Let me add my welcome to Winston's. I'm glad to see everybody out
this morning to hear the preaching of the gospel. What a glorious
message we have to deliver and to hear and to rejoice in. I tell you, what a savior. Well,
you can see the title of my message today is One and the Same. I'm
going to be looking at Isaiah, the first six verses of Isaiah,
chapter 53. Let me talk about that title
for just a minute. You know, different things can
be said about people but those things are talking about one
in the same person. For instance, in the scriptures,
Saul of Tarsus, who set out in this world to wipe Christianity
off the face of the earth, and Paul the apostle who wrote most
of the New Testament, one in the same person. The man who
was our pastor for over 18 years right here in this pulpit, and
the one who pastors 13th Street in Ashland, Kentucky, one in
the same, he's one in the same. Although there are numerous differences
between believers, there's no difference between Christ's work
for them on the cross and the eternal benefits of that work.
The very ones Christ died for are the same ones that are. They
already have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the
heavenlies in Christ. The very ones Christ died for
are the same ones who will be finally glorified in heaven.
They're one and the same. Now this lesson has three points
and we'll look at them as we get to them here, but let's start
out here in Isaiah. Well, let me say that Isaiah
53 is a prophecy of the Messiah. It's about the savior of sinners. It's about the relationship that
Christ. the representative, the substitute
of sinners, has to those that he represented and substituted
himself for. That's what Isaiah is about.
Let's look at Isaiah 53 in verse 1. Who hath believed our report,
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Who has believed
our report? He's talking about who's believed
our doctrine. Who's believed our gospel? That's what Isaiah is asking
here. And by nature, the answer to that question by nature is
none. None have believed this report. None have believed the
gospel. But all are not left in their
unbelief of the gospel. To some, the gospel is revealed. Look on at the second part of
that, to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? The arm of the
Lord is all that God has engaged to bring about the salvation
of ungodly sinners. It's everything. It's the gospel
itself, which is the power of God into salvation. because therein
is the righteousness of God revealed. It's that gospel which is hid
from the wise and prudent but is revealed unto babes. It's
Christ himself by whom the heavens and the earth were made and are
continually upheld. and by whom God has redeemed
and saved His chosen people. It's the Spirit of God who makes
the gospel effectual, who gives life and faith and godly repentance,
showing continually to sinners the things of Christ that keep
those sinners ever before God's grace. The arm of the Lord is
everything that the Almighty God has done to save His people
from their sins. And that arm is revealed, it's
revealed to a multitude of sinners. A multitude chosen in Christ
before the world began. A multitude redeemed by Christ
by his blood on the cross. It's revealed to those called
by the Spirit under the gospel in each generation. The ones
who will be brought to believe our report and the ones to whom
the arm of the Lord will be revealed are one and the same. Look at
Isaiah 53 in verse 2. He says, for he shall grow up
before him. He's talking about Christ here
growing up before his father as a tender plant and as a root
out of dry ground. He, Christ, hath no form nor
comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that
we should desire him. There was nothing about the physical
appearance of Christ that would draw sinners to him. They didn't
draw sinners to him in his day when he walked on this earth.
He was just a carpenter's son growing up in the lowly town
of Nazareth. And like one of them said, can
anything good come out of Nazareth? Christ's lineage, his earthly
lineage, goes all the way back to David the King. But in his
day, by the time he came to this earth, the lineage was practically
nothing. Joseph, who was of the household
of David, was a carpenter's son. Mary was just, she declared herself
a handmaid of the Lord. Just nothing significant about
him. From the day Christ was born,
his death was sought. Herod, do you remember? He sought
to kill all the. first born in Israel there. And so Joseph and Mary had to
flee to Egypt to protect Christ by the hand of God. They did
that. And they stayed there till Herod was dead. So there was
nothing about Christ. There was nothing about his birth,
his heritage, his appearance, nothing about him that would
draw sinners to Christ. The only way that sinners are
going to be drawn to Christ is by the word that declares him,
that gospel. that arm of the Lord that's revealed
there. And it says here that Christ is despised and rejected.
