Coming Soon: He Has Come!
The History of Second City Church
(Pastor Rollan gave an overview of the history of Second City Church which can also be explored on the church's website.)
Easter is observed worldwide to commemorate the life, miracles, teachings, and, ultimately, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. To fully celebrate the beauty and power of Easter, we need to be open to looking at what we've always heard differently, acknowledge the struggles of humanity, and embrace the Savior who has come.
(Pastor Rollan read the passage from Isaiah below without making a quote reference.)
I once asked a man on a plane to listen to this description without knowing who I was, what I did for a living, or about whom the passage was speaking. I am asking you to do the same this morning and see what we can discover about the subject and the author from these statements.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (NIV)
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness— 15 so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. 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. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken 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 on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our 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 its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 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 an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge 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 sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
The man's answer on the plane next to me, who had grown up culturally Jewish and was amazed at the location of the passage, said without hesitation that it referred to the historical Jesus Christ.
Seeing Things Differently
“The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be minds.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
Historic evidences for the resurrection will be discussed later. This Easter we will focus on the God who created an address in space, time, and history to bring the prophesied Messiah, the Savior of the world. Think about how many prophecies were fulfilled in Christ and the astronomical statistical improbability.
The author is God, who 700 years before the birth and ministry of Jesus, was giving, through the prophet Isaiah, a URL address of what the promised Messiah, the Savior of both the Jewish and Gentile world, would look like when He came.
Second Look
At Second City Church, part of our motto is that we hope that you will take a second look at Jesus of Nazareth, to rediscover, beyond the tidal waves of misinformed aversion in popular culture, why He in fact is good and alone is worthy of our worship.
"Throughout the New Testament the apostles appealed to two areas of the life of Jesus of Nazareth to establish his messiahship. One was the resurrection and the other was fulfilled messianic prophecy. The Old Testament, written over a one-thousand year period, contains nearly three hundred references to the coming Messiah. All of these were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and they establish a solid confirmation of His credentials as Messiah." -Josh McDowell, Evidence for Christianity
"Isaiah revealed the manner of the Messiah's birth (of a virgin); Micah pinpointed the place of his birth (Bethlehem); Genesis and Jeremiah specified his ancestry (a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from the tribe of Judah, the house of David); the Psalms foretold his betrayal, his accusation by false witnesses, his manner of death (pierced in hands and feet, although crucifixion hadn't been invented yet), and his resurrection (he would not decay but would ascend on high); and on and on." -Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ
Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness— so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. (Isaiah 52:14, 15 NIV)
The Struggles of Humanity
“Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman.” ― Maya Angelou
The point of all of this is that God sees and God knows. God knew in advance the family in which you would grow up and the experiences, both good and bad that would shape you. He saw every triumph, every hurt, every disappointment, and every success. In the midst of all of your triumphs and pains, God has brought you to this moment and has determined to be the Savior who would both carry and heal your pain. He offers you His grace taking on the punishments that we rightly deserve for decisions we have made. The self-inflicted trauma He has taken upon Himself.
Huston Smith in The World's Religions said there are only two people in human history about whom people marveled to the extent that they didn't just ask who are you, but what are you? The first was Jesus Christ, and the second was Buddha. The difference, however, is the diametrically opposed responses that they gave of themselves. In both instances, people wanted to worship them because they had never seen such integrity, beauty, wisdom, and compassion. Buddha said absolutely not, look to my Darhma, my teaching, I am not a god. Jesus, on the other hand, when He was worshiped, unequivocally took it (Paraphrased from Timothy Keller's Who is This Jesus? podcast 8:20-9:30).
The Savior Who Has Come
A friend of mine and my wife's recently spoke of sleeping with other women's husbands throughout the years, but feeling no sense that justice should be paid. God, she thinks, would never call those former deeds to account and send her to hell. The wives would think differently.
What is God's nature?
He is gracious, and, therefore, this is a message of God's own benevolence resulting in our being the beneficiaries. It is good news, because there was bad news first. The bad news for us, that we were destroying our lives by our own decisions and those that were thrust upon us, was absorbed fully in the sacrifice of this servant. Despite our cultural, familial, or chosen ignorance of His person, God continues in loving pursuit of His Creation. To those who do not know, He makes Himself known and rescues us from the product of sin in our lives. This salvation is without merit on our part and is available to all.
Maybe you are truly seeing Jesus for the first time. If that is the case, your love for Him can be every bit as real starting today as if you had accepted Him all of your life. All it takes is a change of mind, a change of heart, a willingness to submit and receive what He has done for you as the suffering King.
“The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
He has come, and He has promised to make a return, so we must be ready.
Second City Church- Coming Soon Sermon Series 2013