Let's try to look at Isaiah 53. We're entitling the message from
the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, The Gospel According to Isaiah. The Gospel According to Isaiah. On the radio program this morning,
I brought a message from Deuteronomy chapter 33, and we're going to
call that message, The Gospel According to Moses. But here
we have the gospel according to Isaiah, the gospel concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we must understand that the
prophecy about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and his
sacrificial death was given to Isaiah 700 years before Isaiah,
before the Lord Jesus Christ, rather, actually appeared among
men. Before the Lord Jesus Christ
actually accomplished salvation for us. But it's given with such
accuracy and with such exactness that it seems as though it was
written after the fact. Seems it was written after the
Lord Jesus Christ had died. You see, all scripture is given
of God. God gives this scripture by exact
ordination and exactly what God foreordained, the Lord Jesus
Christ came and accomplished. Not only does Isaiah speak about
the Lord Jesus Christ, but we read in scripture to him give
all the prophets witness. All the Old Testament prophets
wrote about the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beginning
of Moses and all the way through the book of Malachi. We read
this in 2 Peter 1, The prophecy came not in old time by the will
of men, but holy men spake as they were moved by God the Holy
Spirit. Our Lord said in John chapter
5, Had you believed Moses, you would have believed me, because
Moses wrote about me. Remember when the Lord met those
two men? on the road to Emmaus and beginning
of Moses and all the scripture he founded unto them in the Old
Testament the things concerning himself. The whole Old Testament
is about the Lord Jesus Christ, His person and His work. Someone asked an old preacher
years ago, back in the 1800s, they asked him, is your creed
in print? Is your creed in print? Your
creed is what you believe, what you teach. Is your doctrine in
print? Yes, he replied. It's found in
Isaiah 53. This is the gospel. This is our creed in print. If anybody ever asks you, does
your church have a creed? Say yes, it's the Word of God. The whole Word of God is our
creed. So let's take a few moments and
carefully consider the words of God found in Isaiah 53 and
ask God the Holy Spirit to bless his word to our heart and to
our understanding. I'm deeply interested in the
Lord Jesus Christ and him crucified. So let's begin at verse 1. And
as I said, I'm keeping an eye on the clock here so we won't
wear you out so bad. Who had believed our report?
He starts with two questions. Who had believed our report and
to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Now the word arm there
is the word power. To whom is the power of the Lord
revealed, who hath believed the report of the gospel. Now the
report of the gospel is true. The doctrine of the gospel is
true. Therefore, it ought to be believed,
right? The report of God, the gospel
of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ is a true record. It's
a true report, therefore you ought to believe it. But let
me tell you this, believing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
is a miracle. You see, faith is a gift of God.
Faith is not something that's in you naturally. Faith is a
gift of God. God must give us faith to enable
us to believe the gospel. So who has believed our report?
To those to whom God has granted and given faith. And then the
second question he asks is this, to whom is the arm or the power
of God revealed? You see, the gospel of Christ
is the power of God unto salvation. To whom is this power of the
Lord revealed? It's revealed unto His people.
And the gospel is only understood by revelation. You remember from
Matthew 11? Our Lord said, He said these
things, excuse me, He's hid these things from the wise and prudent
and has revealed them unto babes, even so father, for so it seemed
good in your sight. If you understand the gospel
and believe it, it's because God has revealed it to your heart
and has given you faith to believe Him and love in your heart to
Him. You see, we only love Him because
He first loved us. Now look at verse two. This is
a very good fit description of the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ. In the fullness of time, God sent forth his son, made
of a woman, made under the law. For he shall grow up before him. And he's talking about the Lord
Jesus Christ and his humanity. He came as a tender plant. as
an infant of a day old, born in a cow trough, born of a virgin,
laid in a cow trough as a tender plant. Yet this one who was born
of Mary is the eternal God who inhabits eternity. Isn't that
amazing? What a miracle! God inhabited
a body of a man, and as a tender plant, you put out a seed in
the ground, and it puts forth a shoot, and then a stalk, and
then the fruit. And it grows, but it starts out
as a very tender plant. The Lord Jesus Christ in his
humanity, although he has no beginning as God, as the God-man
mediator, he had a very meager beginning as a tender plant. And then it says here, out of
a root, of dry ground. If you look at the lineage both
of Joseph and Mary, that you follow their forefathers back,
both of them, Mary, her lineage, Joseph, his lineage, they both
go back to King David tribe, the kingly tribe of Judah, house
of Jesse, family of David, But when the Lord Jesus Christ actually
came, Mary was a poor, poor woman, like a root out of dry ground. The Lord Jesus Christ as a man
had no form nor comeliness. When we shall see him, there's
no beauty that we should desire him. The Lord Jesus Christ as
a real man, Grew up in a carpenter shop. He labored with his hands. He sweat as he labored and worked
as a carpenter. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't,
even when he entered his ministry at 30 years old, that's when
the priest entered the ministry. And the Lord Jesus Christ, as
the great high priest, when he's 30 years old, entered into his
public ministry. But he didn't walk around with
a halo around his head. The Lord Jesus Christ looked
like any other Jewish laboring man. He was a real man. And yet, He's eternal God. Isn't that amazing? The Lord
Jesus had no special attraction about him, no special appearance
about him. He looked just like any other
man, but he had no sin. Both Mary and Joseph were the
house of David, tribe of Judah, the kingly tribe, yet it was
reduced to a dried up root. Look at verse three. And then
it says, let's pick up the last part of verse, there's no beauty. that we should desire him. The
natural man is enmity against God. The natural man does not
desire to see the Lord Jesus Christ in all of his beauty.
