On Palm Sunday, with Easter Sunday just a week away, Pastor Pastor Josh led us through one of the most profound prophetic passages in all of Scripture — Isaiah 53. The message challenged us to remember the sufferings of the Messiah before we celebrate His resurrection. “There was no other way,” Pastor Pastor Josh said. “Christ had to suffer to pay for our sins and to ultimately usher in the glories.”
The Resurrection Is Everything
The sermon opened with 1 Peter 1:3 — one of the most exciting verses in all of Scripture:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
The resurrection is everything. It causes us to have a living hope — something that affects every single part of us. Most hopes disappoint us. But not this one. However, for all of these incredible promises to become possible, Jesus had to suffer. He had to pay the price for our sins and suffer the full wrath of God.
Two Messiahs? The Jewish Expectation
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:10-11 that the prophets “prophesied about the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.” But during Christ’s day, the Jews weren’t sure whether there was one Messiah or two.
They looked at the Old Testament prophecies and saw two distinct sets of expectations:
- Messiah Ben Joseph — the suffering servant who would be pierced and crushed for sins
- Messiah Ben David — the conquering king who would reign in glory
Even John the Baptist — the man who baptized Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit descend — wasn’t entirely sure. In Luke 7:18-23, John sent disciples to ask Jesus: “Are You the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
Jesus’ answer? He pointed to His miracles — the blind see, the lame walk, the dead are raised, the poor have good news preached to them. He was both Messiah Ben Joseph and Messiah Ben David. He was the suffering servant and the conquering king. But first — He had to suffer.
Isaiah 53: Written 750 Years Before
The heart of the message was Isaiah 53 — a single chapter written approximately 750 years before Christ was born. To put that in perspective: that was before the printing press, before America was discovered, before air conditioning was invented.
And yet Isaiah wrote with perfect precision about the Messiah who would come:
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief… Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”
“But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.”
And the most shocking verse of all — Isaiah 53:10:
“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him.”
Not suggestions. Not possibilities. The will of God the Father was to crush His own Son for our sins.
How Christ Fulfilled Every Prophecy
Pastor Pastor Josh highlighted several ways Christ literally fulfilled these ancient prophecies:
Pierced for Our Transgressions
Isaiah 53:5 says the Messiah would be pierced. In John 19:31-37, after Jesus had already died, a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear — fulfilling both Isaiah 53 and Zechariah 12:10: “They will look on Him whom they have pierced.”
Crushed for Our Iniquities
The word crushed refers to Christ’s physical death — His body broken, His blood spilled out for our sins. Romans 5:9 says, “Since therefore we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.”
But the most powerful statement comes from 2 Corinthians 5:21 — a verse Pastor Pastor Josh called one every believer should have “burned into your soul and mind”:
“For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
God took our sin and placed it on Jesus. He was pierced. He was crushed. He was afflicted. This was the only way.
The Iniquity of Us All
Isaiah 53:6 says, “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.”
Jesus was the ultimate substitute. Where the Old Testament sacrificial system required animals to die repeatedly, Christ offered Himself once — the perfect, final sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 9:27-28).
Not an Accident — God’s Eternal Plan
Some might think Jesus simply stumbled into a bad situation. But Peter at Pentecost made clear: it was “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). The Father chose before the foundation of the world that our salvation would come only through the suffering of the Messiah.
Pastor Pastor Josh closed with this challenge:
“Before we celebrate the resurrection next Sunday, it’s important for us to remember that there was no other way for our sins to be paid for. There was no other way for the Messiah to enjoy the glories unless He went through the sufferings.”
Key Takeaways
- The resurrection means nothing without the cross. We can’t celebrate Easter without first understanding what Christ endured to make our salvation possible.
- Christ’s suffering was God’s will, not an accident. Before the foundation of the world, God planned to crush His Son for your sins and mine.
- He was both Messiah Ben Joseph and Ben David. The suffering servant who died and the coming King who will reign. He had to suffer first — then comes glory.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 should be memorized. God made Jesus to be sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
- Make this week count. Read Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Matthew 21-28, John 12-20. Attend the Good Friday service at 6:30 PM. Sign up for an hour of prayer.
A Call to Response
If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus Christ, today can be the day. The Gospel is simple: confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10).
For those who have already trusted in Christ — this is the week to remember His suffering before we celebrate His resurrection. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity (2 Peter 3:18).
Scripture References
- 1 Peter 1:3 — Born again to a living hope
- 1 Peter 1:10-11 — The prophets prophesied about Christ’s sufferings and subsequent glories
- 1 Peter 2:24 — He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree
- Isaiah 53 — The suffering Messiah prophesied 750 years before
- Isaiah 53:5 — Pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities
- Isaiah 53:6 — The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all
- Isaiah 53:10 — It was the will of the Lord to crush Him
- John 1:29 — Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
- John 19:31-37 — A soldier pierces Jesus’ side
- Romans 5:9-10 — Justified by His blood, saved from wrath by His life
- Romans 10:9-10 — Confess with your mouth, believe in your heart
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 — He made Him to be sin so that we might become righteousness
- Hebrews 9:27-28 — Appointed for man to die once, then judgment; Christ offered once to bear sins
- Acts 2:22-24 — Delivered up by God’s definite plan; crucified by lawless men
- 2 Peter 3:18 — Grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