Good morning. Take notice, our pastor's here
this morning, but he's in a holding pattern, so hopefully we'll have
news here soon. Before we begin, let's have a
word of prayer. Our God and Father in heaven,
we thank you for this day. We thank you for this opportunity
to gather as a people. We pray that you would bless
us as we've gathered here this morning, that you bless us with
your presence. And Lord, in all that's said
and done, Lord, may it bring glory to thy name. Now, again,
we thank you for your many blessings. Above all, we thank you for the
Lord Jesus Christ. It's in his name we pray and
give thee thanks. You know, with all that man's
religious ceremony and tradition that we see leading up to today,
I find I'm reminded that the only
place to look for truth is God's Word, what's written in the scriptures. And I remember Brother Henry
and so many men have said over the years, the way you expose
a crooked stick is you put a straight stick up next to it. And it just
never ceases to amaze me how much religious stuff, how much
religious activity that men put on, and it's nowhere to be found,
in Scripture. It's nowhere to be found in God's
Word. So turn to Matthew chapter 16. Matthew 16 verse 21. Before we read this, earlier
in the passage, our Lord, he asked this question. He said,
whom do men say that I am? And they replied, they said,
some say you're John the Baptist. Some say you're Elias, one of
the prophets, Jeremias or one of the prophets. But he said
to his disciples, he asked them specifically, he said, whom say
ye that I am, whom say ye that I am? And Peter's reply was this,
thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. How did he
know that? How did Peter know that? What was revealed to him? Our
Lord said flesh and blood hadn't revealed that to him. Almighty
God, the spirit of God had revealed that. So here in verse 21 of
Matthew 16, shortly after this happened, it said, From that
time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he
must. There's a few things listed here.
How he must go to Jerusalem. How he must suffer many things
of the elders, of the chief priests, and of the scribes. and that
he must be killed and he must be raised again the third day. The Lord Jesus Christ must suffer. He must be killed and he must
be raised again the third day. Now, let's look at these things
in light of Scripture. Paul's speaking to the church
at Corinth. He said, I delivered unto you First of all, that which
I receive. How? That Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures and that he was married and that
he arose again the third day according to the scriptures.
What scriptures? Well, at that time, the only
thing that would have been published would have been the Old Testament
scriptures. So turn with me to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. And let's look at Isaiah 53 with
these three points in mind. Christ suffered. Christ was killed. Christ was raised. 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, he hath no
form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there's no
beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected
of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, 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. Christ suffered." This is our report. It was Isaiah's report. Paul's
report. This is the message. It's a message
of love, message of mercy, grace, all in the Lord Jesus Christ. All to be found in him. Scripture
said he's the arm of the Lord. He's the wisdom of God. He's
the power of God. Scripture said he's the power
of God unto salvation. and he must suffer. Well, how did he suffer? He suffered
in so many ways. We read here, he's a tender plant. What a low entrance into this
world for the king of kings. A frail and helpless infant. You know, when these little ones
are born, they are totally, completely dependent on their parents, aren't
they? They're helpless. They have to be taken from one
place to the other. They have to be fed and nourished
and kept warm and cared for. That's how our Lord entered into
this world. In Galatians 4, we read this,
When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His
Son, made of a woman, made under the
law to redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. He entered into this world as
an infant. Back in Isaiah 53, he's a root
out of dry ground. He was a son of a carpenter. We read there was no form, no
comeliness, no beauty, no human attraction. Fleshly speaking,
he was despised and rejected of men. His lowly birth, his
poverty, his home, his hometown, Nazareth. Can anything good come
out of Nazareth? He was stationed in like, he
was a friend of publicans and sinners. That's what he was known
as. Men thought that was an insult, but why are we thankful that
he's a friend of publicans and sinners? Consider his doctrine,
that which he spoke. He said, I and my father are
one. And men hated him for that. You know, when he spoke of particular
redemption, remember that group of religious folks that wanted
to basically pick him up and cast him over a cliff headfirst. People turned from him. People
despised him. He was a man of sorrow and acquainted
with grief. That was his life from birth
to death. That's a description of our Lord.
