Let us turn to God's Word in
that portion that we read in the New Testament. The Gospel
according to St. John chapter 12 and we read for
our text verses 37 and 38. John chapter 12 and verses 37
and 38. But though He had done so many
miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him, that the
saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled which is by
Lord who hath believed our reports and to whom hath the arm of the
Lord been revealed. Here in John chapter 12 and verses
37 and 38 and we read here something of the impossibility of faith
that though he had done so many miracles before them Yet they
believe not on him, that the saying of Isaiah's prophet might
be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report,
and to whom of the arm of the Lord been revealed." The word that's being referred
to is that that we find at the beginning of that remarkable
53rd chapter in Isaiah's prophecy. And interestingly, it's not only
referred to here in the Gospel of John, but also references
made to that Scripture by Paul in Romans chapter 10 and verse
16. But they have not all obeyed
the Gospel. For as I have said, Lord, who
hath believed our reports? It is then a significant portion
of Scripture in that it is quoted on these two occasions in the
New Testament. That means that there is a three-fold
reference to it in all the Word of God and that three-fold cord
is not easily broken. We just sang in that lovely hymn
of the great work that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished by
his death upon the cross. And there at the end of the second
verse, how striking is that line, I'm a miracle of grace. Every believer is a miracle of
grace. It must be so because faith is
such an impossible thing, as we see here in our text, as we
also see in that reference that we just made to that 10th chapter
in the epistle to the Romans. Every believer, everyone who
comes to true faith, to saving faith, is a miracle of the grace
of God. The Lord Jesus, during the course
of His earthly ministry, we know, performed numerous miracles. In fact, in the previous chapter
here, in the 11th chapter, We have the record of Christ raising
from the dead his friend Lazarus. What a miracle that was. And
how it seemed to impress the multitudes. Here at the beginning
of chapter 12, we read then, Jesus six days before the Passover
came to Bethany where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom
He raised from the dead. And then at verse 9, much people
of the Jews therefore knew that He was there, and they came,
not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also
whom He had raised from the dead. It was a truly remarkable incident
when Christ raised that man again from the dead. How He spoke with
such authority there at the grave. As the sister had said, they
had been dead now four days and the body would already be corrupting
in stink as she said and yet we are told how the Lord speaks
to that corpse there in chapter 11 and verse 43 He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth! And he that was dead came forth,
bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound
about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, Loose him,
and let him go. Oh, what a miracle it was, the
Lord Jesus able to perform these great feats, because God was
with him. Remember the significance of
all the miracles that the Lord performs so that always we see
that those miracles are something that is quite secondary to his
prophetic ministry, to his preaching ministry. Throughout John's Gospel,
the particular word that is used repeatedly in reference to these
mighty works is really the word for a sign. It's the Greek word
for a sign. That's the primary meaning of
it, though it also has the idea of a miracle. And when Nicodemus,
one of the Jewish rabbis, comes to the Lord Jesus under cover
of darkness here in John chapter 3, remember what Nicodemus says
to Christ, 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. God was with him. And God was
owning and acknowledging His ministry and doing that by means
of those mighty works, those miracles that the Lord performed. Remember some years ago being
struck by the title of one of the sermons of J.C. Philpott
in the Gospel pulpit. He bore the title, Miracles Not
Ceased. Miracles Not Ceased. And in a
sense that is true, is it not? Miracles have not ceased. Because
faith, saving faith, is a remarkable miracle. When we think of the
impossibility of faith. Though he had done so many miracles
before them, yet they believed not on him. that the saying of
Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath
believed our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been
revealed? For there are miracles still
where those dead in trespasses and sins are born again, and
by the gracious working of the Spirit of God they are brought
to saving faith. to a simple trusting in the Lord
Jesus for all their salvation. That's a miracle. That's a miracle
of grace. Now that sermon that I referred
to of Mr. Philpott was his exposition of
those words that we have in Matthew 11 when the Lord Jesus speaks
to the disciples of John the Baptist. John had sent his followers
to Christ. John was in the prison and he
He's doubtful now, is Jesus of Nazareth really the promised
Messiah? And how does the Lord answer
those disciples? This was the text that Mr. Philpott preached that sermon,
miracles not ceased from, words that we have in Matthew chapter
11, verse 4, Following, Jesus answered and
said unto them, Go, and show John again those things which
ye do hear and see. The blind receive their sight,
and the lame walk, and the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear,
and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached
to them, and blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in mine. miracles are not ceased. But
see, there in verse 5, those mighty works all lead up to this
one thing that the poor have the gospel preached unto them. Oh, that is the great thing,
the preaching of the gospel. And the result, the consequence
of that preaching where the Spirit of God is, there are still miracles
when sinners are brought to saving faith. Well, it has come. to the words of our text this
morning here in John 12 and verses 37 and 38. And first of all,
to ask the question, what is this report that is being spoken
of? This quotation from Isaiah 53 the saying of Esaias, the Greek
form of course of the Hebrew name Isaiah, Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled which he spake, Lord who hath believed our report. What is this report? Well back in Isaiah, in the margin
there at verse 1 of that chapter, we see that an alternative reading
would be doctrine. Who has believed our doctrine? In fact, we are told in the margin
that the Hebrew is literally the word for hearing. It is a
report. It is that which is being declared.
