53 Who will believe 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 men,
  a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
  he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
  and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
  smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
  he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
  and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
  each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
  the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted.
  yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
  and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
  so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgement he was taken away.
  And who can speak of his decendents?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
  for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
  and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
  nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD'S will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
  and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
  and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul,
  he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge he my righteous servant will justify many,
  and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
  and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
  and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sins of many,
  and made intercession for the transgressors.

1. God takes us seriously: but we don't take him seriously. (53:6)

2. God takes us so seriously that he promises to punish us if we continue ignoring him.

3. God takes us so seriously he even killed his own Son Jesus. (53:4,10)

4. Jesus did nothing wrong. (53:9)

5. Jesus took the punishment we deserve so we won't have to be punished. (53:5)

Conclusion: Being Serious

We take exams seriously.
How did you go?

Imagine for a moment that you did really well but someone else was given your good mark. Imagine that you were given someone else's bad mark. Who comes bottom of your class? Imagine you were given their mark! It went on your report and you had to explain it to your parents. It's a horrible thought and totally unfair.

Christianity is about this idea.
God explains it to us in Isaiah 53, today's reading.

We take exams seriously but God takes us even more seriously- that's what the Bible is all about and that's why Jesus died. Let's see how God explains it to us here in Isaiah 53.
 

'We all, like sheep, have gone astray,each of us has turned to his own way.'

Where did the world come from?
Where did you come from?
Why are you here?

God tells us plainly in the Bible that he made everything. Of course that means he made us too. Think about it for a moment- God made you. He gave you eyes and hair and a brain. He made your friends and family. Have you ever thanked him?

Most importantly, God made us to know and enjoy knowing him forever. But we just don't take this seriously. Do you?

God takes us seriously: but we don't take him seriously. That's what God is telling us here in Isaiah. 'We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.'
 

God doesn't let us kid ourselves that we're his friends. In the Bible he points out over and over again that we ignore him and that he's angry. He warns us that we can't live without him, that if we keep ignoring him and going our own way we'll die. God did not make us just to do our own thing, he made us to be his friends. God's the boss, the only choice we have is to be friends or to go our own way and die. God takes us so seriously that he promises to punish us if we continue ignoring him.

But how can we become God's friend?
How can we escape the punishment we already deserve?
 

'We considered him stricken by God,   smitten by him, and afflicted.'
'It was the LORD'S will to crush him and cause him to suffer.'

Who killed Jesus?

There are three good answers to this question.

1. The Bible tells us the Romans tortured Jesus to death because the Jews asked them to.

2. The Bible tells us that it is our fault- you and me. Jesus had to die because of what you and I are like.

3. The Bible tells us here in Isaiah 53 that God killed Jesus.
Jesus was stricken, smitten, afflicted, crushed, caused to suffer by God.
Stricken means hit hard, like strike. Smitten means hit so it hurts. Afflicted means to be caused to suffer.

Jesus last words are recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Some of his last words were:

Forsaken means abandoned, left alone to die, no longer treated as a friend. God takes us so seriously he even killed his own Son Jesus.
 

'He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.'

Jesus was perfect. He never ignored God. Nor did he ever hurt anyone. He never lied either. We've all told lies, I have, you have. Just try going a week without lying at least once. Jesus was not like us, he was perfect. It it came to an exam he would get full marks, 100%. Jesus did nothing wrong. As Isaiah says: 'He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.'
 

'He was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.'

Just as if you topped the class but were given the bottom mark and the bottom student was given your top mark, so Jesus took our punishment so we can have his friendship with God. This is the way of the cross- the via crucis of our school motto.
 

The Bible makes it clear that not everyone will enjoy the everlasting joy God has prepared for his people. This will only be enjoyed by those who see they deserve the punishment Jesus took for them. Do you take God seriously? He takes you very seriously. Listen to what he tells you in the Bible. Listen in chapel, listen in Christian Development classes. Come along to year 7 to 9 Bible study room 15 at lunch today. Go to the senior group tomorrow lunchtime.

God's the boss, gentlemen, not you, not me. But he's the best boss. Listen to him and enjoy him. Via Crucis Via Lucis. The way of the cross is the way of light. Take God as seriously as he takes you!