In Lamentations chapter 1, we read, Is it nothing, is it nothing
to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see, is there any
sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me? Wherewith the
Lord, God the Father, afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger,
did he suffer? Oh, did he? He suffered like
no man has or ever will suffer. Verse four says, he hath borne
our griefs and carried our sorrows. In all this suffering, in all
this suffering, the grief, sorrow, spiritual firmities, sickness,
that which he bore, That which the Lord Jesus Christ, that which
He suffered for, not His own, it's ours. He had no sin. He knew no sin. He did no sin. We can't even
enter into that, the thought of that. He was our substitute,
our representative. Scripture says this, he was smitten
and afflicted of almighty God, God the Father. He bore our sins,
he stood in our place. That which we deserve, that which
we earned, he took upon himself. Scripture says he was made sin,
made sin. He bore our sins in his body
on the tree. All the sins of all his elect
were laid on him, made sin, and he suffered. Oh, he cried out. This was his cry. My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping
me? He must suffer. He suffered the just for the
unjust that he might bring us to God. He put to death in the
flesh, quickened by the Spirit. Second, he must be killed. Look back here in our text in
Isaiah 53. Verse five says he was wounded
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him and by his stripes we're healed. He suffered and
died as our substitute. Scripture says it, the wages,
we read that over and over again, the wages of sin is death. And in our place, he bore the
penalty for our transgressions, for our iniquities. And in doing
so, Almighty God is reconciled. The sin debt is paid. Justice is satisfied. The wrath of God toward sinners,
the wrath of God toward his people has been removed. Verse six says
this, all we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned every
man to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all. There on the cross where he was
made sin, there where he bore the penalty of sin, he suffered
and died on the cross. And listen, there was none to
help. Scripture says this, he walked the winepress of God's
wrath alone. Philippians chapter two, verse
eight, being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Verse seven here of our text, he was oppressed and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth. He's brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, a sheep before her shears is done, so open he not
his mouth. In all of this, he's the willing
savior, huh? Our Lord said in John 10, 18,
no man taketh it from me. I lay it down to myself. I have
power to lay it down and I have power to take it back again. This commandment have I received
of my father. An appointed death at an appointed time for an appointed
people, for his people, for his sheep. He laid down his life
for the sheep. Verse eight, he was taken from
prison and judgment. Who shall declare his generation? He was cut off out of the land
of the living. For the transgression of my people was he stricken. He must be killed. His life taken in a in a violent
manner. Listen, under the pretense of
judgment, false charges were brought against him, betrayed
by his very own. False witnesses lied about him. He suffered. He suffered. In 1 Peter 3.18, Christ also
hath once suffered for sins, the just, for the unjust, that
he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, quickened by the Spirit. Let's
read on verse nine. It says, he made his grave with
the wicked and with the rich in his death, because he had
done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. The wicked. Oh, there were many
wicked men there that day when our Lord was crucified, but He
died between two common things. The rich, He was buried, He didn't
even have His own tomb. A rich man's borrowed grave,
He was laid in. You know, I thought about that.
