If you will, turn with me in
your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 53. Very well-known chapter in
the book of God's prophet, Isaiah. Brother Henry Mayhem preached
a series through here one time and called the series The Gospel
According to Isaiah. Isaiah 53 is a clear declaration
of the gospel of God's sovereign grace in Christ. The gospel of substitution. You've heard me use that word
before. The gospel of substitution. The gospel of representation. He's our head. He's the head
of the body, the church. That is, he is the federal head. He's not only the head of it
in power, but he's the federal head. He is the one who sets
the nature of those who are his children and his brethren. It's
the gospel of representation. It's the one true gospel and
the only gospel by which God will affectionately call sinners
unto life eternal. And as ambassadors for Christ,
his messengers, his representatives, we have only one message. Too wit, it says in the scriptures
in 2 Corinthians 5, too wit that God was in Christ reconciling
the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. and
hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. We just have
one ministry, and that's Christ. We're not sent to make guilty
sinners feel better about themselves or more comfortable in their
false professions. One fellow told me one time,
he said, well, I just believe when a person goes to church
on Sunday, they ought to leave there feeling better about themselves
than when they went in. that's how religion feels about
it too but that's not how God works the very opposite may be
true and it would be a blessing to you if it did we're not here trying to keep
the sacrifice of Christ from being made in vain that's another
thing religion talks about God done all he can do and it's all
up to you you mean You mean the glory of God resting in your
hands? His life, His death, His resurrection
is effectual whether we believe it or not. The Jews didn't believe it. That
keep it from being effectual? Not at all. All man's unbelief and rejection
of the gospel accomplishes is to manifest themselves as not
being the sheep of Christ. That's all it does. The Jews
gathered around the Savior and they said, how long then will
you make us to doubt? If you be the Christ, just tell
us plainly. He said, I told you, plainly. But you believe not, because
you're not of my sheep. As I sit under you, my sheep
hear my voice, and they follow me. They follow me. You believe not, because you're
not of my sheep. God's messengers have a report,
and that's where Isaiah begins this chapter. God's messengers
has a report, they have a message. They're not searching for a message.
They only search where in the Bible to preach that message. Every God called messenger asks
the same question. Now listen, here's how this starts.
Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed? Now, I don't think he's talking
here about the fact that only a few hear it. And I've read
this so many times, and so many times I've thought to myself
how true that is. Who believes you? You preach
it, and preach it, and preach it, and preach it, and men walk
out the door. And I thought that's what the prophet was talking
about. That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about those
who do hear it. Who hath believed our report?
Who are they? What enables them to hear it?
How come them to hear it and nobody else? Who hath believed
our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We've
got the greatest news ever declared to men. We have the cure for
all his diseases. The great physician. He can cure what just stumps
men. We have the remedy for his fallen
Adam. Wisdom for his inherent ignorance. Light in a world of darkness. Now listen as the prophet declares
to us the message of redemption in Christ. Verse two, for he,
that's the report, he. Not what, he. Not if, he. That's the message. He shall
grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry
ground. And here he speaks of our redeemers
coming into this world in union with his elect, taking to himself
all the infirmities of man, taking to himself that weakness and
humility. He who thought it not robbery
to be equal with God made himself of no reputation. How'd he do
that? We're born a man. This is He
who spoke the world into existence. He who has no beginning. He was born of a woman, made
of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under
the law. He speaks of our Redeemers coming into this world in union
with His elect, and He tells us in Hebrews 2.16 that He took
not on Him the nature of angels, But he took on him the seed of
Abraham. What do you mean by that? Well,
Galatians 3.16 says, Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises
made. He sayeth not to seeds as of
many, but as I seed which is one, Christ. Christ. He took in union with Himself
the whole of Israel, the whole of His elect in one person. And
suddenly a root appeared, a root of Jesse. Revelation 22, 16 says,
I am the root and offspring of David. Suddenly a root appeared,
and it appeared out of dry ground. There's no hope in Israel, no
hope in the human race. And suddenly a root appeared.
A root out of dry ground. He's the virgin born son of man. God come into the flesh. Coming to redeem. Look at the
second half of verse two. He hath no form or comeliness. And when we see him, there's
no beauty that we should desire him. There was nothing about
the Messiah that appealed to the flesh. He had no papers. He had no diplomas. He didn't
have the recommendation of religious men. There was nothing in his
looks. Every time religion puts on a
movie or promotes a movie or pictures an artist's representation
of Christ, they always make him this handsome view. There was
no beauty in him when you looked at him to desire him. He didn't
stick out of the crowd. Nothing about the Messiah to
appeal to human flesh. He looked like just another apple
on Adam's tree. Verse three, and he was despised
and rejected of men. Men didn't like him. They didn't
like him because of what he said, not because of what he did. They
liked what he did. He healed the sick. I thought, what's not to like about
that? They despised and rejected him
because of what he said. He was 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. That is, we didn't esteem
him as the promised Redeemer. We didn't see him as the Christ
that was prophesied about from the book of Genesis all the way
through Malachi. He came, and he wasn't recognized.
