Isaiah 53:1-3
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, A MAN OF SUFFERING, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Over the past couple of months, I've been preaching this series - In the Midst of Suffering - at my church. In this series, we looked at the truth of God's Word about the suffering that we face in this life. We know that all suffering is a result of sin, whether directly or indirectly. Suffering comes to us through trials and through discipline. But most importantly, we know that God uses all suffering in the lives of Christ followers for their GOOD and for His GLORY. Harold Kushner wrote a book entitled, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Pastor R.C. Sproul was asked a question about that book. Someone asked him, "Pastor Sproul, why do bad things happen to good people?" He gave a simple but truthful answer: "In my life, I have not met any good people, so I don't know." When it comes to suffering, every person who has ever lived or is living or ever will live is a sinner. The suffering in the life that is a result of sin is something that we all have earned. In and of ourselves there is no on who is good or does good. Romans 3:10-12 says, "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have altogether become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." Jesus is the only perfect One; He is the only good One who has ever lived.
In Isaiah 53, we read the prophecy about our Suffering Savior. Isaiah 53:3 says plainly that Jesus is "A MAN OF SUFFERING." But what does this passage of Scripture mean for you and for me today, especially in the midst of the suffering that we are facing. Because of His suffering, Jesus can relate to us on every level of our suffering. I don't believe we should ever compare our suffering with someone else. Whatever suffering you are going through, whatever level of suffering it may be, it is hard for you; it is painful, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Jesus can relate to your suffering. He was A MAN OF SUFFERING. What makes this incredible to me is that Jesus didn't deserve to suffer. Jesus didn't suffer because of His sin; Jesus never sinned. Jesus suffered BECAUSE of our sin and FOR our sin. The Bible makes it clear that there is a difference between God's discipline and God's punishment. God's discipline is for His children and out of His great love. God's punishment is for unbelievers who choose to take God's wrath due to sin. Jesus bore your sin and my sin so that we would not have to face God's punishment, His wrath. Jesus is our Sacrifice; Jesus is our Substitute. Jesus embraced the suffering so that we might be HEALED. Isaiah 53:4-6 goes on to say, "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, and he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Jesus, A MAN OF SUFFERING, embraced the ultimate suffering that you and I deserved; He did it so that we might be healed of our sinful condition and be made right with God. Jesus willingly laid down His life for us so that we might live fully and eternally!
I don't know what kind of suffering you are facing today; I don't know what level of suffering you are facing today. However, I do know why you are suffering. You are suffering as a result of sin in our world. If you are going through a trial, then your suffering is an indirect result of all sin that plagues our world. If you are going through godly discipline, then your suffering is a direct result of your sin. But the beautiful truth is this: No matter what suffering you are going through, God will use it for your GOOD and for His GLORY! As a Christ follower, you will never have to suffer the way Jesus suffered - the ultimate punishment of God's wrath because of your sin. He did that for you; He did that once and for all! In the midst of suffering that you face today, TRUST in Jesus, LEAN on Jesus, and RELY on Jesus, your Suffering Savior!
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