necessary answer. And and

they serve as kind of a lament as the as

the servant and and and then the people

of Israel, the believing remnant in

Israel, look at what's happening in

their nation and look at all the

pronouncements that God has made, both

the judgments that are coming, but also

the blessings and the encouragement that

will come in the following chapters.

They they lament that so few people have

understood and have believed what

they've been saying. That's what he he

asks. He says, "Who shall believe what

we have heard from us?" What they have

heard from us? The nation has heard time

and time again from the prophet about

what God wants, what God is determining,

what God is going to do. And and yet so

very few people have have listened and

believed. And to whom has the arm of the

Lord been revealed. Uh God has God has

shown what he will do. He's told him

what he's going to do. And yet the

nation by and large have disregarded his

words. And so really verse one is a

lament at how few people have listened

to what has been said.

God is going to do a work through his

spirit through his servant rather that

people would just not expect or

anticipate or believe. In verse two, the

first word in verse two is for speaking

of Jesus, speaking of the servant. For

he grew up before him like a young plant

and like a root out of dry ground. Uh,

one of the things that we notice, and I

want to point this out to us, that first

opening phrase of verse two, for he he

grew up before him. It's important to

notice the pronouns here. He, speaking

of the servant grew up before him, that

is the Lord.

And what looks like from a human

perspective as tragedy

is actually divine plan. the servant who

we going to see is going to be rejected,

going to be cut off, going to be killed,

going to be crucified, but then exalted

later. This servant and all of what he

will experience is actually the plan

from the very beginning. It isn't that

the servant gets caught up in some

tragic events that he's the the victim

of circumstance. No, the servant is

divinely

there to suffer these very things. This

was part of God's plan. And we need to

see that God's hand is ruling over all

of what we're going to read and learn

about here. What do we learn about the

servant from these first couple of

verses? It's firstly, he's going to he

would be a an unnoticed and overlooked

individual.

One Isaiah shares he he grew up before

him like a tender plant, a root out of

dry ground.

While I was while we were raising our

support to come to Ireland, uh I I

worked part-time for an a fruit grower

in an orchard. And some of the things I

did, of course, we picked a lot of

apples and cherries and pears and

peaches and so on. Um but one of the

things we did in the beginning of the

season was to go through the orchards

pruning the trees, getting them ready

for the blossoms that would come soon.

And an apple tree, like most trees, a

lot of times out of the roots, very

close to the ground, will come shoots.

We called them suckers.

And my job in the beginning of the year

was to cut those suckers off.

It was the most monotonous job I've ever

had. And yet, it was a very important

job because those suckers, if left to

grow on their own, would take away the

nutrients from the rest of the plant

that would ultimately produce the fruit.

And so in order to help encourage the

growth of the fruit, we had to take

those suckers off. And the the the the

prophet here shares kind of that that

that's who the servant was. He's like

one of those suckers. He's he's

unwanted.

He's unnecessary.

He's unproductive.

And not only that, but he's he's

overlooked. He's like a a root out of

dry ground. We wouldn't expect to find a

root growing pl in in a in the midst of

a dry and aid place. And put those

things together and we see that the the

the background the the the life history

of this servant is one that would not be

noticed. There's nothing about him that

would take our attention. And not only

would he be overlooked and unnoticed,

but he would be unappreciated and

undervalued, undervalued.

The prophet goes on to say, "He had no

form or majesty." Um,

uh, in verse two, he had no form or

majesty that we should look at him. He

he didn't look regal. He didn't look

royal. He didn't look like anything

really. He was inconspicuous.

Um, he had no beauty that uh we should

desire him. Not only was he just a

nondescript kind of an individual, an

incognito kind of person, but he he

wasn't even pretty to look at. He wasn't

even handsome to look at. He wasn't like

a a David who was called handsome. He

wasn't like Saul who was tall and and

rugged. Uh he was just the average Joe.

So much average that he was overlooked,

unnoticed. And then finally, the prophet

says in verse three, not only all of

that about him, but he's going to be

despised and rejected. Those are words

that speak of a reaction to him. He's

despised. Used twice in verse three.

He's rejected. He's like one from whom

men hide their faces.

He's he's so anonymous that people don't

even give him a second thought.

These phrases speak of a reaction to

people. He didn't meet their standard.