They seen him face to face, Winston. They shook his hand. They sat
in a tent with him. They listened to him as he spoke.
They saw him. But they didn't recognize him
as the Christ of God. And he was rejected. And this was true of the prophets.
as they gave the prophecies of Christ. Stephen said before they
stoned him, he said, you do always resist the Holy Ghost as your
fathers did, so do you. He said, which of the prophets
have not your fathers persecuted and have slain them which showed
before the coming of the just one? They despised and rejected even
the report of the prophets. And it was true of the prophets
when they sat before their report, and it was true when Christ appeared
in this world. Peter said, him ye have taken
and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. He was despised, his
message was despised, and his God was despised. And this God-man
mediator is despised today as we preach him to men, rejecting
him who is eternal life. They're not mad at me. They're
mad at me for saying what I had to say about Christ. All you
got to do to get along with religion is just don't preach Christ.
They'll find you a position. They'll make you a pastor. They'll
have you teaching Sunday school. I've went into churches and probably
didn't know three scriptures out of the whole Bible and they
were willing to make me a Sunday school teacher. All you gotta do is get along
with them, be approved of them, just don't preach the gospel. They despise and reject the only
revelation of God's mercy and grace to sinners. Verse four. Surely he hath borne
our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted." Now they didn't esteem him that
way in a positive way. When they saw him dying on the
cross, they mocked him and made fun of him and said, if you're
the Christ, come down from the cross. They esteemed him smitten of
God and afflicted. When he was pronounced guilty
by the governor of Rome, to them that was God putting his stamp
of approval on the fact that he was an imposter. And here's this one who's carrying
our sorrows, but we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God,
and afflicted. When the Jews crucified Christ,
they believed they were doing God a service. And so did Paul
when he sent for papers to persecute Christians. They were so convinced
of it that they said, let his blood be on us and be on our
children. Oh, what a statement to make. And the same thing applies to
his messengers. Our Lord said in John 16 too,
the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he
doeth God a service. He was esteemed to die at the
hands of God, but in their eyes for his own crimes. Yet the fact
is that he did die at the hands of God, yet he died not for his
own sins, but for ours. He hath borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows. Verse 5. Now watch this. 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're healed. There's only one gospel and that
is the gospel of substitution and representation. That's what
he's talking about here. One who did no sin, but who was
crucified as a sinner. He was judged under the providence
of God as a common criminal. Even though, according to his
own judge, this man had done nothing amiss. Now God is holy. That's his whole
character is always in perfect harmony. His love is not disproportionate
with His justice, and His mercy is not out of sync with His righteousness,
and His grace is not inconsiderate of His hatred for sin. God cannot simply excuse sin. Sin must be paid for. It must be paid for. God cannot
overlook sin. His justice must be satisfied. And there's only one way for
God to be just and justify sinners, and that is for His justice to
be satisfied upon His Son. There's not a man who's ever
been born who could satisfy God. He's born in sin, number one.
That would exclude him from all pleasing of God, regardless of
what he did. There's only one way for God
to be just and justify sinners, and that's for His justice to
be satisfied in the death of His Son. Man has no value to satisfy such
a justice. Eternity in hell cannot quench
God's righteous wrath, and the everlasting punishment of the
sinner wouldn't even make a down payment. Are you listening to
what I'm telling you? Justice has to be satisfied.
Man can't satisfy, and God can't suffer, but the God-man can do
both. He can do both. God Himself can
satisfy the dead, and satisfied He did by an eternal covenant union
with His people in Christ. He chose us in Him, He blessed
us in Him, and we died in Him. was raised in Him, ascended into
glory with Him, and are seated with Him in heavenly places in
Christ. Scripture said salvation is according
as He had chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world.
That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love or being
loved. God made provision for all his
elect in Christ by making him head over the body. He's the
representative man. In Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive. And as such, all of our sins
were charged to him, laid on him, punished in him, and paid
in full in him. Isaiah 53, 6. Now this is just
so. Just so, and the prophet tells
us that. He bore our transgressions. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him. And all we like sheep, verse
6, have gone astray. We turned everyone to his own
way. And the Lord laid on him the
iniquity of us all. Where did the Lord put our iniquity?
On him. On him. And though he did no
sin, and spoke no sin, and thought no sin, yet he hung before God
as the sinner. God hath made him to be sin for
us who knew no sin. And infinite justice condemned
him, and righteous wrath slew him. Now listen, verse 7. And
he was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not
his mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before a shearer's is done, so he opened
not his mouth. You see the Savior hanging on
the cross, bearing the wrath of God upon his body and soul,
tormented beyond our imagination, yet he opened not his mouth because
as our substitute he was guilty. He had nothing to say. He had nothing to say. He said,
what should I say? Father deliver me from this hour?
He said, for this hour came I into the world. He opened not his
mouth, Brian, because he's guilty. That's my substitute. As a sheep was born to be sheared,
even so our Lord's presence in this world was to die for our
sins. Now is my soul troubled, he said. Came to this hour. He was brought
as a lamb to the slaughter. He was brought by the demand
of God's holy justice and brought by an undying love for his people.
brought by the redemptive will of God, and brought by the very
providence of God, and he was brought there to be slaughtered,
the same as Abraham brought his son to that mountain. He was taken from prison, verse
eight, and from judgment. And who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the
land of the living for the transgression of my people. Was he strict? Now here's a man who had no earthly
bride, no children, no heirs. Was his life and death in vain?
