Our Report

Our study this morning will be found in Isaiah 53, and we will spend some time in Genesis 1 also. But Isaiah 53, if you want to turn there, will be in the first six verses. We'll go ahead and read those. I know this pulpit seems small to David, but when vertically challenged people like myself stand here, it seems, John can attest to that. 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 a dry ground.

He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 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. 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. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

So the first verse here, verse one says, who hath believed our report? And what is our report? Our report is this entire book. from Genesis 1-1 to Revelation 22-21. Our Lord said of Himself in Psalm 40, verse 7, and again in Hebrews 10-7, that this entire book, this entire Bible, is written about Him. Our report is the entire word of God, and this entire word of God sets forth one glorious message, and that is Jesus Christ and him crucified. So our report is to make known the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the sinner substitute. The Apostle Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 2, 2, for I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified.

So for this study, we'll be mostly in Isaiah 53 and Genesis 1, because in Genesis 1, our report is that God created the heavens, the heaven and the earth. In the original Hebrew, I looked through the Strong's Concordance and it says that God's name in the original Hebrew where it says God created the heaven and the earth, it was Elohim, which is a plural a plural word showing the plurality or the trinity, the blessed trinity of the Godhead. So when it says God created the heaven and the earth, it was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. So 1 John 5, 7 said, for there are three that bear record, in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one, and there are three that bear witness in the earth, the spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one.

Forgot to turn the red button on so it's now on so whoever is listening if anybody's listening in sermon audio. I apologize We're in Isaiah 53 verses 1 through 6 Talking about our report where it says who hath believed our report We are speaking of our report so Genesis 1 starts out saying, in the beginning, well, if you would turn with me to John 1, we'll read just a little bit of John 1 before we get back into Isaiah and Genesis. So John 1, one through five, says in the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God.

You could interject the name Christ into that passage. In the beginning was Christ and Christ was with God and Christ was God. The same was in the beginning with God and all things were made by him, by Christ, and without him, Without Christ was not anything made that was made. In him, in Christ, was life, and the life, Christ, was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, Christ shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.

And then in verse 14 of that, of John 1, it says, and the word, Christ, was made flesh and dwelt among us. and we beheld Christ's glory, we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. So in the beginning, whether we're reading Genesis 1 in the beginning or John 1 in the beginning, we see Christ magnified in creation. So let's turn to Genesis 1. And we'll read a little bit of that account of creation, Genesis 1, verse 1. And it says here in verse 1, in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.

That's the triune God, that's God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And the earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and God said, let there be light and there was light and God saw the light. that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the water from the waters, or the land from the waters. And God said, and God made, I'm sorry, and God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so. And God called the firmament heaven, and the evening and the morning were the second day.

And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together in one place, let the dry land appear, and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the water called he seas, and God saw that it was good. And God said, let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth, and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself after his kind. And God saw that it was good.

And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, let there be lights in the firmament for the heaven to divide the day from the night. Let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven and give light upon the earth, and it was so. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser night to rule the night. He made the stars also.

And one note there in verse 16, those two great lights, the greater light, the sun, represents Christ, who is our light. And the moon represents the church, which reflects or reports that light, which it receives from above. So the light that the church receives from Christ, we reflect that to the world around us. We report that to the world around us. In verse 17, and God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth and to rule over the day and over the night and divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And we know that the light that is given by the preaching of the gospel in the church does divide the light from the darkness. It shines in the darkness.

In verse 26 of that same chapter of Genesis 1, God says, let us make man in our image after our likeness. And so God created man in his own image. And in the image of God created he him. Male and female created he them. So that's important to this study, the creation of man, because In our report, when we're proclaiming the gospel to all those who will listen, We tell the gospel has everything to do with man's fall and redemption by Christ, man's fall in need of a savior, and then redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ. In Genesis chapter three, We read of man's fall and in verse 21 we see, in chapter 3, we see a beautiful picture of the redemption through blood of Christ under Adam and his wife. It says in verse 21 that unto Adam and to his wife did the Lord make coats of skins and clothed them. Well, that pointed them and it points us to the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

That's what the coats of skin represented. It covered them and protected them from the world, from the elements of the world. So when he sent them out of the garden, he covered them with with these coats to protect them. That was a protection just like we're protected by his blood in this world. But he protected them from the world in mercy before he sent them out into the garden.

