Isaiah 53. We just read verse one here in
our Bible study. Which was on the scriptures making
us wise to salvation. Through faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ. Verse one says, who hath believed
our report? And to whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed? Who hath believed the report
of the word of God? The answer is, whoever has had
Christ revealed to them. That's the answer. Every soul who has had Christ
revealed to him or her will believe what the Word of God says concerning
Christ. The arm of the Lord, that's Christ. Look at chapter 51 verse 9. Chapter 51 verse 9 says, Awake,
awake, put on thy strength, O arm of the Lord. That's Christ. Can't
you hear the Father calling him from the grave? The arm of the Lord. Look at
chapter 52 verse 10. The Lord hath made bare his holy
arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth
shall see the salvation of our God. That's Christ. Now, even though every person
on this earth has heard of Christ, do you know anybody who's never
heard of Jesus Christ? Anybody? Even though everyone knows the
name, if they're old enough to know names, everyone knows the
name Jesus Christ. But the only people who know
Christ are the ones who the Lord God has revealed Christ to. I
know a lot of names. I know of a lot of celebrities. I've heard a lot of different
names, but I don't know them. I don't know them. I know of
them but I don't know them. The only people who know Christ
are the ones who the Lord God has revealed Christ to. Look
at Matthew 11 with me. Matthew 11 verse 25 says, At
that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, hid
from some, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, father,
for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered
unto me of my father, and no man knoweth the son but the father,
neither knoweth any man the father save the son, and he to whomsoever
the son will reveal him. After our Lord arose from the
dead, Mary Magdalene talked with him. She was first one there. She had been there at the tomb
and she talked to him but didn't know who he was. She thought
he was the gardener. If you've taken him somewhere
and let, you know, just tell me where he is. She thought he
was the gardener. Had no idea who he was until
he said, Mary. Master. He revealed himself to
her. He walked for about seven miles
after that with two other men on the road to Emmaus, and he
talked with them the whole time, and they had no idea who he was
until he revealed himself to them. And after he did, they said,
didn't our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by
the way? Again, this is after he arose.
He'd been with his apostles for three and a half years by this
point. And as we say it down here in the South, he hollered
at them from the shore. They were out in their boat fishing
and he hollered, children, have you any meat? which is exactly
what he said three and a half years ago. And they said no,
which was what they said three and a half years ago. And he
said, cast your net on the other side of the ship. And they still didn't know who
he was until that net went in. And he revealed himself by filling
it so full of fish they couldn't get it in the boat. The first
time the nets broke. But this time it was just so
full they couldn't get it in the boat. As soon as Peter realized
it was the Lord, he dropped his net, he dove into the water. The other apostles still couldn't
get it in the boat, had to drag it to shore. And none of them
asked him who he was, for they all knew it was the Lord. He revealed himself. He revealed
himself. That is what happens when a sinner
has Christ revealed to him or her. It's darkness. You know the name,
you've heard of him, you know the stories, but it's darkness. You hear somebody say what I'm
saying and you think, what in the world are you talking about?
What do you mean you know him? You're not even 50 years old. That's what they said to the
Lord. You're not even 50 years old. You knew Abraham? When a revelation comes, it's
a revelation that produces understanding. It produces sight. By faith,
yes, but true sight, not darkness. concerning him, and it produces
true faith in him. I mean true faith in him. Go back to Isaiah 53. Verse one says, who hath believed our report
And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? When a person
has Christ revealed to him or her, it's evidenced by the fact
that that person will believe. That person will believe. That
person will be a believer. And not just a believer in the
fact that Christ exists, I know many people who are convinced
he existed and not just a believer that he came from God. I mean, many said to him, we know you've
come from God. Nobody could do the miracles
you're doing. I believe a lot of people believe he came from
God. And it's not just a belief that
He is the way of salvation. That's not what it is to be a
believer. It's not to believe that He exists or that He came
from God or that He is the way of salvation. You remember that
young girl in Acts 16 who was possessed with the devil? and
was annoying Paul and Silas, following them, saying, these
are the men of God who have come to show us the way of salvation.
Paul said, you know, the devil went out of her, and that's why
they threw Paul and Silas in jail, and then the jailer was,
what must I do to be saved? She knew, these are the men of
God who have come to show us the way of salvation. That's not it, that's not it.
A truly saved soul who has had Christ revealed to him or her
will believe the report. The report. Who hath believed
a report? I'm not just talking about election.