He didn't have the qualifications. He

didn't come from the right place or from

the right family. There's nothing about

him that lived up to their expectations

or requirements. And on the basis of

that evaluation, they rejected him.

And notice how he's described in these

verses. He's he's a man of sorrows. He's

acquainted with grief. Jesus knew. The

servant knew what it was like for people

to suffer from sorrow, to experience

sorrow. He knew what griefs were, not

only because he could empathize with

those, but he himself learned those

things in his own life and experience.

He was fully capable of empathizing with

us. Why? Because he had experienced the

same things. These words show that he he

was empathetic. showed that he would uh

he would be one with us as Isaiah said

earlier in this book. He would become uh

a perfect one perfectly felt the things

that we feel. In fact, because he was

perfect, he felt him in a way that none

of us will ever feel them. None of us

will ever experience sorrow and grief in

the same way or to the same extent that

Jesus did, the servant of Isaiah chapter

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

53. He was despised that the verse ends

and we esteemed him not. The fact that

he didn't measure up to their standards

was the reason why people despised him

and rejected them. He he and notice the

the the verb or the pronoun there. We

esteemed him not. We rejected him. We

didn't want him because he didn't he

didn't he wasn't the kind of person we

were looking for. Think about what the

world is looking for this morning. our

world.

If if these credentials were put up on a

on a billboard someplace,

people would drive by it without even

looking.

He isn't what we're looking for. He

isn't what the world is looking for. The

world is looking for a problem solver.

The world is looking for a diplomat. The

world is looking for a politician who

can come in and solve all of our

problems.

Jesus isn't that, is he? He isn't

intended to be. Jesus is the one who has

the solution to the greatest problem of

mankind and man doesn't want it.

We reject it. So the servant would be

despised. But the servant would also be

wounded. In the next three verses in

verses four, five, six, and seven, we're

going to read about how the world will

treat this servant.

Surely the verse four opens up with and

that that really carries the the the the

force of a and of of a contrast.

Even though the world has despised him,

even the world has has rejected him, he

would be the one to bear our griefs and

carry our sorrows. There's such a

contrast between what was just said

about him and what he was truly going to

do. He's borne our griefs. Verse four,

he's carried our sorrows. Notice the

pronouns again. Our not his own, our

griefs, our sorrows. And that's not only

the physical things that he would

experience that you and I experience,

but but the spiritual as well. He

understood the full impact of sin

and its devastating results and effects

in people's lives. We sin and we take no

thought of what the consequences will

be, not only in our own lives, but in

the lives of those that are close to us.

Jesus knew those perfectly.

That's why he bore our griefs and

carried our sorrows. That's why he's a

he's spoken of as a man of sorrows and

acquainted with grief. And yet again,

the contrast yet we esteemed him in the

end of verse four. We esteemed him

stricken

by God, smitten by God and afflicted. We

misread the we misread the signs. We

misread the information. We thought that

he was suffering for himself

when in reality he was suffering for us.

But notice verse five again the word but

contrast. But he that is the servant was

pierced for our transgressions. Again

the the pronouns he was crushed for our

iniquities. Upon him the chastisement

that brought Upon him was the

chastisement that brought us peace and

with his wounds we are healed. We

rejected him,

but he served us.

We despised him, but he loved us. Loved

us enough to give himself for us.

And you can't help but think of the the

idea, the concept of substitution here,

everything that the servant would

suffer. Remember, we're looking at this

in a prophetic sense. These things

haven't historically taken place yet.

The prophet is looking six or 700 years

into the future

and he's seeing this take place and he

uses verbs that are past tense as if

they've already had taken place.

So he's looking into the future. He

knows that this is what's going to

happen.

He's going to take our place. He's going

to suffer what you and I should suffer.

He's going to be our substitute. His

death was on account of the

transgressions, account of iniquities.

He was our substitute.

Verse six. And he did that all in light

of the fact of our basic in inclination.

All we the prophet says, all we like

sheep have gone astray. We have turned

everyone to his own way.

That's what we're like, isn't it? It

describes human nature. We wander.

We roam. We leave, we desert, we

abandon.