We sing that song, under the blood of Jesus, safe in the shepherd's fold, under the blood of Jesus, safe while the ages roll, safe though the worlds may crumble, safe though the stars grow dim. Under the blood of Jesus, I am secure in Him." So, even so, he did that for Adam and Eve as he sent them out of the garden. But man's sin Man's sin grew worse and worse. If you would like, turn to Genesis chapter 5 with me and we'll read a little bit of that. Genesis 5 verse 21. Oh, I'm sorry. Genesis 5 verse 5. I got ahead of myself. Genesis 5 verse 5.

God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast and creeping thing, and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.

But then we read in verse eight, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That's the first mention of grace in scripture. So the Lord instructed Noah to build an ark, and the Lord safely shut Noah and his family into the ark. And then in chapter 7, verse 21, the floodwaters came. the Lord flooded the earth.

It says verse 21, all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both fowl and of cattle, and of beasts, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man, all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land died. And every living substance was destroyed, which was upon the face of the ground. Both man and cattle, creeping things, fowls of the heaven, they were destroyed from the earth. And Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

And of course, we know that that ark was Christ. So in creation, we see the power and glory and majesty of God. So creation pictures for us regeneration and a new heart and a new man. But in creation, we see man as God's creation, as God's creature. We read earlier that God created man in his own image, and then we see man as a fallen sinner, all men and Adam as fallen sinners. I'll read Romans 5 verse 12. I'll read a few verses here for you. Wherefore, as by one man by Adam, sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Romans 3.23 says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Ecclesiastes 7.20 says, for there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not. So that's a somber report. Our report is, in that regard, is somber. All have sinned. All of humanity has sinned. But then we start to see some hope.

In Genesis 4, we see man as one that's brought back into communion with God. It says in Genesis 4, 26, then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. And then in Enoch, The man Enoch, we see in Genesis 5.24, he was one who walked with God.

And then we see in Noah, in Genesis 6.8, as one finding grace in the eyes of the Lord. And in Abraham, we see in Genesis 15, 6, that he believed in God, and it was countered to him for righteousness. And then in James 2, 23, it says Abraham was called a friend of God.

So we see some hope in that the Lord was having mercy on some. didn't condemn the whole world. So let's go back to Isaiah 53, and we'll be back to verse one. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Well, first of all, that arm is Christ.

In Isaiah 52.10, it says, 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. Well, the salvation of our God is Christ.

So, but it says all shall see but it doesn't say all shall believe, because all don't believe. In John 12, 37, we read, but 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?

Therefore they could not believe because that Isaiah said again, he have blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that they should not see them, should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them. So Christ told his disciples, He said unto unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God but unto them that are without all these things are done in parables that seeing they may see and Not perceive and hearing they may hear and not understand Lest any time they should be converted and their sins should should be forgiven them what he's saying there is a They see it, but he hasn't given them the heart to perceive it.

They hear it, but he hasn't given them a heart to understand. They really don't want to. They turn away from God's word. He said, lest at any time they should be converted, they don't want to be converted. They're turning their back on the gospel. They aren't interested in their sins being forgiven.

They don't think they have any sin. But just as in our day, I mean, we see that in our generation. It was as if these people in purposely stupefy themselves, I guess the best way to put it. They stop their ears, they turn away, they willfully shut their eyes, and they're almost afraid that they'll be convicted and they'll get some light from Christ or get some knowledge of Christ and be converted by the power and grace of God. They don't want any part of that. Verse 1 says, to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Psalm 44, 1, it's written, we have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand and plantest them? How thou didst afflict the people and cast them out? For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them." It was Christ's arm. He's saying, you didn't do this, you didn't cast out the heathen and possess the promised land by your own power. Neither did their own arms save them, but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance. All these things are speaking of Christ, because thou hadst favor unto them. The arm of the Lord was revealed unto them, just as the arm of the Lord is revealed unto us. through his word.

So Isaiah 28 talks about this same subject. We can turn there if you'd like. Isaiah 28, verse 9. It says, whom shall he teach knowledge and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? That word doctrine is the same in the original, it's the same word as report in our text. So this would read the same. Who shall he teach knowledge and to whom shall he make to understand our report?

