Sunday, April 4, 2010

Isaiah's Greatest Prophecy




I wanted to take a break from my current series just to post something about the Resurrection Sunday.

Today, at an African church in central Amsterdam, I preached my first Easter sermon. I chose to use Isaiah 53, the Messianic Prophecy. Read this powerful passage that speaks about the passion of our Lord.

1Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has
the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2For 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.
3 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.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 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.
6 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.

7He 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.
8By 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 transgression of my people?
9And 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.

10Yet 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.
11Out of the anguish of his soul 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.
12 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 makes intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53)


The service went really well. It was my first time preaching without notes.

Next week I will resume my series, Challengeing Conventional Christian Wisdom. I have a lot more to say on the subject, but nothing is more important than Resurrection Sunday.

God Bless, and spend quality time with your family.

Oh, and what do you think of the new layout?
Feedback wanted.

2 comments:

  1. Like it very much. Didn't see much of the old layout, but no need to change as far as I see.

    I'm really happy to hear you're doing well. My parents will be moving to London (only for 6 months), starting in a month or so. I'll be coming over to visit sometime this summer. But I'm thinking you and the MISSES will be gone by then.

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  2. I'm loving the layout. Nice and bright.

    ReplyDelete