Jesus knows knows this. The servant

knows this. And he chooses at the end of

verse four, at the end of verse six, to

bear our iniquity. And the Lord, and

that notice again, this is the Lord's

hand in all of this. And the Lord, that

is Jehovah, the Lord has laid on him the

iniquity of us all.

Verse seven continues this this

depressing symphony. He was oppressed

and he was afflicted yet he opened not

his mouth. Like a lamb that is led to

slaughter and like sheep before its

sheerers is silent. So he opened up his

mouth. He didn't he didn't fight back.

He didn't resist. He didn't dispute.

He simply followed the plan of the Lord.

He did that for all of us.

Verses 7 to9 he's cut off.

He was oppressed and he was afflicted.

Didn't open up his mouth by oppression

and judgment. Verse 8, he was taken

away. And as for his generations, who

considered that he was cut off out of

the land of the living, stricken for the

transgressions of my people?

He is unjustly mistreated.

He's oppressed and afflicted. He didn't

defend himself. He's put to death. In

verse eight, he's taken away. He's cut

off. He's stricken. Why? Because of the

transgressions of my people. He's a the

substitute, the divine substitute. He

was buried. Verse 9. And they made his

grave with the wicked and with a rich

man in his death.

But notice the end of verse 9. Although

he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

The servant was innocent. And yet he

willingly became our substitute.

And the chapter ends, the chapter ends

with a note of encouragement. This

servant, this suffering servant

would be satisfied.

He would be exalted. And that's what we

read about in verses 10 to 12. And I

want you to notice this amazing

statement as we begin verse 10. Yet

there's another contrast again in

contrast to how people treated him even

though he was innocent. Yet it was the

Lord's will to crush him. He that is the

Lord has put him to grief. It's an

amazing statement.

We don't often think of

Jesus in terms of his sacrifice.

We think it's wicked men that have done

that to him. And that's true. Peter on

the day of Pentecost, as he's preaching

to that crowd gathered in Jerusalem at

the day of Pentecost, he shares with

them a portion of this thought that it

was the Lord by by divine plan. It was

the Lord's plan that Jesus would suffer

these things.

And that's exactly what the prophet says

here. Yet, it was the Lord's will to

crush him. God's divine plan included

this suffering. Of all the things that

God the Father could have chosen to do,

all the plans that God the Father could

have come up with, this was his divine

plan. This was the best.

This was the thing that God determined.

It was the Lord's will to crush him. Uh

the New King James uses the word

pleased. It pleased the Lord to bruise

him.

Now he doesn't take pleasure in the in

the suffering itself but he takes

pleasure in the fact of what the

suffering will produce what the

sacrifice would mean in terms of its

benefit for us. And again it it it

reminds us this statement reminds us

that this is not an accident. The things

that happened to the servant here

prophetically the things that happened

to Jesus historically those were not

accidents.

Even though they seem like random

things, they seem like sinful reactions

to things that are said or done. These

are not things that are random.

This plan has been in motion since

eternity passed. It was something God

determined to do and something that the

servant, the Savior, willingly submitted

to.

And notice what happens because of his

sacrifice, the servant. Verse 10.

When his soul makes an offering for

guilt, he shall see his offspring. He

shall prolong his days. The will of the

Lord shall prosper in his hand.

What is it speaking of there? In order

for the servant who has been killed in

the last section of this chapter to see

his offspring, to prolong his days, that

requires that he's alive, doesn't it?

What are we reading about? It's it's a

cloud. It's kind of foggy. But we're

reading about the idea of the

resurrection. For the servant to be able

to prolong his days, for the servant to

be able to see his seed, for the will of

the Lord to prosper in his hand, he must

be alive to see those things happen.

We're reading about 700 years before it

happened. We're reading about the

resurrection. Isaiah is talking to us

about what would ultimately take place

in the life of Jesus Christ, the Savior

sent from heaven.

out of the anguish of his soul. He shall

see and be satisfied. This satisfi the

satisfaction comes from the settling of

the issue of sin. Jesus's death for sin

was the complete and final payment. The

penalty for sin has been paid. He died

and those who trust him will live.

He makes verse 11, he makes he makes

many to be accounted as righteous and he

shall bear their iniquities. the idea of

substitution again. Therefore, as a

result of the servant's substitutionary

sacrifice, he will be exalted.

