Let's turn to that scripture,
Isaiah 53. And you were singing that and
I was along with Mike because we believe that. We believe that
glorious report that God gave through Isaiah here. concerning
his son. This is the report, this is the
record that God had given concerning his son, that he was wounded
for our transgressions, and we believe that. But you know Isaiah
asks here, who hath believed our report? And almost every prophet whom
the Lord hath sent has asked that question, who believes what
I preach? God's true preachers today ask
the same thing. How many people really believe
what we're preaching? Really? Deep down in their hearts,
innermost beings and souls really believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. All who do are saved. He that
seeth the sun and believeth on him hath everlasting life, and
shall never come into condemnation." If he believes, if he believes. Isaiah asks, who hath believed
our report? To whom is the arm? What is the
arm of the Lord? It's the power of the Lord. Christ
is the wisdom and power of God. To those who are perishing, the
preaching of the cross is foolishness. But to us who are being saved,
it's the what? It's the wisdom and the power
of God, the arm of God, the power of God. When you see the word
arm in scripture, it's the power of God. The gospel is the power
of God unto salvation. It can convert, change, renew,
regenerate, sanctify, justify. But who believes it? And to whom
is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he, and if you'll notice
as we read this 53rd chapter of Isaiah, the word he, him,
and his occurs about 40 times. This is the record. This is the
report concerning his son. He, him, his, you watch it, you
listen to about About 40 times. He, for he shall grow up before
him, before his father who sent him, as a tender plant. What is a tender plant? Well,
it's a small plant that springs almost unnoticed out of the ground. Low in beginning. slow in growth,
and liable to be crushed underfoot. And that describes a baby. That describes an infant. And our Lord, our Lord, the Son
of God, the eternal Redeemer, came into this world as a baby,
so frail, so small, so unnoticed, another baby is born. But oh, what a baby, what a baby,
tender plant, a tender plant. Now look at the next line, and
a root as a, he shall grow up as a tender plant, as a root
out of a dry ground. He came from the root of Jesse. You know who Jesse is? David's
father, the root of Jesse, the root of David, King David, tribe
of Judah. Who is this infant? He's the
son of God and he's the son of David. He's the rightful heir
to the Jewish throne. He's the king. He's the king. King of Israel. King of kings. Lord of lords. But the mighty,
the once mighty house of David is now nothing, just nothing. The king has to be born in a
manger, in a stable and laid in a manger. There's not much
to the kingdom, is there? Did you know that Mary and Joseph,
Mary and Joseph, were direct descendants of David and in line
for the throne of Israel. You can check that in Matthew's
Gospel and in Luke's Gospel, where the house and lineage of
Joseph is given, traced right back to David, and the house
and lineage of Mary right back to David. That's the reason they
were in Bethlehem, tribe of Judah. And they went to Bethlehem to
be taxed, and that's where Jesus of Nazareth was born, in Bethlehem. And he was born to the Queen. He was born to the one in direct
line for the throne. That's right. But so insignificant
because the once mighty house of David is nothing now but dry
ground. You know a root. in a dry ground. Has no green, no foliage, no
beauty, no nothing. It's just a root in a dry ground.
And that's what the tribe of Israel, the nation of Israel
and the tribe of Judah was. Ashes! Look at that, look at
that manger. Cal staple. And in that manger
sits a woman, a young lady, a virgin who has given birth to a son,
and there stands her husband, a man, and lying between them
in a manger is the King of Israel, asleep, a baby. No wonder folks
don't believe our report. No wonder they don't believe
our report. Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Can a king
come out of a stable? And listen, that's not all. And
he hath no form, no comeliness, no form, no majesty. Nothing majestic about an infant.
No honor, no kingdom, no court. Where is the king's court? Where
are his princes and captains and servants? He has no court. He has no army. He has no influence. No form, no comeliness. and no
beauty, no beauty that we should desire him. At no time, listen,
in his life, from the time he was born to the time he was hanged
naked, stripped, brutally beaten, bloody, his
visage marred so much he didn't look like a man. At no time from
his infancy to his death did Jesus of Nazareth ever have anything
about him that would attract a following. That's right. Oh, he did miracles and many
followed him because of the miracles, but then they left him. That's
why he told them. He said, I know why you followed
me. You saw the miracles. That's the only reason you followed
me. You want to be healed. Another group followed him. He
fed 5,000 and they all ran after him. And he turned and said,
I know why you're following me. You ate the loaves and were filled.