That's said of all men without exception. He's despised and
rejected of all men. You can take this rejection all
the way back to Cain, all the way back to right after the fall
in the garden. By nature, none are drawn to
Christ. Many are drawn to one like Christ, But none are drawn
to the Christ of the scriptures. By nature, we all see Christ
differently than the scriptures describe him. We see Christ making
sinners savable. We see him making a way for sinners. But by nature, none see him saving
anyone by his work alone. None see him fully, completely
working out the salvation of every sinner he was given by
his death alone. None of us see him that way.
We all, without exception, esteemed him not, this verse says at the
end. We esteemed him not. We esteemed
him not with the proper esteem of a true, complete, successful
savior of his people. By nature, none esteemed the
Christ of the scriptures. I'm gonna say more about that
verse in verse four later on, so let's look on to verse four.
Look at Isaiah 53, four. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. And like I said, we'll consider
verses three and four in detail in another point, and I won't
comment on that verse now. These next two verses in the
context bring us to our first point. I said there were three,
and this brings us to our first point. They make it absolutely
clear. that the sinners Christ died
for and those who will enjoy the eternal benefits of salvation,
the benefits of Christ's death, those sinners are one and the
same. Those Christ died for, those
who will be finally glorified are one and the same. That's
what I want us to see in these two verses. Look at Isaiah 53
verses 5 and 6. said, 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.
All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his
own way, and the Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Now, notice the pronouns here and their connection. He was
wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, chastisement
of our peace was upon him. and with his stripes we are healed.
Those for whom he was wounded and those who are healed by that
wounding are one and the same. It says the Lord has laid on
him the iniquity of us all. All those pronouns are connected
to the same people there. Christ was given a multitude
of sinners before the world began. The complete salvation of that
multitude was conditioned on Christ. He was made their surety
from the beginning. The responsibility of their complete
salvation, including final glory in heaven, was given to Christ.
God the Father made Christ fully accountable, accountable to Him,
accountable to a just God for the complete salvation of every
sinner He was given. Now Christ was always aware of
His responsibility. His responsibility to His Father
and His responsibility to His sheep. He always knew that He
came to this earth to glorify His Father. in the full free
salvation of ungodly sinners. And he always knew he came to
this earth to lay down his life, to give his life a ransom for
his sheep. He said in John 10 and verse
16, then said Jesus unto Peter. Now this is when they came to
arrest Christ and Peter didn't want him to take Christ. He didn't
understand what was going on. So he drew out his sword and
sliced off the ear of one of them who came. And Jesus said
unto Peter, Put up thy sword into thy sheath. The cup which
my father hath given me, shall I not drink it? He was always
aware of his purpose in coming here, of the death he was facing.
Go back to Isaiah 53 and verses 5 and 6. Isaiah is looking forward
to the cross when he says here, with his stripes we are healed.
That's a prophetic statement. He's looking forward. With his
stripes we are healed. The apostle Peter quoted this
passage in his first letter, and we're going to look at that
passage in our last point. But Peter declared in his writing
that by Christ's stripes we were healed. Peter's looking back
on the cross, Isaiah is looking forward to the cross, and Isaiah's
language is prophetic, Peter's language is more conclusive.
But both are talking about the same salvation, both are talking
about the very same Savior. Isaiah knew that he is. along
with every Old Testament believer's salvation. He knew, even David,
even Abraham, he knew that every Old Testament salvation was based
on the stripes, the death that Christ, the promised Messiah,
would bear for his people when he came. His prophecy was of
a future work, but like Abraham and David, he knew and his confidence
was in Christ, the Messiah promised. Somebody was always was healed
by Christ's stripes. And I say always, I mean all
the way back. In God's mind and purpose, this
healing was finished before the world began. Those of God's choosing
are not waiting to be healed. They're not under some possibility
that they might be healed. They've already been healed.