To you who believe he is precious, but to the natural man there's
nothing attractive about the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in
verse 3, he is It doesn't say was, although
he was. It says he is the God-man mediator,
the one who is eternal God, yet manifest in the flesh. When he
came here, he was and is despised and rejected of men. A man of
sorrows, acquainted with grief, And we hid, as it were, our faces
from him. He was despised and we did not
even care one thing for his person. Tell you how wicked we are. When he was manifested in the
flesh, his own nation, his own people rejected him as their
Messiah. When he first came, he came into
his own, his own did not receive him. And in the end when Pilate
brought him forth and presented him, you remember what they said?
Give us Barabbas, Pilate said, what should I do with this man?
Remember what they said? Away with him. Crucify him. We have no king but Caesar. He was despised and rejected
of men. He was not esteemed nor honored
among men. Not at all. The Lord Jesus Christ
the whole time of his earthly pilgrimage among men was one
of sorrow and grief. from his birth unto his death,
a man of constant sorrow, tempted and tested in all points like
as we are, yet, yet without sin. No sorrow, no grief ever plagued
such a man as the Lord Jesus Christ. Any sorrow like unto
his sorrow, the question the prophet asked? No, not one. He was and is despised, and we
esteem him not. Now look at verse 4 and 5. Surely
the Lord Jesus Christ, truly the Lord Jesus Christ, He comes
for a purpose. He came to put away our sin.
He came by God's purpose, surely, which means truly, the Lord Jesus
Christ had taken all of our grief unto himself, all of our sorrows
unto himself. He had borne our griefs, he carried
our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken of God and afflicted. Verse five, he, the Lord Jesus
Christ, was wounded wounded unto death. Why was he wounded unto
death? For my sin. For my transgression. He was
bruised for my iniquities. I want you to look at that personally.
You can put your name right in there where it says our sin.
Put your name in there if you're a believer. He was wounded for
my transgression, for my iniquities. The chastisement of my peace
was upon Him. We only have peace with God because
the Lord Jesus Christ has reconciled us unto God by His blood. We have peace with God through
the Lord Jesus Christ. Our peace was upon Him and with
His stripes With His stripes, we are healed. We are saved. healed. Now what's he talking about here?
We see the reason behind his suffering, we see the reason
behind his griefs, and here we see the heartbeat of the gospel.
The Lord Jesus Christ suffers for his people carrying their
burden, their sin, their guilt, their iniquities. Is that right? Let's see if we can find that
in the New Testament. We know that's right. He suffered
once for the just He suffered once the just for the unjust
that he might bring us bring us unto God find 2nd Corinthians
I know we've looked at this verse at least two or three hundred
times But it bears repeating doesn't it 2nd Corinthians 5?
2nd Corinthians 5 5 Here we see substitution satisfaction
2nd Corinthians 5 Verse 21, He, Him, and Us. You see that? He, Him, and Us.