It is the doctrine. What is this doctrine? Well,
it is really the Gospel. And it is that gospel that centers
in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because
immediately, in the second verse of Isaiah 53, the prophet goes
on to speak of the person of the Lord Jesus. He shall grow
up before him as a tender plant, it says. and as a root out of the dry
ground it has no form or commonness And when we shall see him there
is no beauty that we should desire him. It's speaking of his physical
appearance as he comes into this world as a real man. He goes on subsequently in his
report, in his doctrine to speak more of this person. He makes
reference to the soul of the Lord Jesus. When thou shalt make
his soul an offering for sin, Then again he says he shall see
of the travail of his soul. Here is one who is body and soul
is a real person, is a real man. This is the subject matter of
the report. It concerns a particular individual. that we learn something more
concerning this individual here in this portion in Matthew in
John chapter 12 because John goes on to refer further to the
prophecy of Isaiah He says at verse 40, he has blinded, well
he says, therefore they could not believe because Esaias said
again, he has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that
they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their
heart and be converted and I should heal them. These things said
Esaias when he saw his glory and spake of it. This person
then, of whom Isaiah is speaking as he makes reference to the
impossibility of men and women being brought to saving faith
in and of themselves, this person is the one whose glory Isaiah
saw. And what was that glory that
he saw? It's that that's spoken of back in Isaiah chapter 6,
when he is favoured with that remarkable vision of Jehovah,
he sees the Lord upon his throne and he sees the seraphims about
the throne of God and now they cry, holy, holy, holy Lord God
of hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory, why the thrice
holy Jehovah, holy Father, holy Son and Holy Spirit, Isaiah saw
his glory This report then concerns one who is a man, and yet this man is one who is also
true Almighty God. Why this report concerns that
great mystery of the Incarnation, that God was manifest in the
flesh, that the Word was made flesh, as John says there in
the opening chapter of this Gospel. and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth." Well, this is the report you see. Lord, you have believed our report. This that centers in the person
of the Lord Jesus, but not only in His person. As we read on
there in that 53rd chapter, and you are familiar with the content
of that chapter, how it speaks of His work. how it speaks of
his sufferings this is that great work that he came to accomplish
if we go back into chapter 52 and verse 13 it says behold my
servant shall deal prudently oh how he deals so prudently
in all the execution of the work that the father had given him
to do how he will accomplish that work he goes on to say by
his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify men. He is the
Lord's servant, He is the Lord's righteous servant and now is
it that He justifies many by the obedience of the life that
He lives? That life that is without any
sin. He is ever the righteous servant
of God who comes only to do all the Father's goodwill and pleasure. He speaks only the words that
the Father had given to him, as we see at the end of this
chapter. I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which
sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say and what I
should speak, and I know that His commandment is life everlasting. Whatsoever I speak, therefore,
even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. He only spoke
the words that the Father gave Him. He only did the deeds that
the Father commanded Him to do. ever the righteous servant of
God the report concerns him in all his work and ultimately of
course as we see there in Isaiah 53 he was that one who made the
great sin atoning sacrifice he gave himself as a substitute
in the place of his people. He bore in his own person all
the punishments of their sins. Sure that he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him. and with his stripes
we are healed. Or we like sheep have gone astray,
we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all." This is a report. It concerns
this one who is God's servant. He is the Lord's righteous servant. He is the Lord's suffering servant. He is that One who is spoken
of previously in Isaiah 42. Behold My servant, whom I uphold,
Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth. I have put My Spirit upon Him. He is the anointed servant, the
Christ. And we know that those words
in Isaiah 42 belong to the Lord Jesus because we are told quite
specifically here in the New Testament. They have their fulfilment
in Christ according to that language that we find in Matthew's Gospel. In Matthew chapter 12 and there at verse 14 following how the Pharisees
went out and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence, and great
multitudes followed him, and he healed them all, and charged
them that they should not make him known, that it might be fulfilled,
which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant,
whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased,
I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to
