Prepare For Sunday | July 19th, 2026
Don't just show up on Sunday. Be prepared to meet with God.
Our desire for each worship service is for you to enter into the presence of the living God through Christ by His Spirit with His people.
The goal of this entry is to help prepare you to do that.
The Suffering Servant: A Stunning Case of Mistaken Identity | Isaiah 52:13-53:12
This Sunday, more than five billion people are expected to tune in for what many are calling the greatest FIFA World Cup Final in history as Argentina faces Spain. Fans have traveled from around the globe, and tickets have reportedly reached well over $8,000 for a single seat. Much of the world's attention will be fixed on one question: Can Lionel Messi, at 39 years old and likely playing the final match of his remarkable career, once again astonish the world with his brilliance?
History remembers those who captivate the crowds. The greatest athletes, leaders, and celebrities draw admiration because they accomplish what few others can. Yet every earthly hero eventually leaves the stage, and even the most celebrated victories fade with time.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 directs our attention to a far greater Servant. Unlike the world's champions, His path to glory came not through applause but through rejection, suffering, and humiliation. At His first coming, He was overlooked by many because He did not fit the world's expectations of greatness. His true identity remained veiled to those who saw only weakness and shame.
Join us this Sunday as we unpack this rich passage that gives us a special glimpse at the identity of the Suffering Servant while we consider what His sufferings mean for us!
Here is our Outline:
The Startling of the Servant (Isaiah 52:13-15)
The Suffering of the Servant (Isaiah 53:1-9)
The Success of the Servant (Isaiah 53:10-12)
Call To Worship:
Romans 5:6-11
Songs of Worship
(Music Pending)
Corporate Confession of Sin
Leader: Almighty God, You sent Your righteous Servant to accomplish what we never could. Yet we confess that, like sheep, we have gone astray.
All: Each of us has turned to our own way. We have trusted our wisdom more than Your Word, pursued our desires more than Your will, and loved created things more than You, our Creator.
Leader: We confess that we have underestimated the seriousness of our sin and forgotten the great cost of our redemption. Too often we have lived as though Christ's suffering was a small thing, while treating our rebellion as though it were light.
All: Thank You that the spotless Servant was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. Thank You that the punishment that brought us peace fell upon Him, and that by His wounds we are healed.
Leader: Teach us to rest not in our righteousness, but in the finished work of Jesus Christ, our crucified, risen, and exalted Savior. In His holy name we pray.
All: Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Though we have all gone astray, each turning to our own way, the Lord dealt with us by laying our iniquity upon this Suffering Servant. In Him, our sin has been fully judged, justice has been completely satisfied, and all who trust in Him are eternally forgiven.
Because He was pierced for our transgressions, our guilt is removed. Because He was crushed for our iniquities, their weight no longer crushes us. The punishment that brought us peace fell upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. He has borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, and taken away our shame so that we might receive His peace, rejoice in His salvation, and walk in the freedom of His grace.
All: Thanks Be to God
