Turn to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. This is a very familiar portion
of Scripture, and the older I get, I hope the more familiar I get
with it. This is our Lord spoken of in
this chapter. Who could write a more complete description of
a person's life in twelve verses than our God? I looked at that as sitting up
here, and I thought, in these twelve verses, that is so complete. That is
such a description of his life, of his person, of his life, and
it's done in 12 verses. I have a book at home of Abraham
Lincoln. It's so thick. I mean, trying
to describe Abraham Lincoln. And I know this whole book is
about him, but if you read just chapter 53 of Isaiah, That is the best description
that we can get in this chapter. And the first thing that Isaiah
does is he calls for faith. And really, it's kind of an indictment
against Israel for their unbelief. I read that to you over here
in Romans 9. He says over here in Romans 10, He says over here,
he says, but they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah
saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? It's as if Isaiah
said, Lord, not many believe. There are very few that believe.
There was very few among all those Israelites that believed
God. Out of all those Israelites that
came out of Egypt, how many of that original group went into
the promised land? Unbelievable, isn't it? Two.
Joshua and Cain. There was well over a million
some people came out of Egypt, and two of the original group
went into the promised land. Joshua and Caleb. It's amazing. It's amazing. But the first thing
he does before he describes the Savior, the Messiah, our Lord,
the first thing he does is he calls for faith. Faith. Who? Who among you? Who among us? truly believes this report. Over in the margin in Romans
10, it says preaching. Who hath believed our preaching?
Here in the margin it says doctrine. Doctrine. Who hath believed it?
I'll never forget, this has been years ago, I heard Henry preaching
from this. He said, I can tell you who hath
believed the report. He said, I can tell you who hath
believed it. To whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed? Those are the ones who believe
the report. Who has believed the report?
The ones to whom the arm of the Lord is revealed. And the arm
of the Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is set forth now
in the rest of these verses before us. To whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed? And then he starts revealing
him. He's revealed right here. For he shall grow up before him,
that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, the arm of the Lord, shall grow
up before him, that is, before his Father, before God. You see, the lamb had to be put
up for three days and observed. If there was a blemish in it,
they wouldn't have it. They wouldn't offer it. Our life
grew up before the Lord. He grew up before God for thirty-three
years. And he said, This is my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased, not a blemish under the all-searching
eye of God Almighty. Not a blemish. Not a blemish. And he shall grow up. That tells
us, it tells us this. He's going to come into this
world as a babe. You can't grow up unless you come into this
world as a babe. Adam didn't grow up. Adam did
not know what it was like to be a child. God created him a
man. And He created Eve a woman. They were not born, they were
created. You and I are born from them. But the Lord Jesus Christ was
born. unto us a son is given, unto
us a child is born. You see, in verse 2, we have
his beginnings on earth. You see, he's the eternal son
of God, but that human nature that he assumed, that body, he
said, a body hast thou prepared me, had its beginning. It had
a beginning. But as the son, as God, he had
no beginning. Don't try to figure that out.
You and I can never comprehend these things, not in this flesh. Can't do it. But he shall grow
up before him as a tender plant. That's a babe. That's what he's
talking about. He's talking about being a babe.
He's a tender plant. Had to be watched over. Mary
had to watch over him like she did the rest of her children.
He's a tender plant. He's a real babe. That's a real
baby laying in that manger. And as a root out of dry ground. He hath no form nor commonness.
There was nothing breathtaking about his appearance. Not at
all. He came into this world and he
looked like, he looked, I don't, he didn't look ugly at all. He was common. I believe he was
just a very common-looking man. You see, they were expecting
some tall, dark, handsome, and that's what they were expecting.
And here comes this common-looking man, poor, born into poverty,
had like a root out of dry ground. Do you ever see a root out of
dry ground? It's not a very pretty sight.
It's not something that's going to attract your attention. Put
it that way. And he hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall
see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." Pretty much everybody that's,
you know, when you meet and you date and you get married, you're
attracted to each other. There's something that attracted
you, some beauty, some comeliness there that attracted you. But
when he came, nobody noticed. Nobody noticed. They even said,
we know you, you're the carpenter's son. There was nothing about
his appearance that would suggest that this is God. This is God. And you know one of the things
that gave them so much trouble, the Jews so much trouble? They
couldn't get past his flesh. They could not get past his common
appearance. Couldn't do it. Then we have here in verse 3,
his reception. He is despised and rejected of
men. He is despised. I tell you, listen,
he's still despised. He's still despised and rejected
by men to this day, unless God does something for a man or a
woman. They will despise and reject
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, they will not despise this
Jesus being preached as one who wants to save everybody, one
of the miracle workers. No, they don't despise that one.