the Gentiles, he shall not strive. nor cry, neither shall any man
hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break,
and smoking flags shall he not quench, till he send forth judgments
unto victory." Quite specifically then Matthew tells us that this
Jesus of Nazareth is that one who is the true servant of the
Lord. And all of the report concerns
him, his person, as God-man His work is obedience in life is
obedience unto death even the death of the cross but then furthermore
with regards to the report are we not to recognize that it is
also the promise of God this is a what Isaiah the prophet is proclaiming. It's the great promise of God. It's the Gospel. And it's interesting
to observe how that we see the Gospel here ultimately in terms
of promise. I think one of the best definitions
we find in Scripture of what the Gospel is is that that's
contained in the opening verses of Paul's epistle to the Romans.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated
unto the gospel of God, which he had promised afore by his
prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ
our Lord. Now, Paul immediately in this
epistle begins to give a definition of that gospel that he had been
separated onto. It's God's gospel. It's what
God had promised before in the Prophets, in the Old Testament
Scriptures. And he concerns his Son, Jesus
Christ, our Lord. The great message of the Prophets
is that they proclaim this promise. And when we come to the New Testament,
interestingly, the Greek word for promise is very similar to the Greek
word for gospel. Our English word, evangelical,
is really a transliteration of the Greek word that we know as
gospel. It's normally translated as gospel.
But literally, it is the word evangelical. But the word promise
is from the same root, and is very similar in sound to that
word. We might say that the words are
synonymous. The gospel is promise. And do
we not see that when we come to the ministry of the Apostles
in the Acts? What is it that they are proclaiming?
What is it that they are preaching? Look at the record that we have
concerning Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost. We have
a very full account of his sermon and in the course of his preaching
he says, the promises are to you and to your children and
to them which are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall
call." He defines his message that he is preaching as the promise. The promise, he says, is unto
you. And also in the Acts we have
a detailed account of the sermon that was preached by Paul at
Antioch in Pisidia. And again we see that Paul, like
Peter, speaks of the Gospel in terms of God's promise. There,
in verse 32 of Acts 13, we declare unto you glad tidings, O that
the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled
the same unto us, their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus
again, as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art
my Son. This day have I begotten thee. All the good tidings. The Gospel
that is being preached, it is the promise made to the fathers
and now fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? All the promises
of God. In Him are ye and in Him are
men to the glory of God by us, says Paul to the Corinthians.
All God's promises. they center in the Lord Jesus
Christ and do we not see that in that 53rd chapter of Isaiah
it all leads up to those last two verses and what we have there
in verses 11 and 12 of Isaiah 53 is God's promise to Christ
He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied."
The shalls, the wills, the certainties. What God is promising is that
He is not going to suffer in vain. All those, as many as the
Father had given to Him in the Eternal Covenant, they shall
be saved. He shall save the travail of
His soul and shall be satisfied by His knowledge. Shall my righteous
servant justify men? for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a
portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoiled with
the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death. And
he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bared the sin of men,
and made intercession for the transgressors." Or the report. This that Isaiah speaks of, it
concerns the Lord Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. It concerns
Him in His person. He is a man, yes, but He is also
God. It is God manifest in the flesh
that we behold in the mystery of that person. It is that great
work that He has accomplished. He is the Lord's righteous servant,
obeying all the will of His Father. And yet that righteous and just
and holy One, the very One who suffers as a substitute, who
bears in His own person all that punishment that was due to the
sins of His people. And this promise of the Old Testament
prophets all fulfilled in the New Testament with the coming
of the Lord Jesus as He executes that great work. This is the
report This is the report that we have here. And yet we read
these words, Though he, that is the Lord Jesus, had done so
many miracles before him, yet they believed not on him, that
the saying of Isaiah's prophet might be fulfilled, which he
spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath
the arm of the Lord been revealed? All the impossibilities Although this report is proclaimed, this gospel
is reported on to men, they will not and they cannot believe it.