Christ's stripes have already healed them His obedience unto
death has already done all that's required of a just God for them
to be in a perfect standing before God forever. Now heal them from
what? Heal them from their legal guilt,
from their just condemnation. Heal them from their curse under
the law. Christ's stripes have healed
them from any possibility that God's justice will ever demand
any payment from them because of their sins. Their debt to
law and justice has been paid in full. Christ's stripes are
their ransom price. His stripes are their redemption.
And who is it that Christ's stripes have already healed? It's every
sinner whose transgressions Christ was wounded for. It's every sinner
whose iniquities he was bruised for. It's every sinner whose
peace with God he was chastened for. It's every sinner whose
sins he bore in his body on the tree. Every sinner Christ died
for and those who have already been healed by his stripes are
one and the same. Just two things, two ways of
saying the same thing about these people. Who these sinners are
is a settled issue. It's not waiting to be settled.
It was settled before the world began in God's mind and purpose. And Christ settled it by his
death on the cross. This number has been fixed from
eternity. God chose them in Christ unto
salvation before the world began. Their names always have been
written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Look at Revelation 13 in
verse 8. And all they that dwell upon the earth shall worship
him that is talking about worshiping the beast here, whose names are
not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. That lamb was slain and the names
of those he was slain for were written before the world began.
Christ encouraged his disciples with this truth. Look at Luke
10 and verse 20. Now, this is after the disciples
returned. They were split up in twos and
sent out all over the land, and they healed, and they preached,
and they taught, and they did many wonderful miracles. And
they came back rejoicing that even the demons were subject
unto them. And here's what Christ said to them. Notwithstanding
in this rejoice, not that the spirits are subject unto you,
but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.
Christ will say to these sinners, these sinners who are one in
the same, he'll say to these sinners at the final judgment,
look with me at Matthew 25, 34. Then shall the king say unto
them on his right hand, come ye blessed of my father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Who are they specifically? Who are they individually? In
other words, how are these identified? Well, that's an entirely different
matter. And I'll address that in the next point. But first,
let's look on at one more context that proves this point. Every
sinner Christ died for and those who will be finally glorified
together in heaven are one and the same. Look at Romans 8 verses
31 and 32. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? If God's for us, if He put you
in Christ, if He chose you in Him, if He sent Christ and Christ
came and redeemed you by His obedience unto death, if He worked
out that perfect righteousness and God has imputed that righteousness
to you, He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up
for us all, if God delivered Christ up for you, then he will,
without exception, give you all things, justification, sanctification,
the pardon of sin, all the blessings of heaven, freely, all things,
without any cause in you. That's our first point. Go back
to the outline here. Every sinner Christ died for
and those who will enjoy the eternal benefits of his death
are one and the same. Let's move to that second point.
Those Christ's stripes have already healed and those who have despised
Christ and esteemed him not are one in the same. Now let me explain
that second point there just a little bit because that needs
a little explanation. I already told you all without
exception despise Christ. And I'm telling you here that
those that Christ died for and those who despise him are one
in the same. These are those in every generation
who will know, they will acknowledge, they will admit that they have
despised Christ. They will be those in every generation
who confess and repent that they esteemed him not. Look back at
Isaiah 53 verses 3 and 4. 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. Let me stop right there for just
a minute. If you have a concordance in your Bible, you can see that
that phrase, we hid as it were our faces from him. It's true
that we hid out in the religion of the world and we were hiding
from Christ. We didn't know it till God brought
us to the gospel. That's a true statement. But
if you can see in your concordance, that phrase right there literally
is, he hid as it were his face from us. And that statement is
also backed up in Isaiah 64 and verse 7. I didn't write this
down. But if you want to look at that reference later on, it
says, Thou hast hid thy face from us. So I think it would
be better translated if we read it, he hid, as it were, his face
from us, because he's talking about the elect here. He's not
talking about the world in general. Let's go on with that verse,
verse 3. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he
hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem
him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. It's true that
all, without exception, despise Christ. They all esteem him,
but Isaiah's not writing here about humanity in general. He's
writing about the elect, Christ's sheep, the church. You can see
that connection right there in verse four. The ones whose griefs
he bore, we esteemed him not. The one whose sorrows he carried,
we considered him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. When Christ
hid his face from us, Where was that? In the religion of the
world, before he brought us to the gospel. He was hiding his
face from us, and we despised him when we were there. When
Christ hid his face from us, we did not know the Savior God
sent, and we esteemed him not. We, whose griefs Christ bore,
we whose sorrows he carried, we despised him not. We the very
sheep he laid down his life for, did not esteem him. Although
Christ bore the griefs and sorrows of a multitude, that multitude
by nature does not esteem him as a savior. Though Christ is
our savior, we do not see him that way until God delivers us
to the gospel, this gospel, this gospel that tells us about the
true Christ of the scriptures. Before the gospel, we saw much
truth about Christ. We saw a lot of things about
him. We saw that he was wounded. We saw that he was put to death.