God had made Him, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, to be sin
for us. That's substitution. No one suffered
like He suffered because He's suffering for all the sins of
God's people laid on Him. And He's the one who never knew
sin, He was made sin for us that we might be made, excuse me,
the righteousness of God, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was smitten of God,
afflicted because our sins were laid upon Him. It says down in
the last part of verse five, the Lord laid on Him the iniquity
of us all. The Lord Jehovah charged our
sin to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ died as
a sinner's substitute. The just for the unjust. The
Lord Jesus made complete satisfaction for their sin. For their sin. The Lord Jesus Christ. You have
to look at this very personal for yourself. The Lord Jesus
Christ took all my sin to Himself and He gives me all of His righteousness. Freely. Justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ gave complete satisfaction to what the law
of God demanded. He honored the law of God for
us. With his stripes, it says there, we are healed. You see,
he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And
my friend, he did not fail to do so. He was wounded for our
transgression, bruised for our iniquity, the chastisement of
our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. We are healed completely with
His stripes, by and through the shedding of His blood, His precious
blood. He atoned for all of our sins. We are justified, healed before
God. Matter of fact, God says their
sin and their iniquity will I remember no more. Turn over to the book
of Romans. Romans chapter 5. He appeared at the fullness of
time to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Romans 5. Let's look at verse 6. When we were
yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for righteous men
will one die, yet for adventure, for a good man, some would even
dare to die. But God commended his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if
when we were enemies, will reconcile to God by the death of his son,
much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life, by
his faithfulness. We have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. Look at this verse here. With
his strife, with his blood, with his atonement, we are healed.
He obtained for us eternal redemption. Romans chapter 8 verse 32. 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? All
think freely. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. We
are healed in Christ. Spiritually healed. It is God
that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth his
Christ to die? Yea, rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession
for us. He ever lives. The inner seed
for us. Now back to the text, look at
verse six. All we like sheep were lost sheep. Now the sheep
have always been His, elected from all eternity. But when we
were born in Adam, lost and dead in sin, we were still His people,
but we were lost sheep. And the Lord Jesus Christ came
to save his sheep, his people, from their sin. All we like sheep
have gone astray, we've turned everyone to his own way. What
is that? It's not his way, it's the way
from God. See, we were lost sheep, we were
dead sheep, we were sinful sheep. We've all turned away from the
Lord. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ
came and took all of our sin unto Himself. We find out here
in verse 6 and verse 8, verse 11 and verse 12, for whom did
the Lord Jesus Christ die? It says in verse 6, The Lord
laid on him the iniquity of us all, that is, all of the sheep. The Lord Jesus Christ did not
die for all of the sins of all men, but rather for his people. Look down at verse 8, Isaiah
53 verse 8, the last part of verse 8. For the transgression
of my people, Was he stricken you remember the messenger from
heaven to Joseph of Mary call his name Jesus He shall save
his people from their sin for the transgression of my people
was he stricken the last part of verse 11 my righteous servant
Shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities and then
the last part of verse 12 You see verse 12 the last part he
bear the sins of many and You see, He gave His life for ransom
for many. And He made intercession for
transgressors. The Lord Jesus Christ did not
die for all of the sins of all men, but rather all of the sins
of His people, His lost sheep, that were laid upon the Lord
Jesus Christ. We call that particular redemption.
We call that death and atonement. The Lord Jesus Christ bought
his people with his own blood. He loved the church and gave
himself for it. Now let me ask you this question.
It says, all we like sheep have gone astray. Where did the Lord
Jesus Christ get these people? Where did he get these people?
Where did they come from? Let's see if we can find out.
Let's turn over here to John chapter six. John chapter 6,
all we like sheep, saying that the Lord Jesus Christ died for
his elect, for his church, for his people. But where did he
get these people? Look at John chapter 6, verse
37. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and those that come to me I will in no wise
cast out. People were given to the Lord
Jesus Christ in that eternal covenant of grace now turn to
John chapter 17 John 17 the Lord here in his priestly prayer mentions
those given to him at least five or six times in John 17 look
verse 2 as thou has given him power over all flesh that he
should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given to him. You see the Lord Jesus Christ
died exclusively and only and particularly for his elect, for
his chosen, for his people, for his bride. He loved the church
and gave himself for his people. Now look back at Isaiah 53. learn more about the Lord Jesus
Christ as our substitute, dying in our room, dying in our stead. He was oppressed and he was afflicted. He was oppressed of the religious
people of his day, he was afflicted by the religious people of his
day, the Romans hated him, the Pharisees persecuted him, yet
he opened not his mouth, He is brought as the Lamb of God to
the slaughter, as a sheep before her shearers is done, so He opened
not His mouth. He was taken from prison, or
taken away by distress and judgment. Who shall declare His generation?
For He was cut off out of the land of the living, because of
the transgression those people laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we find the Lord Jesus Christ
is a willing sacrifice for our sin. He is a spotless Lamb of
God that takes away our sin. The Lord Jesus Christ. You remember
he said in John 10, no man takes my life from me. I have power
to lay it down. I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father. You see the Lord
Jesus Christ is the appointed sacrifice for sin from the foundation
of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
appointed sacrifice for the appointed people and he died at the appointed
time. No one took his life from him.
Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. Wicked man took him and crucified
his body. But they only did what God determined
before to be done. Never view the Lord Jesus Christ
as a tragic accident. Never say, well, if I would have
been there, I would have stopped him. No, you wouldn't. You would
have said, Amen. Crucify him. We have no king
but Caesar. You see, he dies the appointed
death for the appointed people at the appointed time, the appointed
way as the Lamb of God that takes away our sin. The Lord died a violent death
at the hands of wicked men. Although he had done no violence.
He knew no sin Had done no sin. It says in verse 9 Verse 9 he
made his grave with the wicked He was buried. They took his
dead body down and Joseph and Nicodemus, they took his body
and put it in a borrowed tomb of a wicked man named Joseph
of Arimathea. He made his grave with the wicked
and with the rich in his death. He was crucified between two
thieves, although he had done no violence. You can't find one
sin on him. He had no sin. He knew no sin,
and he did no sin. Neither was any deceit or guile
in his mouth because there was no sin in his heart. We studied
in 1 Peter 1, he is a spotless lamb of God. 1 Peter 1, 18-20.
Now, look at verse 10. Someone said this is a key verse
verse 10 Although he had done no violence. Although he had
done no sin he was taken and Judged and condemned Of men But
we must understand What men did at the cross? I mean they did
some wicked things They said some wicked things But what men
did at the cross is not our hope. It's not the nails that the Romans
drove in his hands and his feet. It's not the spear that they
pushed in his side. It's not the crown of thorns
they pushed down on his head. It's not what men did at the
cross that's our hope. That's not our hope, is it? What
is our hope? Look what it says in verse 10.
It pleased the Lord to bruise him. It's not what men did at
Calvary. That didn't put away sin, did
it? Men couldn't lay on Him the iniquity of us all. The Lord
laid on Him our iniquity. It's what God was doing at the
cross. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. We know it pleased
Pilate to satisfy those Jews. We know it pleased the Romans
to put another Jew to death. But what we must see, what we
must understand, it pleased the Lord Jehovah, God Almighty, to
punish his son for our sin. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. Look what it says, look at verse
10 carefully. The Lord put him to grief. The
Lord laid on him our sin, but you know what comes with sin?
Guilt, wrath, and death. The Lord Jesus Christ bears that
for us. The Lord put him to grief because
of our sin that was laid upon him. When thou shalt make his
soul an offering for sin. Now if you look up this word
here, offering for sin in the original, it means his soul was
made guilty for sin. You see, the Holy God is not
going to punish His Holy Son unless His Holy Son is made sin
for us. That's what happened at Calvary.
He was made guilty for the sin of His people. My sin was laid
upon Him. When Thou shalt make His soul
an offering for sin, and then it says, He shall see His people. here in his love not that we
love God but that he loved us and that he laid his Life down
for us. He shall see His seed justified,
cleansed, and made whole. We read over there in Ephesians
chapter 5 that it presents us to the Father wholly, without
blame, and without spot, without wrinkle. He shall see His seed,
how does He see them? Justified in His blood. cleansed
in His blood, justified by His grace. And then it says in verse
10, He shall prolong His days. How long does His atonement,
how long is it in effect, in effect, how long is it effectual
for His people? As long as you hold out? Is His
blood availed for you as long as you hold out? That's what
some folks say. He shall prolong His days. The
blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ obtained for us eternal
redemption, eternal salvation. He saves His people with an everlasting
salvation. He gives His people eternal life.
He shall prolong His days. We have eternal life in Him.
