The Cross is the Main Event

“The Cross is the Main Event”

J.I. Packer said the cross…takes us to the very heart of the Christian gospel. I want to focus on some key aspects at the heart of the gospel as seen in Isaiah chapter 53: What Jesus did; why He did it and what results.

What did Jesus do?
Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave. 1 Cor. 15:3-5. Born in humble circumstances, most would not have picked Him out of a lineup of would-be Saviors. As Isaiah 53:2 says, He had no form, no majesty, no beauty. Just common folk; and yet, the Servant’s entire ministry was uncommon. People were not thinking manger, stable, baby born in Bethlehem but conquering superhero. But the incarnation pointed to the cross. Jesus came to earth to die. Isaiah 53:3 He was despised, rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief not his own. It was due to one truth.

He was our substitute. He took what we deserved. Isaiah 53:4 says He took our griefs, our sorrows, we esteemed stricken, smitten, afflicted. Esteemed is an accounting word, a reckoning of value, what eyes saw and minds comprehended added up to zero. Isaiah 53:5 He was wounded for our transgressions (our willful, rebellious, deliberate sin against God and His Word), and crushed for our iniquities (bend double, the bentness or pervertedness of human nature; the result of the Fall & and ongoing nature of sin). His sufferings were for us but we had no part in them, people stood back and figured He deserved all He got – but it was us who deserved the punishment not Him. He dealt with our moral and spiritual need.

We are not mentioned except for being the contributing factor in the sin which caused His pain. With no cooperation or understanding from us, the Servant took on Himself all our sins. He dealt with our sin, our alienation from God, the marred image of God in us. He was not punished for any fault of His own, but as a result of our sin. This is known as the substitutionary atonement. The shedding of blood for the remission of sins, Christ dying in our place. He did not merely suffer because of the people’s sins, but in the place of the people. 53:4 signifies Substitution; 53:5 that it was Penal. Jesus was penalized for our sins. Penal Substitution. He deserved praise not punishment but He chose the cross. He acted by means of substitution. 53:4 He lifts up and loads our needs upon Himself; 53:5 His sufferings the penalty which He paid for our sins. The punishment essential to our peace with God fell on Him.

Why did Jesus do it? (check out tomorrow's blog on the web to find out!)