The impossibility of faith. The natural man, he receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolishness
unto him. Neither can he know them. because
they are spiritually discerned. How true it is. Or the natural
man, man in his natural condition. The carnal mind says, Paul, its
enmity against God is not subject to the law of God. Neither, indeed,
can be. That's man's natural mind, the
carnal mind, the mind that we're all born with. For with those
you see whose understanding is darkened, alienated from the
life of God through the ignorance that is in us because of the
blindness and the hardness of our hearts. All the report is proclaimed,
the gospel is set forth, and yet men do not and cannot believe
it, even though all that ministry of the Lord Jesus was confirmed
by mighty deeds, by remarkable miracles, and just now the miracle
of the rising of Lazarus, his friend, from the dead. And yet, this is what God has
ordained, the preaching of the Gospel. The report is to go forth. It
was Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, but also martyr at the time of
the Protestant Reformation, he was a great preacher and he said,
preaching is the only office that God hath ordained to save
us by. Therefore let us maintain this. Or to maintain preaching there
is to be that preaching. And yet, what is the result of
the preaching? They don't believe. They close
their ears. Their minds are darkened. The
natural man doesn't receive the things of the Spirit of God.
And yet God Himself has given us this office and we see that
quite clearly when we come to the New Testament. It's not just
the language of a Protestant martyr. That Protestant martyr
is simply declaring in his own words that truth that he had
discovered here in the Word of God. are we not told how it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe it's
a foolishness of preaching and that preaching primarily has
to do with the message that is being proclaimed there is some
reference to the to the manner in which it's being sent forth
preaching but it's not so much the act of preaching that Paul
is speaking of there in in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 it's the
content of the message the content of this report that we've just
spoken of that centers in the Lord Jesus in his person and
work it pleases God by the foolishness of preaching this message to
save them that believe. Now remember how it's in Romans
chapter 10 that Paul has a great deal to say concerning the the
office of preaching. There in verse 14, How then shall
they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall
they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring
glad tidings of good things, But they have not all obeyed
the gospel, for Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed, I report. So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God." Oh, it says quite clearly there,
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, and
yet they don't believe the report. There's a connection between
faith and the preaching. Again, in Hebrews chapter 4,
concerning the children of Israel that came
out of Egypt and refused to accept the report of those faithful
spies, Joshua and Caleb, concerning the land and how they could go
in and possess it. Instead of believing that report,
they believed what the other spies said concerning the walled
cities and the giants that were there in the land And they were
fearful, and you know the consequence, they were left 40 years in the
wilderness. They could not enter in because
of unbelief. And what does Paul say there
in Hebrews 4 and verse 2? The word preached did not profit
them, not being mixed with faith. The word preached was no profit
at all. There was no faith. Oh friends,
how important is faith. with regards to preaching. What
is all the preaching? Except there be no faith in our
hearts to receive the word of God, to believe the word of God,
to bow before the authority of the word of God. We can just
reject it. And we do reject it. So it's
not enough to have faith in relation to preaching. We must rather
see that there is to be a connection between faith and the power of
God. And what we have here, really,
as John is referring to that opening verse of Isaiah 53, what
we have is these parallel statements. Look at what he actually says,
"...Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom hath the
arm of the Lord been revealed?" What must go hand-in-hand with
the proclamation of the report, the preaching of the Gospel,
the hearing of the Gospel, what must go hand-in-hand with that
is the Lord making bear His arm. Or God must reveal His arm. God
must come with that word and He must come in all His power.
to make that word an effectual word. How is faith produced? In the hearts of the sinner.