Now I love this statement here. The pleasure of the Lord You
see, it pleased God to bruise him in our room and in our stead. And the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in his hand. You see, the hand of the Lord
is an eternal purpose that cannot fail. The pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper, prosper in his hand. It was Almighty God that
made His soul an offering for sin. You see, God planned the
cross, not the Pharisees. God presided over the cross,
not Pilate. God participated in the punishment
and the affliction upon the cross. Smitten, afflicted of God. And the pleasure of the Lord
prospers in His hand. You see, whatsoever the Lord
pleased, that's what He did. The Lion of the tribe of Judah
has prevailed. Can the Lord Jesus Christ fail
in His purpose to save His people? Isaiah 42 says He cannot fail. You see, the pleasure of the
Lord is going to be done. The purpose of the Lord shall
be accomplished. His purpose shall prosper He
cannot fail. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
lion of the tribe of Judah who has prevailed. The Lord Jesus
Christ prevailed to honor the law of God for us. The Lord Jesus
Christ has prevailed to put away sin. The Lord Jesus Christ prevailed
to crush Satan's power. The Lord Jesus Christ has prevailed
and prospered to save his people from their sin. Look at verse
11. he shall see of the travail of
his soul." You see, Calvary and the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus
Christ did sneak up on him. You remember he told his disciples,
it says in Isaiah over here, I think it's Isaiah 50, he set
his face like a flint. He told his disciples upon more
than one occasion, I must go to Jerusalem, I must be betrayed,
I must lay down my life, I must be crucified, I must be raised
again from the dead. He shall see the travail of his
soul, and shall be discouraged, shall be defeated, shall be amazed. That's not what it says. He shall
see of a travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. Are you satisfied with the death
of the Lord Jesus Christ for your sin? Yes, I am. But you
know that is not the important matter. I mean, it's important, but that's
not the all-important matter. The all-important matter is God
satisfied with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, He is. How do we know that He's satisfied
with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ? Because on that third
morning, God raised Him from the dead. He was delivered from
our offenses and raised again because He justified us by His
blood. He shall see the travail of his
soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many." How does he justify sinners?
How does he justify sinners? It says he shall justify many. How does he do it? justified
freely by His grace, not by the works of the law. By the works
of the law shall no flesh be justified. You see, it's the
righteous servant that's going to justify sinners. He appeared
once in the end of the age to put away sin, right? This is
a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that the Lord
Jesus Christ came to save sinners and to justify them by His grace
through the redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus. For it says,
He shall bear their iniquities. Now if He bears my sin and put
my sin away, is God going to punish me If he punished my substitute? No, sir. No, sir. There's nobody in hell for whom
the Lord Jesus Christ died. That cannot be. Justice can't
twice demand, first at my bleeding Charity's hand and then again
at mine. That makes him unjust, wouldn't
it? There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are
in the Lord Jesus Christ. If he bears my sin in his own
body on the tree, and he did, and redeemed me from the curse
of the law, I'm justified in him. Therefore, verse 12, The only way God can be just
and to justify the ungodly, a just God and a Savior is through the
Lord Jesus Christ to make complete satisfaction to God's law and
justice on our behalf. Therefore, verse 12, therefore,
will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide
the spoil of the strong because Four things are given. He poured
out his soul unto death. He was numbered with transgressors.
This is kind of a summary, isn't it? Because he poured out his
soul unto death. It was because he was numbered
with the transgressor. It was because he bared the sin
of many. You see, it's not what you've
done, is it? It's not what you've done. You
see, the gospel is not about you. The gospel is about He,
Him, and His. The gospel is about Christ. You
see that? He poured out His soul unto death,
therefore I have eternal life. He was numbered with the transgressor,
therefore we're one with the Lord forever. He bare the sin
of many, I have no sin. Think about that. This sinner
has no sin before God. God said, their sin will I remember
no more. Painless been made. Justice has
been honored. And he made, he made, he bare
the sin of many. He gave his life a ransom for
many. The many. And he made intercession
for transgressors. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ ever
lives right now as my mediator, as my advocate to intercede for
me. He poured out his soul unto death.
He died for our sin according to the scripture. He was identified
and numbered with us. He took part of our flesh and
blood apart from sin. He bear the sin of many and He
makes everlasting intercession for us. You see Christ is our
mediator isn't He? He's able to save to the uttermost
all that come to God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make
intercession for us. There is one God and one mediator
between God and men. Who is it? My mama. She's going
to intercede for me. My daddy, surely he will. No,
he won't. Not before God. If you get in trouble with the
law, And you stand in the courts of men before the judge appointed
by the state, you better have a mediator. Don't want to go to court and
say, well, I'm just going to represent myself. That won't
work. You better have an officer of
the court appointed to mediate for you. And my friend, thank
God, we have a glorious mediator who has never lost a case. All
those for whom he mediates, the judge says, justified from all
sin. We have a mediator, we have an
intercessor. Has he ever lived to intercede
for us? And my friend, we have an advocate with the Father. Who is it? Remember John writes,
my little children, these things I write unto you that you sin
not, but when you do, surely you don't. Yes, we do. When you
sin, oh, thank God we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus
Christ the righteous and he doesn't plead our merit He pleaded blood. I paid their debt. They're justified. They're not guilty now We're
more than conquerors through him that loved us Thanks being
to God who's given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
This is the gospel. Is it not? the gospel of the
Lord Jesus that the power of God and the salvation and to
everyone that believes it.