15/04/2022
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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turnedโevery oneโto his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. - ISAIAH 53:4โ6
The prophet Isaiah revealed that the Suffering Servant would bear the griefs and sorrows of His people. These words speak of lifeโs pain and anguish and the resulting weakness. Weโve seen that this can be spiritual, psychological, emotional, or physical.
The conclusion of Isaiahโs hearers was that this was Godโs punishment upon the Suffering Servant. However, Isaiah explained that this Suffering Servant was going to take upon Himself the punishment we deserved. Isaiah declared that the Servant was acting wisely in what He was about to go through (Isaiah 52:13). Why was the Servantโs suffering considered an act of wisdom? We realize from the rest of Scripture that the wisdom of God is considered foolishness by men (1 Corinthians 1:18), but it is in the โfoolishnessโ of Godโs ways, through the cross, that people would be saved (1 Corinthians 1:22โ25). The prophet anticipated the horrible pain and suffering the Servant would have to endure, not as punishment for His own sins, but as the substitute for the people whom God wanted to save. It was by the wounds inflicted upon Him that we would receive redemption, healing, and victory.
Gospel accounts like this in Matthew describe how Jesus fulfilled Isaiahโs prophecy. His work in healing and delivering as He preached was a demonstration of the gospel of the kingdom. He not only healed Peterโs mother-in-law from fever and others who were sick, but He also delivered many from demonic bo***ge and oppression.
To put it another way, the same sacrifice Jesus paid for the forgiveness of sin, He paid for our healing and restoration; not only that, it was the same sacrifice made to give us victory over spiritual oppression.
This oppression can manifest in various ways, such as irrational fear and anxiety, lust and prolonged depression. The good news is that through the work of Christ on the cross, we have been delivered from all the power of the enemy. Depending on the severity of the oppression, it might be necessary to ask those in our church community for prayer. Together, we believe that through the authority of Jesusโ name and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can experience freedom from every oppression.
Through the work of Christ on the cross, we have been delivered from all the power of the enemy.