And that sinner, of course, is one whose greatest of all sins
is the sin of unbelief. As we've said so many times,
it's the root of all our sinning unbelief. It is the sin which
does so easily beset us. It's that sin that we see there
in the Garden of Eden when our first parents transgressed God's
commandment. It was unbelief. Instead of believing
what God had said, Eve embraces the lie of the devil. Unbelief. How is that sin to be overcome? Only by the power of God. To
whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Oh, it must be faith of the operation
of God. Paul, when he's dealing with
the church at Galatia, and you know how that there were those
false teachers with their legal teaching that had entered in
amongst them, and they were trying, endeavouring to bring them back
to the Lord of Gods, to a religion of works, their own works. What does Paul say to them? Well,
he asks the question, Receive ye the Spirit by the works of
the law, or by the hearing of faith? Oh, it's not by works,
not by anything of man. The hearing of faith. The Lord
Jesus says here in John chapter 6, this is the work of God, that
ye believe in Him whom ye have sent. If we're going to believe
in that One that God the Father has sent to be the Savior, the
Lord's servant, if we're going to believe in Him, it is the
work of God. It's that faith that comes by
the operation of God. Oh, the Lord Jesus performed
many, many miracles. though He had done so many miracles
before them, yet they believed not on Him. Many miracles, and
yet in a sense the greatest of all miracles was the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself rising again from the dead. Remember what they
said to Him as He was there suffering upon the cross. a spectacle. Those scribes and Pharisees watching
Him. In Matthew's account, Matthew
chapter 27, verse 39, they that pass by reviled Him, wagging
their heads and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple and
buildest it in three days, say thyself, if thou be the Son of
God, come down from the cross Likewise, also the chief priest
mocking him with the scribes and elders said, he saved others,
himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel,
let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. Or they said, if he came down
from the cross, they'd believe him. Well, he didn't come down from
the cross, he accomplished his great work and then the third
day he rose again from the dead having made that great sacrifice
and the sacrifice accepted of the Father having was raised
again, it is the greatest of miracles and still they believe
not all but what power is there in the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ and what power is there in the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ And as we know, it's that same power that is
so necessary if there is any saving faith in your heart or
in my heart. As Paul says to those Ephesians,
it's the exceeding greatness of His power. To us will you
believe according to the working of His mighty power which He
wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. Oh, it's the
same power. Christ says, Thy dead men shall
live, together with my dead body shall they arise, because I live,
ye shall live also. This is where faith comes from.
It is the power of God, it is resurrection power in the soul
of the sinner. when that sinner is born again,
born again from above, born of the Spirit of God. Oh, what power
then! The Gospel has to come in that
manner, not in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost,
and in much assurance, because saving faith is such a miracle.
It's impossible of ourselves Though He had done so many miracles
before them, yet they believed not, that the saying of Esaias
the prophet might be fulfilled which he spake, Lord, you have
believed our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been
revealed. Now observe, just what it says
here in verse 38, and we see it again in the quotation in
Romans 10.16 The Word is being addressed to
God Himself. Lords, who hath believed our
reports? Go back to Isaiah 53, the word
Lord doesn't stand at the heads of the chapter. But clearly from
the New Testament we understand that that opening verse of Isaiah
53 is truly a prayer unto God. The Word is being addressed unto
God Himself. Lord who hath believed thy report
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed and then after
that opening prayer from verse 2 through to verse 10 we have
the believer speaking of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus
Christ the preacher as it were is there declaring the truth concerning
the person and work of the Lord Jesus is a subject matter of
the message and then in the last two verses 11 and 12 as we've
already said it is God who speaks directly there in verse 12 he says therefore
will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide
the spoil with the strong Oh, this one, you see, he doesn't
suffer in vain. God gives His promise. God will
divide him a portion. He will have the spoils of war. He will vanquish sin and Satan. He is going to triumph gloriously
over death and the grave. And He will divide His spoils.
Oh, he's that same one spoken of in the 68th Psalm, that Messianic
Psalm. Thou hast received gifts for
men, it says. Yea, for the rebellious also.
Has he not risen? Has he not ascended on high?
And there from heaven does he not bestow gifts upon men, even
upon rebellious men." And those words of Psalm 68, that's taken
up by Paul and quoted in Ephesians 4 in reference to the Lord Jesus,
there's no disputing. Christ is that one risen and
ascended, the one who has received gifts for men, even the most
rebellious of men, sinful men. He bestows these great gifts
upon. Oh, what are we to do then, friends?
If faith is so impossible a thing, and we cannot of ourselves believe,
if it is necessary that God should make bare his arm and stretch
forth his hand and work salvation, what are we to do? Well, we're
to pray, and that's what we learn. That's what we learn even from
this quotation from the prophecy of Isaiah, Lord, he says. We
have to cry to Him and call upon Him. We have to ask for Him that
gift. The Lord Jesus has received gifts
for men, even rebellious men. We have to plead that we might
be the recipients of those gifts, that we might be those who experience
that miracle. of saving flesh from God to perform
the miracle even in our hearts. John Newton says, Oh could I
but believe then all would easily be I would but cannot Lord relieve
my help must come from Thee. It must all come from the Lord
God Himself. All His help is so necessary. We have to ask Him for that precious
gift. We have to look unto the Lord
Jesus Himself, the author and the finisher of our faith, as
Paul says there in Hebrews chapter 12. Oh, the miracle! The miracle of saving faith. Though He had done so many miracles
before them, yet they believed not on Him, that the saying of
Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled which he spake, Lord, who hath
believed thy report. and to whom hath the arm of the
Lord been revealed. Oh, the Lord graciously may bear
his arm and come and visit us with that saving faith. Amen.