When the bread dries up, you leave. No beauty that we should desire
him. He had no wealth. He lived in
poverty. He took on himself the form of
a servant. You don't believe all the pictures
you see. of this man Jesus of Nazareth.
All the pictures. He was a man of sorrows, acquainted
with grief. He had no wealth. He had no formal
education. The Pharisees said, you teach
us? Where'd you go to school? He never wrote a book. Not as a man. This is his book,
but he never wrote a book and left it. He owned no property. His family
was unknown and uninfluential. Those people said, he claims
to be the son of God and we know his mother and father, he's a
carpenter. You know him, he's a carpenter.
We know his brothers and sisters. Ain't nobody. He never traveled outside the
land where he grew up. He slept, was born and slept
in another's manger. He didn't own the manger where
he slept. He sailed in another's boat.
He rode on a barred donkey. He didn't even have a donkey. And he was buried in another's
tomb. All of that to be identified
with these people for whom he came to save. Because that's
us. We don't have anything either.
Nothing. Lowly. Lowly. Identified with the lowest of
all. And look at verse 3, and he's
despised. Barnard said everybody who was
anybody turned thumbs down on him. He was despised. He was rejected of men because
of his lowly birth, because of his occupation, because of his
lack of credentials, because of his friends. They were nobody's. Sinners. It seems a friend of
sinners. Because of his hated doctrine,
because of his death, cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree.
He despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows from cradle
to grave, acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces
from him. He died alone. He walked the
wine prayers of God's wrath alone. Nobody ever, you never. You know, sometimes we think
we're alone. but you're never alone like he
was alone. His brothers and sisters forsook
him, his disciples forsook him, all of these so-called followers
forsook him, even God. My God, why has thou
forsaken me? He walked the winepress alone. away from him. Why all this? Well, here's the
record, here's the report. Listen. He's bearing grief, but
they're not his. He's bearing sorrow, but it's
not his. He's bearing shame and guilt
and sin, but it's not his. It's mine. Mine. And you notice the next three
verses. I want you to look at this. As
I was studying this, I see three persons in each one of these
verses. Three persons. Surely, he, this man of Solomon's,
and acquainted with grief, he hath borne our, he, the Son of
God, Son of Man, the God-man, hath borne my grief. No wonder
they turned their faces away from Him. He had all my griefs
and sorrows and shame and sin. Mine. And we did esteem Him stricken,
smitten of God? Yes, of God. God-smoking. Here's those three persons here.
God. Us. Thank God between us and
God. that Mediator. And that Mediator,
Christ Jesus, that man of sorrows acquainted with grief is bearing
all my shame and all my guilt and all my grief and all my sorrows
and all my sins and God didn't smite me, he smote him, he afflicted
him. Stricken, smitten of God and
afflicted. Verse 5, but he was wounded our
transgressions. All my sins, past, present, and
future. What is transgression? Transgressing
the law. That's what sin is, a transgression
of the law. It's trespassing. You hunters
go out in the woods and see a sign, no trespassing. Don't get over
that fence, you're trespassing. You're where you're not supposed
to be, and that's the story of our lives, being where we're
not supposed to be. doing what we're not supposed to do, saying
what we're not supposed to say, thinking what we're not supposed
to think. Trespassing! God says no trespassing! And even the sign tempts us. Stolen fruits are sweet to rebels
because they're stolen. And he was wounded for our trespasses,
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement
of our peace was upon him. With his stripes we are healed."
Brother May, you said three persons in these verses, God, us, and
Christ. Where's God in that verse? He's
our peace. That's right. This redeemer, this substitute
for us made peace with God. He is our peace. He made peace
by the blood of his cross. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God. Look at verse 6. Oh, we're like
sheep. We've gone astray. You know,
a friend of mine said one time, a man will never be saved until
he's lost. A man will never Call on Christ
until he's in need. A man will never lay hold of
a Redeemer until he desperately, desperately needs that Redeemer.