Who's going to declare his generation? Was his life and death in vain? Has the word of God's promise
taken none effect? Not at all. His bride is the
church for whom he gave himself. and his heirs are as the sands
of the sea and as the stars of the sky. But who shall declare
his generation? Who shall have his name? For he was cut off out of the
land of the living for the transgression of God's people was he stricken. Verse 9, and he was made his
grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death because
he'd done no violence, neither was any deceit. in his mouth. Having satisfied divine justice
and ushered in everlasting righteousness, God will have no man and no animal
and no worm to abuse him. You think about that. You think about that. And he didn't allow that same
thing with Lazarus either. Oh, don't take the stone back
by now, he's stinky. No, he don't stink. He don't
stink. Never heard him talk about stinky
anymore. Though he died as a common criminal
under Roman law, yet he was not simply cast out, but he was taken
down and laid in the tomb of a rich man. Verse 10, yet it pleased the
Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed,
he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord will
prosper in his hands. And his death, though at the
hands of men, was purposed and directed by the hand and counsel
of God. You can read that in Acts chapter
four. God made his soul an offering for sin. Who did? God did. Let me ask you this, who else could? Huh? Won't you make Jesus your Savior? You can't make Jesus your Savior.
God made Him your Savior. Who else could? He said, no man taketh my life
from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it
down. I have power to take it up again. This commandment have
I received from my Father. You can't make Him anything.
God made him Savior. God made him King. God made him
Lord. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him to put him to grief and make his soul an offering for sin. All right, preacher, but what
does all this have to do with the salvation of God's elect?
Now listen to this verse, Isaiah 53, 11. He, that is God the Father,
shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. The father not only permitted
his death, but purposed it, predestinated it, and willed him to die. He said, behold, in the volume
of the book it's written of me, I come to do thy will, O God. This is what he came into the
world to do. And he did it, and when he did
it, he satisfied God. He did it for his people. He
did it in their room instead. And as he saw our Lord's soul
in travail, Gil said the travail of his soul is the toil and labor
he endured to accomplish the redemption of his people. And
God saw that. He saw that. God sees the suffering
and death of his son and he's satisfied. And not only is He
satisfied with His Son, but He's satisfied with all them represented
in His Son. He shall see His seed, Christ
the covenant head, the covenant seed, and all His seed in Him. And because He's satisfied, He
shall prolong His days. He is in ours. And the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in his hand. He's not gonna fail. Christ's not gonna have a miscarriage. His gospel, his providence, his
reign of grace, the coming of the Holy Ghost, and every good
and perfect gift of God communicated to men. The pleasure of the Lord
will prosper in his hand. Verse 11, the very last line. And by his knowledge shall my
righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities.
Now the only way for any sinner to be justified by God is through
the suffering and death of Christ. That's it. That's where satisfaction
is. It's in the death of Christ.
Romans 3.20 says, therefore by the deeds of the law there shall
no flesh be justified in his sight. I saw a sign going over
to Mississippi one time that said, the Ten Commandments is
enough for us. And they had a big sign about
the size of ours and it was shaped like a scroll with the Ten Commandments
on it. And I don't remember, it might
have been Brian, I don't remember who was riding with me. I said,
it's too much for me. By the deeds of the law, no flesh
can be justified before Him. God's elect, Romans 3, 24, justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus.
That's how you justify it. Whom God set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in His blood declare His righteousness for the remission
of our sins. When God takes away a man's sins,
he's righteous when he does it. He's righteous. And then Paul
argues this, he said, if God justifies us, who's going to
condemn us? Huh? Who's going to condemn you
if God justifies you? Who's going to condemn you? But how's a poor sinner to have
any confidence that he or she is justified in Christ? All right, preacher, I see that.
I see that God's church, his body, his elect is justified
in Christ. But how do I have confidence
in that justification? How do I find part in that justification? How do I know I'm justified? How do I know that? Well, if God justifies us, he
says he'll do it by his knowledge. He's gonna teach you how he can
be just and justify. He gonna declare to you how he
can be righteous and take away your sins. And by that knowledge,
he gonna justify many. Not that your justification was
accomplished in that, but that you can see that justification
and have that justification in your own heart. By his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify me. The gospel sets before men and
women how God can be just and justifier, how God can be righteous
in the remission of their sins, and it's the knowledge of substitution
and satisfaction in Christ. It's God who justifies and Christ
who died. Isn't that what he says there
in the last part of Romans 8? Because of Christ's representative
work and his accomplished redemption, all that believe are become legitimate
heirs with him and blessed in him forever. Therefore, we're being justified
by faith. We have peace with God. We have
peace. Four, verse 12. He was numbered
with the transgressors and bear the sin of many and made intercession
for the transgressors. May we all by his grace see the
saving glory of God in his son. Amen.