Isaiah 53:3-7
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 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 her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (NIV)
Acts 8:32-35
The eunuch was reading this passage of scripture:
"He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
The eunuch asked Phillip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Phillip began with that very passage of scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. (NIV)
My old friend, Phillip Brooks and I wrote a song called "He is our Ransom" back some time in the late 80s or early 90s. We were in a contemporary christian band called Ransom at the time. We ministered to youth groups and area outreach efforts all around the area. I composed some music one day on the keyboard, and Phillip heard it and wanted to try putting some lyrics to it. So he took a recording of what I had played, and came back a few days later with the lyrics and melody to this song. He had taken much of the lyrics straight from Isaiah 53 which prophesies of the suffering and sacrifice of the Messiah. Worship the One who came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45) as you read these lyrics:
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 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 her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (NIV)
Acts 8:32-35
The eunuch was reading this passage of scripture:
"He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
The eunuch asked Phillip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Phillip began with that very passage of scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. (NIV)
My old friend, Phillip Brooks and I wrote a song called "He is our Ransom" back some time in the late 80s or early 90s. We were in a contemporary christian band called Ransom at the time. We ministered to youth groups and area outreach efforts all around the area. I composed some music one day on the keyboard, and Phillip heard it and wanted to try putting some lyrics to it. So he took a recording of what I had played, and came back a few days later with the lyrics and melody to this song. He had taken much of the lyrics straight from Isaiah 53 which prophesies of the suffering and sacrifice of the Messiah. Worship the One who came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45) as you read these lyrics:
(vs. 1)He was oppressed and afflicted but He did not open His mouth
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter
And as a sheep before her shearers is silent
So was the Son of Man
For He bore the sin of many and He paid the ransom for us all
(vs. 2)You are oppressed and afflicted seems like no way out
You're trapped in a web of illusion
The Man who paid the price is here to set you free
(chorus)His name is Jesus He is our Ransom
From all the powers of hell
His name is Jesus He is our Ransom
from all the cares of this world
For He bore the sin of many
And He paid the Ransom for us all
His name is Jesus He is our Ransom
From all the powers of hell
His name is Jesus He is our Ransom
from all the cares of this world
We used this song a lot when we were closing out a performance, leading into a time of invitation or prayer time. I remember seeing many young lives touched through this song and our music ministry. It was a great time of spiritual and musical growth for me. But the most memorable thing was, that as I was growing spiritually, I was coming to a greater realization of how much Jesus cared about me and how much He actually had gone through for me. And the verse that our band used on our banner became more real:
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)(NKJV)
That verse now makes me realize that it's not about us, but about those we can reach and help in Jesus' name.
Joey C.