THE PREDICTION OF THE HUMILIATION AND CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

PROCLAMATION

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”  Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These are the words of The Lord God which were spoken to the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah.  Chapter fifty-two of The Bible Book of Isaiah begins with a call to the people of Jerusalem telling them that they will be freed from their oppressors. (Isaiah 52:1-12)  However, the remainder of the chapter deals with the prediction of the crucifixion of Christ (Isaiah 52:13-15) and fits better with chapter fifty-three.  Here, Isaiah states that the scourging which Christ was to endure would leave Him so physically marred that He could not be recognized. (Isaiah 52:14)  In chapter fifty-three he begins with the earthly childhood of Jesus, The Christ, then His rejection by His people, as well as His pain and suffering for our sins. (Isaiah 53:1-5)  He tells of the silence and the attitude of submission as Christ endured the suffering. (Isaiah 53:6-9)  He ends with the depiction of the will of God that Christ would suffer, and that it is His will that Christ be exalted. (Isaiah 53:10-12)

APPLICATION

All of us have sinned, (Romans 3:23) and the price for our sins is death. (Romans 6:23)  Jesus, The Christ, the only man free from sin, paid the debt which was owed for our sins with His crucifixion. (John 1:29, 1 Corinthians 15:3, and Isaiah 53:11)  It is by the shedding of His blood that we are justified and saved. (Romans 5:9 and Hebrews 9:12)  He was not killed at Calvary; He willingly gave up His life for us. (Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:39, Luke 23:46, and John 19:30)  We should thank God daily for the birth, life, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  Without what He did for us, we would be lost.  The Lord God laid on Christ “… the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6) and made His life an offering for our sins. (Isaiah 53:10)  Remember, this prediction of the humiliation and crucifixion of Christ was spoken by the prophet Isaiah approximately 600 to 700 years before the earthly birth of Christ.  Be thankful.

IT IS BETTER TO BE ASKED UP THAN TO BE ASKED TO STEP DOWN

Proclamation:

“Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.”  Proverbs 25:6-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King Solomon, but they were compiled by the men of Hezekiah, King of Judah. (Proverbs 25:1)  In this proverb a number of different topics are addressed.  Here, Solomon makes it clear that it is better to be invited up to a place of honor than to be asked to step down and give up the seat that you have taken.

Application:

Whether it is the pulpit, or the head table, or the VIP seating section, do not assume that you are entitled to one of the seats for the honored guests and their entourage.  The seats that closest to the honoree are usually reserved for those guests that he selects.  It is better to sit in the back of the room and be invited up to sit in one of the seats of honor, than to sit in one of those seats and be humiliated when you are asked to move and to give up that seat to another person. (Luke 14:7-10)  We should be humble and not think too highly of ourselves. (Romans 12:3)  Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Luke 14:11)

Better To Be Invited Up Than To Be Asked Down

"Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, 'Come up here,' than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman."  Proverbs 25:6-7 (NIV)

The wise man, King Solomon, taught that it is good to be humble.  It is better to be invited up to a seat of honor, than it is to take a seat among honored guests and to be humiliated by being asked to move and step down and give the seat that you took to another.  

We should not assume that there is a seat of honor reserved for us.  We should not take a seat of honor without being told to sit there.  It does not matter whether that seat is on the podium, on the stage, at the head table, at the head of the table, or in the reserved seating section, we should not assume that we are being so honored.  We should humble ourselves and sit in an unassuming place until we are invited to sit in a seat of honor.  It can be a very humiliating and embarrassing experience to be asked to give up a seat which you chose that was reserved for some one else.  Being humble can spare us a lot of hurt feelings.  It is better to be invited up, than to be asked down.  Honor is better bestowed upon us than wrongly presumed by us.  Jesus, The Christ, taught a similar lesson in a parable about the narrow door. (Luke 13:22-30)  His point was "those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."  He taught a similar lesson in the parable about a wedding. (Luke 14:7-11)  His point was "for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  This can also be applied to other situations.  Do not exalt yourself to The King of Kings, do not falsely include yourself among the righteous.  There will be those who will show up to the judgement seat at the entrance to heaven, and they will be asked to leave.

Some Of The Problems With The People Are Due To Problems With Some Of The Pastors In The Pulpit

" 'And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor My name,' says The Lord Almighty, 'I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor Me. Because of you I will rebuke your descendants ... so that my covenant with Levi may continue,' says The Lord Almighty. 'My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction; because he is the messenger of The Lord Almighty. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,' says The Lord Almighty. 'So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed My ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law." Malachi 2:1-9 (NIV)

After admonishing the people, the prophet Malachi admonished the priests. The priests were not providing a good example of Godliness for the people. Because they had caused many to stumble, God cursed them and caused the to be despised and humiliated before the people.

God does not expect any of us to be perfect. We are all sinful by nature and while we are wrapped in our earthly bodies, we will continue to sin. We were given the free will to choose to believe and to choose right rather than wrong. However, whoa be unto us if we cause others to stumble and sin. It would be better to have a milestone about our necks and be cast into the sea. (Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42, & Luke 17:2) And those who teach will be judged much more strictly. (James 3:1) Pastors and preachers need to be especially careful that they do not misinform or mislead God's people. The people need to be very careful who they follow and they need to study the Bible to make sure that what they hear is correct. Do not imitate behavior that is not Godly. Judgment is coming and it will begin with the Church. "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17)