Everybody ought to believe God's election. Did you know that the
devils believe God's election? Did you know that? The devils
believe God's election. The adversary said to God Almighty,
he said, I can't touch Job. He's one that you put a hedge
around. I can touch other people, but
I can't touch him. He's one who belongs to you.
He's your peculiar treasure. You'd have to give the commandment. Everybody else has been placed
in my hand, but you'd have to give the commandment on him.
This believing that the scripture's talking about, it's not just
believing that there's one God. I am God and beside me there's
none else. It's not just believing that
there's one God. Many people believe, well, you
have your God and I have my God and whatever. There's only one
God. But being a believer is not in
believing that there's just one almighty sovereign God. James
chapter 2 verse 19 says, the devils believe that and they actually tremble unlike
man. They actually tremble. The devils
believe that and they tremble. Our Lord confronted A bunch of
devils one time, and they said, we know who you are, the Holy
One of Israel, the God of your elect people. They knew that. They said, we
know who you are. Are you here to torment us before
the time? They knew that they were appointed
to torment. They know infinitely more than
the people of this world naturally know. They believe infinitely
more than the people of this world naturally believe. But
they're still not saved. They're not saved because they
don't believe the report. They don't believe that Christ
accomplished what this word says he accomplished. That's the problem. And that's the case for every
soul who's never had Christ revealed to him or her. You know, there's
got to be something else, there's got to be something more. The devils believe in Christ,
they believe certain things about Christ, but they don't believe
on Christ completely, totally. It's because Christ hasn't been
revealed to them. They're not looking to, they're
not hoping in, they're not trusting in what he has done. Christ has never been revealed
to them. When Christ is revealed, the report concerning Christ
is believed. When Christ is revealed, the
report is believed. Turn with me over to 1 John chapter
5. 1 John 5 verse 9. If we receive the witness of
men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God
which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the
Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not
God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that
God gave of his son. And this is the record. That God hath given to us eternal
life. And this life is in his son. I'd love to spend about 20 minutes
telling us what that doesn't mean. It's not in the law, it's not
in baptism, it's not in morality, it's not in, it's not in, it's
not in, it's not in, it's in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son of God Hath not life, if we have
anything else, we don't have the Son of God. These things
have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son
of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that
you may believe on the name of the Son of God. This is the record,
this is the report, okay? God has given to us, graciously
given to us, freely given to us eternal life. And this life is in his son not
in his son and not in his son but in his son period period. This life is in his son. Now,
what does that mean, okay? What does that mean? Go back
to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53, verse one. Who hath believed our report
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed, for he shall grow
up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. For God so loved this world,
sinners in this world. He did, while we were yet sinners. He gave his only begotten son. the son of God, the son of glory,
the inheritor of all things, the reigning king on the throne,
of whom everything was of, to, through, the one of whom all riches were
given. The one who was rich. The one
who was in need of nothing. In need of nothing. He made himself
poor. And he came into this world in
order to live a life for his people who he loved. A people who were chosen in him
before the foundation of the world. He came to live a life
that they could never live for themselves. I don't know if you've
ever said this. I have no idea if you've ever
said this. I'm so ashamed of myself. I'm so sorry for who I am and
what I am. I'm so sorry for what I've done.
I'm so sorry for what I've thought. I'm so sorry for what I've said.
I am a pitiful excuse of a believer. I'm a pitiful excuse of a human
being. And I just hope God doesn't strike
me dead for what I am. And I'm just not proud of this
life that I've lived. I just, all right. He came and made himself
to be poor and wretched and miserable, a man of sorrows acquainted with
grief for his people because that's
where his people were. But he came to live life in a sinless way. for his people. He came to live
a life that they could not live for themselves. He stripped himself of his reputation. He stripped himself of his place
on high. He laid his glory by. He humbled himself, he made himself
to be meek and lowly, so much so, verse two says, for he shall
grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry
ground. Not a mighty oak tree, not a beautiful crape myrtle
tree, a tender plant, a root out of dry ground. Verse two
goes on to say, he hath no form nor comeliness. And when we shall
see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Everybody
on this earth wants to be beautiful. Everybody does. We eat a bunch
of stuff we don't want to eat. You ladies paint a bunch of stuff
on your face you don't want to paint on your face. Everybody wants to be beautiful. Our Lord made himself to be such
that when you looked at him, there was no beauty that anyone
should desire him. That's amazing, isn't it? He stripped himself of everything,
everything that would appeal to man's flesh. Everything that
would appeal to man's flesh. Verse three, he is despised and
rejected of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised
and we esteemed him not. You know anybody that you highly
esteem? Oh, I highly esteem that man
or that woman. He put himself in a position
to where no one would esteem him. He never owned anything. Boy, you esteem great landowners
and, you know. He had nowhere to lay his head.