It was fine that He borrowed it because He wasn't going to
need it for long, was He? No. no deceit in his mouth. Pilate,
you think about that, all that was said about him, and Pilate
said, I find no fault in him. He said, I've examined him, I
find no fault in him. That one thief, remember there
were two thieves there, but that one said this, this man hath
done nothing amiss. The precious blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ shed. the precious blood of Christ
as of a lamb without spot and without blemish. Isaiah 53 verse
10, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to
grieve, for thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He
shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, The pleasure
of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. It pleased the Lord
to bruise him. The Lord, Almighty God, God the
Father bruised him. He put him to death. The Lord
put him to grief. The Lord made his soul an offering
for sin. He didn't just permit him to
suffer or allow him to suffer. He purposed it. He predestinated. He willed his only begotten son
to die in the place of his people. Turn to Acts chapter two. Acts chapter two, verse 23. Him, being delivered by the determinant
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you've taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain. He suffered unto death. His soul was made an offering
for sin, an atonement for sin. And listen, We just read this
here in Isaiah 53 verse 10. He shall see his seed, his sheep,
his elect, his chosen people, each one known and loved by Christ. He shall prolong his days, eternal
life, eternal life to be found in his son and the pleasure of
the Lord, the purpose of the Lord, his will, shall be accomplished. What is his will? What is his
will? Turn to John chapter six. John chapter six, verse 40. John 6 verse 40, this is the
will of Him that sent me. What's the Father's will? This
is the will of Him that sent me, that of everyone which seeth
the Son and believeth on Him may have everlasting life and
I'll raise Him up again the last day. Turn back, look back a verse
there at verse 39. What's His will? This is the
Father's will, which hath sent me. All which he hath given me,
I lose nothing, but should raise it up again the last day. The Lord Jesus Christ lives forever,
and so shall his people. Back to Isaiah 53, just a couple
more verses here. Verse 11 and 12, Christ must
suffer. He must be killed and he must
be risen. Verse 11, he shall see of the
travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many for he shall bear their
iniquities. He is Almighty God's wrath against
sin is satisfied. The Lord Jesus Christ is seated. He's seated. The work is finished. He cried that on the cross, it's
finished. And all for whom he suffered, all for whom he suffered,
Almighty God's wrath is satisfied. The Lord Jesus Christ, he finished
the work just as he promised, just as prophesied in the scripture,
and Almighty God raised him from the dead, satisfied with the sacrifice,
accomplishing his purpose. And now, scripture says, as he
is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high, being the brightness of his glory,
the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word
of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, he sat
down on the right hand of the majesty on high. And all for
whom he suffered, they're justified. We're free. We're redeemed. Turn to Romans chapter eight. Romans chapter eight, verse 29. Let's read a few verses
here. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. He might
be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we
say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son. When sin was found on the Lord
Jesus Christ, God the Father slew him. The sin debt must be
paid. He spared not his own son, but
delivered him up for us all. How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also make an intercession
for us. Now quickly, back to Isaiah 53,
verse 12. Therefore, while I divide him
a portion with the great, he shall divide the spoil with the
strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death. He was
numbered with the transgressors. He bare the sin of many and made
He didn't attempt, he didn't try, he made intercession for
the transgressors. He is risen and exalted above
all exaltation. In Philippians 2 we read this,
wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow of things in heaven, things in earth, things under
the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Isaiah 53, again
here, having poured out his soul to death, he made satisfaction. He was numbered with the transgressors. As our representative, he was
numbered with the transgressors. He bore the sin of many. As our substitute, he bore the
punishment of sin. There on the cross, and listen,
he made intercession for the transgressors. As our mediator,
he made intercession for his people. Well, may the Lord be
pleased to show us this morning and at all times, he suffered,
he died, and he is He's risen. Turn with me to one more passage
and I'll quit here. First Corinthians chapter 15,
verse one. What we read in the Old Testament,
same thing we read in the New Testament. It's God's word, cover
to cover. Verse 1, Moreover, brethren,
I declare unto you the gospel, the gospel which I preached unto
you. Think of all the foolishness that goes on in this world, and
yet God's Word says this, He's pleased to save men by the foolishness
of preaching. That should be the only foolishness
we're interested in, the foolishness of preaching. The gospel, Paul
says, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you received,
and wherein you stand. This is our hope, this is our
confidence, by which also, verse two, you're saved. Keep in memory
what I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered
unto you, first of all, primarily, that which I received. How? That Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and raised
again the third day according to the scriptures, according
to God's word. He suffered. He died. He died for our sins, and he's
risen. That's the gospel. That's the
gospel we preach. That's the gospel we rest in.
That's our hope, our confidence. Christ in Christ alone. Amen.