We saw that he went to the cross and died for sin. We saw that
he was buried. We saw that he was raised from
the dead. We saw a lot of truth, but we didn't see the truth.
We did not see that his righteousness is the only ground of a sinner's
salvation. We didn't see that the only way
a just God can justify ungodly sinners such as we are is based
on Christ's imputed righteousness alone. We didn't see Christ accomplishing
the complete full salvation of every sinner he laid down his
life for. We didn't see that. That's how
we saw Christ stricken and smitten of God and afflicted. We saw
him suffering, even the death of the cross, but we failed to
see that death accomplishing the eternal salvation, the healing
of every sinner Christ laid down his life for. We saw Christ's
death insufficient in itself. We saw his work coming short
of salvation without the sinner making his or her contribution,
meeting some condition. Like the majority of Christendom
today, who are still under the world's religion, when we were
there, we believed that multitudes Christ died for would perish
under the eternal wrath of God. Such thinking as that despises
Christ. Those who remain under that thinking
are those who esteem him not. Now you'd think that those sinners,
I've already told you about a finished work. I told you that those sinners
Christ died for and those who'd be finally glorified, his stripes
have already healed them. They're going to be in final
glory based on the death of Christ alone. You'd think that those
sinners whose sins Christ was punished for and whose sins he
put away, you'd think those that had already been healed by his
stripes, We wouldn't think like everybody else in the world.
Wouldn't you think that? I think that's a logical thing, isn't
it? You'd think that we'd be different than others, but we're
not. You'd think that we wouldn't
despise or fail to esteem the one who died in our place, but
we do. Why? Because by nature, we're
all children of wrath, just like others. Look at Ephesians 2 in
verses 1 through 3. He says, Paul writes here, and
you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. You were spiritually dead. You
had no spiritual life within. You were made alive who were
dead. Verse two, wherein in time past
you walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience. He's talking about walking in
league with Satan right there. Verse three, among whom also
we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. You see, by nature, we're not
who we think we are. We're not the people we think
we are. We're pretty moral. We're pretty law-abiding. We're
pretty religious, for the most part. We're reasonably kind and
reasonably generous. We think we're pretty good people,
fairly decent people. And we are, compared to the world,
most in the world. But none of that, no part of
that has anything to do with a sinner standing before God. None of that has anything to
do with a sinner's eternal, unchangeable acceptance in God's sight. If
God judged any of us based on any of that, even based on the
best of that, if he just narrowed it down to the best thing we
ever did, he'd have to send us to eternal misery because it
doesn't, like Bill said, it doesn't meet that standard. That standard
is the obedience of Christ and none measure up to that. Those
verses before us tell us that by nature we all walk under the
influence of that spirit. As I told you, the spirit is
Satan. That spirit that continues to
work in the children of disobedience. He's still at work in the world,
in the religion of this world. The children of disobedience
are those that are described in the scripture as anyone not
submitted to Christ's righteousness. as all their salvation. It's
anyone outside the gospel not resting in Christ in his finished
work alone. Our natural religion encourages
sinners to do something in order to get themselves saved. Now
Paul describes such encouragement as the frustration of grace.