Says in verse 12, therefore I, speaking

of the Lord, will divide him a portion

with the many, and he shall divide the

spoil with the strong. Jesus's reward

for his sacrifice. Jesus's ward reward

for his substitutionary work is that he

will be exalted

and he will continue to make sub to make

trans uh intercession rather for the

people for the transgressors. Jesus

right now is fulfilling that prophetic

promise. He's praying for you and for

me. He's making intercession for you and

for me before the father. He continues

to keep the door of access to the father

open because of his sacrifice for us. So

Isaiah chapter 53 gives us a gives us a

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

portrait of the servant of the lord the

suffering servant. And again this

portrait was written nearly 700 years

before the actual incarnation before the

actual coming of Jesus in Bethlehem.

And the servant,

the servant of Isaiah 53

can be identified as no one else other

than the infant in the manger.

We celebrate Christmas as a time to

remember Jesus's coming into the world

as a as a baby, as an infant. His

entering into our world, his living

among us here as God with us, Emanuel.

And yet the manger

is just the first step in the beginning

of the ultimate journey to the cross.

What does that tell us when we compare

what Isaiah shares about the suffering

servant and we see the the biblical

texts regarding the incarnation of Jesus

Christ? What does it tell us

about our celebrations? How does how

does it inform us about our celebrations

of Christmas?

the the celebrations we have, the joy,

the the gatherings, the rejoicing of his

incarnation really aren't complete.

They're not as fullrounded as they need

to be without a consideration of re his

redeeming work on the cross and his

glorious resurrection

from the dead.

With that in mind, I want to ask one

final question. And I know I've taken I

haven't been very long this morning. I

hope you don't mind. There's so much in

this passage and so much I had to leave

leave unsaid, but that's for you to

find.

This is the first time I've ever

preached this this passage in nearly 40

years of ministry. This is the first

time I've spoken specifically from

Isaiah chapter 53. And there's so much

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

here,

so much rich truth. And I'd challenge

you to to take some time today or in the

in the days ahead to just

look for it, read through it.

How should what we view,

how should our views of Jesus be

affected by what we've seen from Isaiah

53?

And in light of that,

how will we potentially change the

content of our celebrations?

I looked at the decorations on our

Christmas tree

and almost all of them except for the

personal, you know, the the baby's first

Christmas, those kind of things. And

almost all of them have to do with

his birth.

And and again, that's expected. I'm not

saying it shouldn't be, but there's one

one decoration on our tree, and I don't

remember where we got it, and I don't we

didn't buy it for this purpose, but it's

it's there.

It's a star,

a shape of a star made with the nails

that would represent the nails that went

into his hands and into his feet.

What can we use in our celebrations?

What can we say? What can we read in our

celebrations that will not only remind

us of the wonderful truth of God

entering into human life

through his son Jesus Christ?

I mean that in and of itself is is

hugely significant.

But that's only the beginning of the

story. That's only the first chapter

in the story of redemption.

Redemption isn't complete until we get

to the end of the gospel accounts when

we see Jesus suffering, crucified, and

risen again.

And the only thing that left left to be

told in that story is his coming again.

That should all be part of our thinking

and of our celebrations and our speaking

to one another. That should all be a

part of our joyful Christmas

celebrations.

That really is the story of Christmas.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you. We thank you for

this morning. Father, thank you for

giving the opportunity just to consider

these truths in a in an unhurried

manner. Father, there's so much more

there.

So much more that could be said, so much

more that has been written.

Father, help us to to look for those

things. help us to to to go back again

to a passage that is familiar to us

and because it's familiar we sometimes

overlook it

and to consider again

consider freshly the truths of Christ

incarnate the suffering servant of

Isaiah 53.

He came

to die. He was born with a view to the

cross.

The song we once sang years ago. He was

born in the shadow of a tree.

Father, help us to remember not only his

birth,

but his death and his resurrection.

And father, may we be busy about

our lives in this time

to announce

these truths, to proclaim these truths,

not only to one another as we're do do

here today,

but in the conversations that will take

place at school, at the job, in the

community,

on the soccer pitch,

whatever we find ourselves doing.

Father, may we take opportunity

to once again remind people that

Christmas is about Jesus. It's about his

birth. It's about his death.

That the promise that he makes to those

who will believe.

Help us Lord to be busy proclaiming that

message. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.