And when you find out and I find out that we're lost, we'll look
to Him who came to save the lost. When we find out that we're sinners,
that we've offended a holy God, that God has somewhat against
us, then we'll look to someone who can set the record straight.
All we like sheep have gone astray, we've turned everyone to our
way, our way. You remember that song not too
many years ago, I did it my way, that's my trouble. If Adam just had not done it
his way, if he'd have just done it God's way, if we just quit
doing it my way, my way is My way, God said, my ways are not
your way. That's your trouble. My ways
and my thoughts are higher than your ways and thoughts of the
heavens are higher than the earth. Don't do it your way. The essence of sin is my will. The essence of holiness is thy
will. If you want to see sin described
In its awful rebellion, read Isaiah, I believe it's 14, where
Satan said five times, I will, I will, I will, I will. I will
exalt my throne. I will be like God. I will, I
will. And if you want to hear true
holiness, slip into the Garden of Gethsemane and hear our Lord
pray. Not my will. I will be done. That's holiness. But we've turned
everyone to our way, but thank God, listen, here's those three
persons, we've gone astray like sheep and he, the Lord, has laid
on him, laid it on him, laid it on him, the iniquity
of us all. How can he bear so much iniquity? Because of who he is. But I'll
tell you, when you realize, you just think about individually
our own corruption and sin and the sins of our past and present
and sins of future. Think about just one person's
sin, then multiply it by the innumerable company of the redeemed
through all ages and all that's laid on him. No wonder in the
garden he cried, my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. God
help me, or I'm going to die right here. He wasn't praying for God to
remove the cross. That's ridiculous to even think. Somebody said, when our Lord
said, if it be thy will, let this cup pass from me. He's talking
about the cross. That's ignorance. He came to
die on the cross. He said, for this cause, came
out to this hour. When Peter tried to get him not
to go to the cross, he said, that's why I came here to go
to the cross. What that prayer was in the garden
of Gethsemane was a man. I know a God-man. I know an infinite
God in the likeness of sinful flesh, but nevertheless a man
bearing all the sins of all the elect of all ages laid on Him. And it was, his blood came through
the pores of his skin. That's how he was agonizing.
That's how he was, how disturbed, how troubled, how grief stricken
he was. His blood, he sweat great drops
of blood. His whole being cried out against this
sin laid on him. laid on him. Now listen to verse
7. He was oppressed. He was afflicted. Now here's a key statement, used
twice in one verse, but he opened not his mouth. He's brought as
a lamb to the slaughter, as a sheep before her shearers, is dumb,
speechless. He opened not his mouth. Why?
Well, I'll tell you. First and main reason, he said,
I am the good shepherd, and I give my life for the sheep. And no
man takes my life from me, I lay it down. Our Lord, I know the
Father decreed it, the Father purposed it, the Father sent
Him, but He came willingly. I and my Father are one, and
the will of my Father I come to do, and the work of my Father
I come to do. I came to seek and to save the
lost. And so when they charged him with these awful crimes,
he opened not his mouth. When they lied on him, false
witnesses rose against him. He didn't say a word. Not a word. Pilate said, answerest thou not
me, knowing I have power to crucify you? Not a word. Not a word. No man takes my life from me.
Our Lord willingly, lovingly laid down his life for his sheep. But I'll tell you another reason
why he didn't open his mouth. He was guilty. Wasn't he, Ron? He's guilty. He was numbered
with the transgressors. And he was guilty. That's right. You say they crucified an innocent
man. Yeah, as far as they were concerned,
they did. But God smote a guilty man. Now
listen, let me word this very carefully. Jesus Christ, as a representative, as our substitute, was the greatest sinner who ever
died on a cross. You know what I'm saying, don't
you? Think of it. All the sins of all believers
laid on Him. Even God turned his back on him. Isaiah 59 says, your iniquities
have separated you and your God. That's talking about Christ.
And you and I too, but it's talking about Christ. He didn't open his mouth. Never
opened his mouth. Never complained. And then listen to verse 8. He
was taken from prison and from judgment. He was taken away by
distress and judgment. He was falsely accused. They
brought in all kind of lying witnesses, falsely accused, falsely
charged. He was tried under a pretense
of justice. Everything about the trial was
illegal. And no one spoke on his behalf.