Look with me at Galatians 2 verses 20 and 21. Paul writes here,
I am crucified with Christ. Now Paul's writing is a regenerate
sinner here. I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which
I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate
the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain. If righteousness comes by anything,
by any condition a sinner could meet, by any requirement he might
fulfill, by any amount of obedience or degree of obedience, if it
comes that way, Christ died in vain. That's what he says right
here. That word frustrate means, he says, I don't frustrate the
grace of God. It means to reject. It means
disregard. It means bring to nothing or
disannul. It means to thwart the efficacy
of a thing, to make it void. Paul says, I don't do that. That's
what sinners do who look within and not to Christ alone for righteousness,
which everyone is doing who's not looking to Christ alone.
Everyone not resting in the imputed righteousness of Christ is looking
within for righteousness, just like Bill said in his message
earlier. That's what I did when I taught salvation conditioned
on the sinner in my former religion. I taught a Sunday school class
for years over at my former religion. And that's what I was teaching
sinners. Look, if you'll just do this, God will save you. You'll be okay. That's what I
did when I was dunked three times. Bill talked about baptism this
morning. Well, all I did over there was get dunked. And I got
dunked three times. What was I trying to do? I was
making sure I got it right. I was making sure there was no
doubt. But I got baptized when I came here and got baptized
right back here under the gospel. That's the only baptism I've
ever experienced. Like all others, Christ's sheep despise Christ.
And like all others, we fail to esteem Him. Like all others,
we frustrate the grace of God in our worldly religion. But
unlike all others, Christ will not leave his sheep in this mindset. He will not leave his sheep despising
Christ or frustrating the grace of God. Christ will deliver his
sheep from this sin that deceives us all. And our deliverance from
this sin is one of the greatest evidences that we are among those
whose sins Christ bore. Those who are already healed
by the stripes of Christ. This deliverance comes with a
mission. It comes with a confession. It
comes with a repentance. And it's a confession and a repentance
that no unregenerate sinner will make. Everybody claims that Christ
died for our sins. That's what this world religion
teaches us. That's what everybody teaches. Christ died for everybody.
He's trying to save everybody. Everybody claims Christ died
for our sins, but how many will admit that for some time in my
religious life, I despised, I esteemed not the Christ who died for my
sins? Can you admit that? The ones
who will are the only ones who've been reproved of sin and righteousness
and judgment by the Spirit of God. They're the only ones who've
been visited by the Spirit in regeneration. You cannot be scripturally
counted among those who have already been healed by Christ's
stripes and not have repented of despising Christ and esteeming
him not. Failure to repent of this evil
leaves a sinner with no evidence that Christ died for you. It
leaves a sinner with no evidence that Christ bore your sins in
his body on the tree. It leaves a sinner with no evidence
that by Christ's stripes you are healed. Not one of God's
elect will be left among those who refuse to repent of this
evil. And that repentance is not owing
to any good. It's not owing to any determination
within the sinner. It's not owing to that. It's
owing to one thing and one thing only. And that's the mercy and
grace of God in Christ. That's all. God is not, here's
some verses that tell us that not one sinner is going to remain
under this sin, despising Christ and not esteeming him. God is
not willing that any of them, he's talking about his elect,
should perish, but that all of them should come to repentance.