But the sovereign Christ of God who sits at God's right hand
and rules the heavens and earth, He is despised and rejected of
men even now. But God accepts it. God accepts it. He's not despised
and rejected by God. He's seated at God's right hand.
Our Lord is seated at God's right hand. And He's not despised and
rejected by His people after He saves them. No, they love
Him. They love Him. But listen, He's
a man of sorrows and equated with grief. You wouldn't think
God's Son, such royalty, Is that such a life? Well, it's because
of who he identified himself with. People like me and you. A man like us. And that means he can identify
with us in our sorrows and in our grief. He can identify with
us. He can identify with the youngest
child because he was a child and grew up. He can identify
with the oldest. He's the ancient of days. Listen, here's his reception.
He was despised, rejected of men, a man of sorrows, acquainted
with grief, and we hid. Embarrassed. Didn't want to be
caught seeing with him. I don't know why Nicodemus came
to him by night, but I have a good feeling I know why. He was a Pharisee, you see, that
wouldn't go over well. So he came to him by night to
talk to him. We hid, as it were, our faces
from him. He was despised and we made nothing
of him. You would think, even right now,
if you said to the world, The Son of God is going to come. He's going to be here tomorrow. You would think the reception
would be something else, wouldn't you? I mean, you'd think the
reception, you know, if you say the President's coming, they'd
really make a big to-do out of that. But the Son of God has
come, and we esteem Him not. That's the indictment against
this world. We esteemed him not. Made nothing of him. Made nothing
of him. No one, no one has ever been
more hated than this man, Jesus Christ. No one. No one has been made nothing
of like he was when he came into this world. He was in a barn. Think about it. He was laid in
a manger. Surely, truly, He hath borne
our griefs and carried our sorrows. It was our grief and our sorrow
that He was carrying. Now, I have trials. You have
trials. We have some burdens. There's burdens going on in this
church right now. Nothing like what He carried. Nothing like
what he, the grief, we've known some grief, but not like he knew. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping
me and from the words of my roaring? Why? Because he's carrying my grief,
my sorrow. That's why. Frank read it. Paul said over
there in 2 Corinthians, these are but light afflictions. His
wasn't. His affliction was not light.
He endured my hell. He endured the hell of everyone
whom he came to save. That was not a light affliction.
That was the wrath of Almighty God. That was God's wrath and
hatred taken out on him against sin. Now that's grief and that's
sorrow. Yet we did esteem him strict
and smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded not for his
transgressions, not for something he personally did, thought, said. No, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him. It was on his shoulders. I have
laid help upon one that is mighty. And the chastisement of our peace
was laid upon his shoulders. It was laid upon him. With his stripes, they whipped
him, not under the Jewish law, under the Roman law, they whipped
him because they wore themselves out on him. They lacerated his
back. But with those stripes, we are
healed, spiritually, spiritually healed. There's the bomb. Every time they would slash that
back, every time that blood would splatter, that's the bomb of
Gilead. But then we have a description
of us here. All we like, but now listen to
this, sheep. Sheep. He didn't say all we like
goats. He didn't come to say goats.
And he's not turning goats into sheep. A sheep is a sheep, and
it's always been a sheep. You never read where the Lord
came to save a goat. He came to save the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. All those sheep that were given
to him before the world began, he came to save. And it says,
all we like sheep have gone astray. We've gone way out there, far
off, far away from the Savior. And we've turned everyone to
his own way of sinning. We all have our own particular,
every man, every woman has their own particular way. Or just some
particular sin that just, that you go with. Whatever it is. Whatever it is. But we've all
turned to our own way. Not Him, not to Him who is God's
way. He said, I am the way, the truth,
and the life. We go our own way. But we're a mess, aren't we? We are
an absolute mess. And the Lord, Jehovah, hath laid
as over margins, has made the iniquity of us all to meet on
Him. That's what happened in Gethsemane.
When he sweat great drops of blood, all the iniquity of all
his elect met on him. When he was nailed to that cross,
all the iniquity of all the elect met on him. It was taken off from us and
met on him. Did you hear what Jesus said
to me? They're all taken away. They're gone. Now listen, I didn't
lay them on him. Oh, this is good. This is good.
I did not lay my sins on him. And that's why they're gone.
They're gone. Because Jehovah, the Lord laid
them on him. He did it. He did it. And it says the Lord laid on
him the iniquity, the rottenness, the filthiness of what I am,
what you are. It was laid on him. It was put on him. He was oppressed like no one
has ever been oppressed before or since. He was oppressed and
he was afflicted, tormented, yet he opened not his mouth.
