The Majestic Suffering Servant
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Trying to reconcile the Majesty and Suffering of Christ.
Text: Luke 9:43-45
Date: 03/12/2023, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 98
Description:
After the stunning display of His refulgent glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus descended the mountain to find controversy, apostasy and evil at its base. After once again revealing His divine power by casting out a particularly tenacious demon, the crowd marveled at His majesty. But even while they are marveling, Jesus takes the opportunity to privately tell His disciples once again that He must be delivered into the hands of lawless men to be killed. Understandably, the apostles are confused as they try to grapple with the idea of the divine Son of God dying at the hands of mortal men. But as we will see this is an essential doctrine of Christianity-- that Jesus is the Incarnate Logos who came as a substitutionary sacrificial atonement for the sins of the elect. We will consider both aspects of this critical doctrine and its importance to the Christian faith. Ultimately, we will explore the confusion of the apostles and the reason this great truth was concealed from them-- and through this increase our own understanding of the Person of Jesus Christ as the Majestic Suffering Servant.
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I. Introduction, Isa. 50:6,14,53:2,3,42:1,52:13,15.
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 9:43-45.
A. Context
1. An essential distinction.
2. Confused apostles.
3. The recent exorcism.
B. Trying to comprehend the Majestic Servant.
1. Marveling at the majesty of God, vs. 43a.
a. Exploring the words.
b. The negative in the positive.
i. Failing to make a vital association.
ii. A vital principle.
1) Believing in the real Jesus, John 1:1-4.
2) Even the demons believe, James 2:19, Luke 4;34, 8:28.
3) Seeing is not necessarily believing, Col. 1:15-19.
c. The power, majesty and divinity of Christ.
2. The private revelation, vs. 43b-44, Luke 9:18, 19.
a. The "Hebraism".
b. The crucial message.
i. A play on words.
ii. Identifying the "deliverer", Matt. 26:15, 27:2; Mark 15:15; Isa. 53:6; Rom. 8:32; Eph. 5:2,25; Acts 2:23.
iii. A quickly approaching reality, Luke 9:22.
1) The Providence of the Cross.
2) Evidences from Scripture, Mark 10:45; Lev. 17:11; Acts 20:28; Gal. 3:13; Heb. 7:27, 9:12, 10:12; Rev. 5:9.
3. The lack of understanding, vs. 45.
a. A continued lack of understanding.
b. The reason for the lack of understanding.
i. Identifying the "concealer".
1) The devil, Matt. 16:23.
2) The apostles' preconceptions.
3) Jesus, Luke 9:22.
4) God Himself.
ii. Understanding "why" the truth is concealed.
1) Similar to the reason for the Messianic Secret.
2) Waiting for the Resurrection, John 16:12-13.
iii. A show of compassion.
c. Afraid to ask, vs. 45c, Luke 9:41.
III. Application
IV. Conclusion, Phil. 2:6-11.