That's one of the things that, oh, I tell you, if you were brought
to trial, tried and convicted and sentenced and executed, nobody
ever said anything on your behalf. You'd say, this is wrong, this
is illegal. Well, listen to this verse. He
was taken away by distress and judgment, and no one declared
his generation. Who shall declare his generation?
Who's going to stand up and say, wait a minute, This is the Son
of God. Or the centurion, after he'd
already died, and they came by to break the legs of the victims,
the centurion stood there and said, surely this man was the
Son of God. But nobody said that at the trial.
Nobody declared his divine generation. Nobody declared his holiness
and righteousness and goodness. No one. No one. Everybody was gone. And the enemies tried him and
sentenced him to death. And he was cut off. His life
was violently taken away. They weren't content just to
kill him. They made him suffer and agonize. He was cut off out
of the land of the living. His life was violently taken
away, but for the transgression of my people was he stricken. He was wounded for our transgression. I should have been crucified,
but he was crucified in my place. And look at verse 9. He made
his grave with a wicked. What's that mean by the man?
He died between two thieves. You talk about, I can't find
the word to use, but you talk about humiliation, degradation. They brought him and tried him
and nobody said a word in his defense. Nobody declared his
divine generation, anything about him. And then they took him outside
the city, outside the walls of the city. and nailed him to a
cross between two thieves. In their minds they had three
thieves dying. No respect. No respect despised. And he's doing this in our place.
That's what we deserve. You want to get a good look at
what we deserve as rebels and transgressors of God's holy law. and traitors in the kingdom and
government of God, we deserve to be drug outside the city and
nailed on a cross between two other thieves. That's what we
deserve. And listen, and with the rich
in his death, what's that mean? He was buried in a rich man's
tomb. Joseph of Arimathea. And he was buried in a rich man's
tomb who voluntarily loaned it. Isn't that awful? I've got a
plot. I've got a place where they can
bury me. It's mine. But he didn't even
have a place to lay his head or a tomb in which to lie. Borrowed
that too. Borrowed it. And all of this,
listen, Because, the word because there should be though, t-h-o-u-g-h,
though. All of this, though he had done
no violence, no sin, not one thought of sin. He went about
doing good. There was no deceit in his mouth.
Now then, here's what I want us to look at. And I'm going
to declare this like it's written and like it happened. Most preachers and church members
and religious folks present the cross as some kind of tragedy. They present the cross as some
kind of tragedy in God's plans. God sent his son and people wouldn't
have him, they took him out and nailed him to a cross. But it says here in verse 10,
well back there in verse In verse 4, it said, the last line, we
did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. And verse
10 adds to it, it pleased God to bruise him. It pleased God. It pleased Him. And I'm using that word just
exactly like it's supposed to be used. It pleased Him. Made him rejoice. That hard to take the stone.
Now listen to me. Listen to me. Number one, it
pleased God in that it was his purpose. Now stay with me. David wrote twice in the Psalms,
our God's in the heaven and he had done whatsoever he pleased. Whatsoever the Lord pleased.
That did he in heaven, earth, and the seas, and all deep places.
