Jesus Christ, Son Of God

Jesus Christ, Son of God

and Man of Destiny.

Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12

As you look through the pages of history, from time to time, you come across a man or woman who it seems is a person of destiny. Some have even made such claims. From time to time you see people who seem to have a calling that is beyond that of their compatriots, and God raises them up to fulfill a great purpose.

Men such as Abraham, who is seen as the father of the Jewish race, a man who was called the friend of God. As you read His life it is soon seen that his life was carefully mapped out.

Moses, right from his childhood the hand of God is seen to be upon his life, protecting, nurturing and guiding. The man used of God to liberate the nation from Egypt. It took a few short days to get Moses out of Egypt, but some forty years to get Egypt out of Moses. The same was true of the nation. Moses a man of destiny to be used of God was still human and subject to failure. We could look at others, such as Deborah, Gideon, Samson, Ruth, Samuel, David, Esther, Nehemiah, Josiah, Daniel, Jonah and others, who are recorded in the pages of the Old Testament.

They are recorded for our learning, our patience, our comfort and our hope.

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." (Romans 15:4).

Yet they, and many others, looked forward to the One Person, who’s destiny was to change the whole world. His life, teaching, death and resurrection has had the most profound effect on our world.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, Man of Destiny.

His birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection, along with His Second Coming, are all predicted in the pages of the Old Testament. Yet the most profound aspect of His destiny is His death.

Such Scriptures as Psalm 22:14-17, written hundreds years before His birth, point to the fact that His hands and feet would be pierced at His crucifixion.

Psalm 22:14-17; "I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; heart is like wax within Me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. pierced My hands and My feet;

I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me."

Zechariah 12:10 + 13:16 points to the same thing.

The fact that He was to was to be offered gall and vinegar while upon the cross, is predicted in:

Psalm 69:2 1; "The also gave Me gall for My food, and for My thirst the gave Me vinegar to drink."

Jesus cried from the cross, "I thirst," and they tried to give Him gall and vinegar.

Isaiah 52:9-12; which we read, showed that He was to be crucified with malefactors.

Yet not a bone was to be broken in His body.

Psalm 34:20; "He guards all His bones; Not one of them is broken."

When they came to Jesus, He was already dead. So they did not break any of His bones. They were to cast lots for His garments, Psalm 22:18 and Isaiah 53:9, tells us He was to be buried in a rich mans tomb. All this points to a man of destiny, But what destiny? Why die? Why come for such a cruel end?

The Bible teaches that this terrible death was necessary for our redemption (bring back to God.) Paul we are told would go from the synagogues;

Acts 17:3; "… explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead."

Jesus, talking to His disciples after His resurrection told them;

Luke 24:46; "This is what is written: "The Christ will suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day."

Man’s had an account in with God that was is chronic deficit. God the Holy Pure God had seen man’s sin progressively getting worse. Yet man is unable to pay the penalty for his sins. Someone else had to pay for man to be redeemed.

His death was ordained by God.

Peter proclaimed to the Jews on the day of Pentecost.

"This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death..."

Jesus had said to Pilate; "You would have no authority over men unless it had been given to him from God."

Isaiah 53:10; "Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the LORD make His life a guilty offering."