He agreed before the world began in that covenant of grace to
do this, to bear our sins, to be the sin bearer. And when he
came to do it, and when it happened, he opened not his mouth. He was
in full agreement with it. He was in full agreement with
what was going on. And he's brought as a lamb to
the slaughter, and that's exactly what it was, a slaughter. That's
what Calvary was, a slaughter. And as a sheep before her shears
his dung, he opened out his mouth. He didn't complain. He didn't
try to say, I didn't do this. He stood there as a substitute
of a multitude. I mean, a multitude, the Scripture
says it cannot be numbered. And he bore their sins quietly,
patiently, and I mean lovingly. Love toward them. Love toward
us. He opened not his mouth. Pilate,
if you remember, Pilate was just astonished. He was astonished that he did
not defend himself. that he didn't speak. He had nothing to say to Pilate. This was not between him and
Pilate. It was between him and his father. And then he was taken from prison.
It says, over my margin and away by distress and judgment. But he was taken from prison
and from judgment. Judgment was taken away. It was
a kangaroo court. That's what they had. And who
shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the
land of the living for the transgression. Do you notice this particular
language as we've gone through this? Where the transgression
of my people was he stricken. He was wounded for what? Transgressions? Our transgressions. They belong
to someone. The sins he died for belong to someone. He didn't just die for sin and
then hopefully somebody might accept him and then it would
become effectual. His death would become effectual.
His atonement would become effectual by our faith. It has nothing
to do with it. I don't give any effect to what
he did. He gives the effect, his person, God, and a sinless
man. But he says our transgression,
he's wounded for our transgression, bruised for our iniquities. He
said the transgression of my people was he stricken. That
is particular language. I'm glad for it. I'm glad for him, because if
he didn't choose us, we'd never choose him. And he made his grave with the
wicked, hung between those two seas, and with the rich and his
dead. Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, came and craved the body
of the Lord Jesus Christ and put him in a new tomb, one that
he had dug out for himself, because he had done no violence.
Never did. Never, never, never one time
even had a violent thought. Not one time. Neither was any
deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. As you and I have heard so many times, it pleased the
Lord to bruise him Because it pleased the Lord to make you
his people. And in making you his people, Christ must be bruised. He must suffer. And he said that. The son of man must suffer. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. He had put him to grief. Who put him to grief? The Romans? The Jews? His Father. His Father. He hath put him to
grief. He's the one who delivered him
up for us all. He's the one who did it. When thou shalt make his soul,
and here is what happened. This is what happened at Calvary.
When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. Now if his soul was made an offering,
that holy soul was made an offering for my sins, they're gone. They've been dealt with. It's
over. It's over. God is reconciled to me. That's
why Paul says over there in Corinthians, now you be reconciled to God.
You know, the war is over. And I was watching one of those
Civil War movies, and, you know, the war was over, but there were
some of them still fighting. And they're going through it
and saying, it's over. It's over. The war's over. His soul has been made an offering
for sin. Now, listen, here's his success. He shall see his
seed. And that word, he has been translated,
he shall see seed. That's right, the grain of corn
has fallen into the ground and it has died and it has produced
much fruit. And it has produced much fruit
just like itself. But the full likeness of it will
be seen when the church, the full church, the whole body of
Christ is in glory. Then you'll see the full likeness. of being like Christ. He shall prolong his days, and
the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. And you know what that pleasure
is? Making you his people. Making you his people. Calling
out his sheep, bringing his sheep into the fold. That's the pleasure
of the Lord. He's no failure. You know, we
don't need gimmicks and shows and games and all kinds of stuff
to get people here. Just preach the gospel. Preach
the gospel and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his
hand. It'll prosper. He shall see the
travail of his soul, the birth pains of his soul, and shall
be satisfied. He will not have any stillborn
children. He shall be satisfied. He'll
have everyone for whom he died. And by his knowledge shall my
righteous servant justify many." And here's how. Here's how he's
going to do it. He's not going to just say, be
justified and you be justified. No, here's how he's going to
justify many. He shall bear their iniquities. He's a just God and a Savior. Therefore will I divide him a
portion with the great. He shall divide the spoiled with
the strong. Because he had poured out his soul unto death, he was
numbered with the transgressors and he bared the sin of many
and made intercession for the transgressors. You know, the
best preaching, the best preaching is just reading the Word of God. I find that the best preaching
is just reading His Word. Well, every now and then I look
at this and I want to go over it again and again and again. That's an outline in itself.
You don't need to write a big outline for this one. It's its
own outline. Its own outline.