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. We're going
to come to Christ. The sheep of God are going to
come to Christ. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me. None will be left in unrepentance. Alright, let's go back to the
outline. Those that Christ's stripes have
already healed and those who know, that is, those who acknowledge
and confess and repent of despising Christ and esteeming him not,
are one and the same. One more point, the final one
of the message. Those who have despised Christ
and esteemed him not and those who are motivated in their walk
by the knowledge of Christ are one and the same. As I told you
earlier, in his first epistle, the Apostle Paul quotes from
Isaiah 53, the passage we're looking at. Look at 1 Peter 2
verses 21 through 23. or even here unto where you call
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example
that you should follow in his steps." Let me stop right there.
We'll pick up in a second. Let me give you this context
here because Peter is encouraging regenerate sinners here, true
believers in his day and age. He's encouraging them to walk
in this world as believers should walk. That's what he's doing.
And he's just finished telling them in the verses prior to this,
he just finished telling them that if you suffer in this world
because you've done wrong, I mean, there's no glory, no honor in
that. But to suffer in this world,
having done that which is good, that's thankworthy, that's of
God, that's something to be considered. Christ left us an example. He's not talking about suffering
like Christ suffered on the cross. He's talking about suffering
like Christ suffered in his stand for the gospel. Not speaking
peace to the Pharisees and others who admonished him for his doctrine. He's talking about leaving us
an example that way, bearing the offense of the cross in this
world. When men revile you because you say, well, you think you're
the only ones who are saved because there's only a handful of you.
Look at all the other people in this town. We have to stand
our ground. We know we have the truth. That's
what he's talking about. Let's go on to verse 22. Christ
also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should
follow in his steps. Christ who did no sin, neither
was guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled
not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not, but committed himself to him that judges righteously.
Paul's encouraging sinners here, like I said, to walk. to walk
as sinners, believing sinners, regenerate sinners. Those resting
in Christ should walk in this world. He is encouraging those
called to suffer for Christ's sake. Those who suffer because
of our stand in the gospel. Look on to verse 24, 1 Peter
2, 24. Who his own self bear our sins
in his own body on the tree. This is a quote from Isaiah 53
right here. that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness
by whose stripes you were healed." Paul is encouraging those who
are persuaded that the sinners Christ died for and the sinners
who will be finally glorified together with Christ in the end
are one and the same. And they're one and the same
because of Christ's finished work and for that alone. Those
who bore our sins and by whose stripes you were healed, they're one in the same. Christ
bore our sins in his body on the tree, and if he did, we've
been healed by his stripes. Look on to 1 Peter 2, 25. He
said, for you were as sheep going astray, but you are now returned
unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls. He's encouraging
those who are convinced that they once despised Christ and
esteemed him not. He said here, you were a sheep
going astray. In this world's religion, when
you were out there by nature as a child of wrath, even as
others, preaching another gospel and another Christ, But he's
also encouraging those who now readily confess that before the
gospel, they promoted another gospel and another savior. But
now, he said, your return, now, now that God brought you to the
gospel, now that he visited you with the spirit, now that he
gave you faith toward Christ and repentance from dead works,
now your return to the shepherd and bishop of your soul. Only
those who've been delivered from frustrating God's grace, only
those who've been delivered from despising Christ can and will
be motivated to obedience by grace alone. All others need
works, friend. You and I who believe the gospel,
we can be motivated by grace. That's what Peter did here. You
see, that last verse is his exhortation to them. You worry sheep going
astray, but Christ bore your sins in his body on the tree
and you're healed by his stripes. So walk like those who've been
healed by the stripes of Christ alone. Let me summarize what
I said and I'll close. Those Christ died for and those
who will enjoy the eternal benefits of Christ's death are one and
the same. He was delivered for you and
by his stripes you're healed. Second, those that Christ's stripes
have already healed and those who acknowledge, who admit that
they despised Christ and esteemed him not, those who repent of
such evil are one and the same. Third, those who despise Christ
and esteemed him not and those who are motivated in their walk
by the ongoing knowledge of him under the gospel. All you need
to be motivated to do what you need to do in this world is to
hear the gospel, to hear of Christ. They're also one and the same. That's the crowd I want to be
found in at the judgment. I hope it is the one you want
to be too.