Sermon | “Man of Sorrows”

1. What did it mean to be a servant?

1) In a recent lesson, we discussed what the word servant meant in Jesus’ day — slavery.

2) Servants were thought of as the lowest denominator of society as illustrated in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).

3) No one desired to be a servant, not even the servants themselves.

4) They owned no possessions.

5) They had no family.

6) They simply did their masters will.

7) The Roman government had severe penalties for slaves that got out of line — death by crucifixion.

8) Servants were men and women of sorrow due to their social place.

2. We note second that Jesus was the Son of God and the creator of all things.

1) He made them: John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

2) They were made for him: Col.1:16-17 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

3. Jesus chose to live as a servant.

1) Jesus didn’t choose to be a king in an earthly palace, or even the middle class; he chose poverty.

2) He had no worldly possessions to distract and delight (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58 “Foxes have holes…”).

3) He pursued no personal earthly relationships so as to have an earthly family. “And there come his mother and his brethren; and, standing without, they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35)

4) He chose to do his master’s will. John 8:29 “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”

4. Jesus was a man of sorrows because he was a servant.

1) He left heaven where He had it all to come to earth to a deprived and lowly state.

2) “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil.2:5-8).

3) He had heaven’s power at his disposal, but chose not to use it so he could be a servant. Matthew 26:53, 54 “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”

4) What mental anguish he must have borne knowing…

a. That He had left glory to suffer as a slave.

b. That He slaved to his own creation.

c. That He had the power to destroy them, yet could not.

5. Jesus was the man of sorrows because He was the Creator slaving to his creation. “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (Heb.5:8).

1. When we know the truth…

1) There isn’t anything that is nearly as deflating and discouraging as knowing that you know the truth on some particular matter, yet few, if any, want to believe that truth.

2) In fact, we consider those who set forth truth in the face of insurmountable unbelief to be heroes.

3) History remembers Diogenes who walked around the streets of Athens with a lantern seeking for an honest man.

4) Under the Old Covenant, we recall the prophet Jeremiah who prophesied that captivity was coming, yet many ignored him and perished as a result.

5) And to know that one has the truth, yet to be rejected is difficult for any man to take.

6) High School psychology class experiment.

2. Jesus knew the truth and proved it was true.

1) Jesus knew the truth.

a. John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

b. John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

c. John 8:31, 32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

2) Jesus proved His words to be true.

a. John 3:2 “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”

b. John 5:36 “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.”

c. John 10:37, 38 “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”

3. Yet many rejected Jesus.

1) John 1:11 states, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”

2) John 6:60-69 “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”

3) Ultimately, Jesus was rejected by his own people and hung on the cross, because of the message that he brought them. Matthew 27:20-23 “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.”

4. Jesus was a man of sorrows because the souls of men were dying around Him; He had the truth; He proved his words to be true, yet they would not come to him for life.

1) “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24).

2) John 5:39, 40 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and these are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”

3) John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

5. How could one not be sorrowful of those around Him when they chose death instead of life.

1. We understand the awful injustice of the innocent suffering for the guilty.

1) No one wants to suffer for someone else’s mistakes.

2) We would never want to allow the innocent to suffer for the guilty.

3) When we find that the innocent have suffered, we do everything we can to make things right.

2. Jesus was innocent.

1) 1 John 3:5 “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”

2) 1 Peter 2:22, 23 “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.”

3) Heb.4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

3. Jesus bore the sins of others.

1) Hebrews 9:28 “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

2) 2 Cor.5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

3) 1 Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

4. He was a man of sorrows because He, the innocent, suffered and died for those who were guilty.

1) Romans 5:6-8 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

2) 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”