It's them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast. Those who desire and thirst after the sincere milk of the word as children weaned from breast milk, they're stressed, they're afflicted and distressed without the mother's milk. If we desire and thirst after the sincere milk of the word, we're afflicted and distressed if we don't get it, if we don't have it. Verse 10 there in Isaiah 28, for precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept.

So we have to be dealt with as children at an elementary level, learning one rule and then another, precept upon precept, and then line upon line. So again, just as children, we're taught to write one line and then another. We're taught where one stops and another one starts. So we're line upon line, here a little and there a little. So here a little and there a little, one small lesson one day, another small lesson another day, so as not to be overwhelming.

Verse 11, for with stammering lips and another tongue, he will speak to this people. So it's like an accommodating language. It's a accommodating speech, just as if we would alter the way we talk to a young child. to be able to communicate. Verse 12 says, to whom he said, this is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing, yet they would not hear. So this revelation, this revealing of God's word, it's not an opportunity, It's not an offer, it's not an invitation, it's a command. God commands us, the Lord commands us to come, see, hear, and believe. So why would they not hear? Because the Lord Jesus Christ didn't impress natural man. And you'll see that in our text in Isaiah 53, verse two, He said, for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, as a root out of the dry ground. It's like a tender shoot growing out of the rocks or out of a crack in the concrete. It's not like a flower garden. It's not impressive. It's just a small shoot.

And just like that, he hath no form nor comeliness, and we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. So we know that people are naturally attracted to physical attributes. So we're not so interested in the plain Jane or average Joe. We don't have any Janes or Joes here, so I think I'm safe People naturally want to hear enticing words. They want to see, they'd like to see somebody with attractive, flowery speech.

And a lot of times in an Armani suit. Of course, lately there's been, it's a designer t-shirt will work. So as we see in modern religion. but he didn't have any attractive, our Lord Jesus Christ didn't have any attractive attributes or enticing words. He taught them as one having authority, not as the scribes. The scribes spoke as intelligent. They used a lot of those, as we call them in Texas, $10 words. Christ spoke plainly and simply.

He didn't have any royal birth. He didn't have a fancy house. He said, the foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the son of man hath nowhere to lay his head. He didn't have anything to impress people. He didn't come to town in a fancy chariot. He came on a donkey. Not impressive to the people that were looking to be impressed.

So in verse three of Isaiah 53, It says he is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And you'll notice it says he is despised. It doesn't say he was despised. That has never stopped. He's still despised, probably more so in this world than in this day than ever before. Christ said of himself in Psalm 22, but I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised of the people.

All they that see me laugh me to scorn, they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying he trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him. Let him deliver him saying he delighted in him. And in Lamentations 1 verse 12, our Lord said, is it nothing to you, all you that pass by, behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

In the verse four, it says, surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did extreme him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. So our griefs and sorrows are the result of our transgression of God's law, our sin. But he bore those for us. In Galatians 3, we read, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.

In verse five, it says, but he was wounded for our transgressions. That's ours, not his. He had no sin. We're the ones that rebelled against God. He was bruised for our iniquities. So he was beaten and battered on his way to the cross to bear the crushing weight of our sin in his body. And the chastisement of our peace was upon him.

Zechariah 13, 7 says, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd. And this is the Lord God speaking. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. And against the man that is my fellow, that's Christ again, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. That is the sword of his justice smiting our Savior.

And when he was arrested, when Christ was arrested, the apostle did scatter from him and from each other. But he turned his hand of mercy and grace on his sheep. and turned his hand upon all that Christ died for. So not his hand of judgment, which was laid on Christ as the sinner's substitute, but his hand of grace and mercy and power and protection. All the elect are saved by the death of Christ and redemption by him, just as he did for Adam and Eve with that coat that pictured Christ's blood and his redemption.

And then that verse finished up, and with his stripes, we are healed. So sin is a disease belonging to all men, natural, hereditary, and incurable. but our disease has been cured by the blood of Christ. Verse six says, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. So all we like sheep, we had, we have, we will go astray. We had, we have, we will turn everyone to his own way. But the Lord hath laid this, he hath laid on him, it's finished, he hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. By one offering, we read in Hebrews 10, 14, by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. So if you're under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, you're secure in him and it is finished.

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