God's Steward of a Precious Gift

 

SERMON OUTLINE ON ISAIAH 53:3–4

Title: “The Man Who Carried What Was Killing Us”
Text: Isaiah 53:3–4

BRAZAAR CHAIN

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C — CONTEXT

Isaiah 53 is the prophetic portrait of the Suffering Servant, fulfilled in Jesus Christ 700 years later.
Israel expected a conquering king; God sent a suffering Savior.
The chapter exposes two realities:

1. Human rejection of Christ

2. Divine purpose behind His suffering

Verses 3–4 specifically reveal that Jesus took the deepest parts of human brokenness—our grief, our sorrow, our sickness, our rejection—upon Himself on the cross.

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H — HIGHLIGHT

Key phrases to emphasize:

• “He was despised and rejected by men…”
  → Jesus experienced the pain of being unwanted.

• “A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…”
  → He knows what we feel; He lived in our pain.

• “We hid our faces from Him…”
  → Humanity turned away from its own Savior.

• “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”
  → He didn’t just observe our pain—He carried it.

• “Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”
  → We misunderstood His suffering; what looked like defeat was redemption.

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R — REVELATION

What God is revealing:

1. Jesus chose to enter the full weight of human rejection.

He was not forced into pain—He stepped into it to reach us.
Revelation:

The Savior who saves you is the Savior who understands you.

2. Our grief became His burden.

The Hebrew word nasa (borne) means lifted up, carried away, removed.
Revelation:

What crushes you has already been carried by Christ.

3. The world misread the cross—but God was accomplishing salvation.

People thought Jesus was suffering for His own sins, yet He was suffering for ours.
Revelation:

The place of greatest misunderstanding became the place of greatest mercy.

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I — IMPLICATION

What this means for us today:

1. You are never alone in your pain.

Jesus is “acquainted” with your grief—not as an observer, but as a participant.
Implication:

Your tears are not foreign to Him; He carried them.

2. The weight you feel is not yours to keep.

If He bore it, we don’t have to.
Implication:

Anxiety, guilt, sorrow, shame—these are illegal weights for a redeemed believer.

3. Healing begins when we stop misreading the cross.

Many believers still think God is punishing them.
Implication:

Christ was punished so you could be set free.

4. Rejecting yourself is rejecting the One who carried your rejection.

If He accepted you enough to suffer for you, you must accept His verdict over your life.

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S — SURRENDER

A call to respond:

• “Lord Jesus, I bring to You the grief and sorrow You already carried.”

• “I surrender self-condemnation. I choose Your healing instead of my heaviness.”

• “I receive the comfort of the Man of Sorrows who understands me completely.”

• “I lay down every weight You have already borne on the cross.”

Closing Declaration:

“He carried what crushed me, and now I carry His victory.”

BE BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!

Chris N. Braza, ACE