He never owned anything. One man said this. He slept in another man's manger.
He sailed in another man's boat. He rode on another man's donkey.
He died on another man's cross. He laid in another man's tomb. His life was not his own. And here's the reason why, it's
because his life, you know who came to us? Life came to us. His life was given to his people. The life that he took ownership
of on this earth was the life that he took from his people. Verse four says, surely he hath
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Had he not come
here, he would have never borne that. Had he not given us his life
and taken our life, he would have never carried that. He bore what he bore and he carried
what he carried and he suffered what he suffered and he died
in what he died in, which was our sin. in order to give life to us,
his life to us. The life that we are so undeserving
of. The life that we sinned against
and rebelled against. Verse four says, surely he hath
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem
him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Our sinful wickedness only rebelled
against him. Verse five says, but he was wounded
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him. It was upon him. Hold your place
here in Isaiah and turn over to Philemon. Just before Hebrews. Philemon, this is one chapter,
and there are three main characters in this epistle. Paul, Philemon, and a young man
named Onesimus. Onesimus was Philemon's servant,
and Onesimus sinned and rebelled and stole and ran away from Philemon. And he came to Rome and he found
Paul in prison. That's where Paul was, he was
in a prison in Rome. And he started listening to Paul
preach and God broke him. God humbled him and God saved
him. And he became so sorry and he
became so ashamed. And Paul sent him back to Philemon,
his master, But Paul sent a letter that he'd written to Philemon. He sent it with Onesimus. And
in the letter, we can spiritually hear the intercession of Christ
to the Father on our behalf. This is one of my favorite books
of the Bible. All right, listen to this. Paul
represents the Lord Jesus Christ. Philemon represents the father,
Onesimus is us, the sinner. Verse 10, Paul said to Philemon, I beseech
thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds,
the bonds of the cross, he's mine, I paid for him. Verse 10, I beseech thee for
my son Onesimus, whom I begotten in my bonds, which in time past
was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to
me. Before he was worth nothing more
than casting out, but I've redeemed him. I redeemed him. Verse 11, which in time past
was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to
me. Whom I have sent again, thou therefore receive him that
is my own heart. The word bowels means heart. He's my own heart. I've joined
my heart to him. Verse 13, whom I would have retained
with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me
in the bonds of the gospel. But without thy mind would I
do nothing, that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity,
but willingly. What he's saying is everything
concerning this center, I want it to be in agreement with your
will. in agreement with your desire,
in agreement with your law, whatever you say. Verse 15, for perhaps he therefore
departed for a season that thou shouldest receive him
forever. Not as a servant, but above a
servant, a brother beloved, especially to me, But how much more unto
thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord? If thou count me therefore a
partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth
thee aught, put that on my account. I have written it with mine own
hand, I will repay it. You know what Paul was saying
right there? As a picture of Christ, I will bear his griefs,
I will carry his sorrows, bruise me in his iniquities. Lay all of that chastisement
that's owed to him on me, lay it all on me. I will die so he
can live. That's how our life was in Christ,
is in Christ. Our life is in the fact that
he was willing to die as our substitute before God. Our life
is in the fact that he gave us his life and died taking our
life. Our life is in the fact that
he bore everything that we've ruined, and he's given us everything
that he perfected. All we like sheep went astray,
but God the Father laid it all on Christ, all the iniquity. Every single one who has had
the living and the dying work of Christ revealed to them, that's
the case, every single one. And with his living, with his
dying, this is the accomplishment of it, all right? In what he
did, this is what it means for us. Go back to Isaiah 53. Verse four, surely 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. That's God's report. Christ,
Christ, Christ. Who Christ is, what Christ did,
how successful Christ was in doing it, and what it means for
us in Christ. That's God's report. Now here's
the question. Do we believe it? Do we believe it? If we do believe
it, we will rest in it. We will not try to add our works
to it. We will rest in it. We'll rest
in it. And if we rest in the report,
it means Christ has revealed himself to us. And if Christ
has been revealed to us, we're safe. Completely safe. He that hath the Son hath life. Lord, give us Christ. Give us
the life that's only in Him.