Everything he does, he does because he purposes to do it. It pleases
him to do it. It pleased God to make you his
people, Samuel said. It pleased God that in Christ
should all fullness dwell. It pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. It pleased God to reveal
his Son in me, Paul said. It pleased God. And it pleased
God, it was God's purpose to nail him to a cross. He said
in the book of Acts, Peter said, you did. You Jews and Romans
crucified the Lord of glory and you did what God determined to
be done. He was delivered by the determined
counsel and foreknowledge of God into your hands You with
wicked hands crucified the Lord of glory, but you did what God
willed to be done. It's God's purpose. He predestinated
the death of Christ. If you read the Old Testament,
the book of Psalms, chapter 22, every word that Christ said on
the cross is right there in Psalm 22. My God, why hast thou forsaken
me? They pierced my hands and my
feet. They spit upon me. They divided my garments and
cast lots. It's all right. It was all written
hundreds of years before He died. Everything they did is recorded
in the Old Testament. It pleased God in that it was
His purpose. It pleased God in that He predetermined
everything that was said and done at the cross, even to the
piercing of His hands and feet, even to selling Him for 30 pieces
of silver. That's in Zechariah. And then,
now hold your pew there, you see, it gave God satisfaction
and pleasure. Now turn to Hebrews, listen,
Hebrews 10, come on, turn to Hebrews 10, Hebrews 10, verse
5, Hebrews 10, verse 5. Hebrews 10, 5, let's get this
down now. Wherefore, when he cometh into
the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offerings, offering thou
wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. He's talking
about these Old Testament sacrifices and offerings. Blood of animals
and bulls and goats for thousands, hundreds of years. In burnt offerings
and sacrifices for sin, thou hast had no pleasure. Those sacrifices
never pleased God on your behalf or on behalf of the people in
Bronx. God never looked at one of those slain animals and said,
I'm pleased, my justice is honored, my law is honored, my truth and
verity is vindicated. No, that's just the blood of
an animal. Now read on. Then said I, lo, I come. in the volume of the book it's
written of me, to do thy will, O God. I come to do thy will. What's that? To die. To die. Above, when he said sacrifice
and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin, thou wouldest
not neither had any pleasure therein which are offered by
the law, then said he, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. and he
taketh away the first, that he may establish the second, by
the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily,
offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take
away sin. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. God said from heaven, this is
my son in whom I'm well pleased. Everything he did pleased him.
And now God delights. Turn to Ephesians chapter 5 verse
2. Oh, listen to this. You have
to turn. I hope I've got the right verse
here. Ephesians 5 verse 2. Ephesians 5, 2, walk in love
as Christ has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and
a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. The death of Christ on that cross
honored God's law that pleased Him. No human being had ever
done it. When Christ died on the cross,
he glorified God. He said, I've glorified you on
the earth. No creature has ever done it. When he died on that cross, justice
was satisfied. Grace abounded and glorified. The covenant fulfilled. It's
finished. Well, come on up here and sit
down on my right hand until I make thine enemy's offerings to thee. Open up ye gates. Lift up your
heads and open the doors. The King of Glory is coming in. Who's this King of Glory? The
Lord of the Cross. Satan's defeated and cast out. Redemption is completed. The
covenant is fulfilled. And my Father in Heaven is pleased. That's right, Jim. He's satisfied. See why it pleased God to bruise
him? It's the only way that God can
be just and justify sin. And he's pleased. Let's read
on a little bit here, a little bit more. It pleased God to bruise
him. God put him to grief. Only God
could put my sins on Christ. Only God can transfer my sins
to Christ. He did it. He put him to grief.
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin." Those Old
Testament sacrifices, they felt pain for a moment in body, but
felt no soul agony. Christ died. He made his soul
an offering for sin. His greatest grief was not physically,
spiritually. His greatest agony was not pain
in the body, soul. Thou will not leave my soul in
hell. His soul didn't go to the lake
of fire, but his soul went through hell. What is hell? Separation
from God. That's right. Made his soul an
orphan for sin. Listen. He shall see his seed. What's his seed? His people.
His elect. People he died for. I lay down
my life for the sheep. Other sheep I have which are
not of this fold. Them also I must bring. They'll
hear my voice. He'll see his seed. He'll prolong
his days. He's gonna die, but he's gonna
come forth from the grave. He said, I'm alive. I was dead,
but I'm alive forever. And the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in his hand. That's what I call this sermon.
God's purpose is in good hands. I like that though. God's purpose
is in good hands. The pleasure of the Lord. What's
that? It pleased God to bruise him.
And God's pleasure was secured and accomplished
in his hands. He shall see of the travail of
his soul. You ladies know something about
this, the travail, that's birth pains. His is of the soul, yours
is of the body when you bring forth a child. But I tell you,
when you see the child, it's all worth it. Once you see the
child, it's worth it. And he'll see the travail of
his soul. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many. He'll see the travail of his
soul and be satisfied. Can you imagine? Let me ask you
this question. He's satisfied. Can you imagine
such a life, such a sacrifice, such a person, such a suffering? Can you imagine that failing?
Now come on, can you imagine Christ agonizing and suffering and being separated
from God and bearing the shame and guilt and sin of a sinner
and then not being able to save him? Oh no, he'll be satisfied. He'll
see the travail of his soul, every one of them. He said, all
that my father giveth me will come to me, and he that cometh
out of nowhere is cast out. I came down from heaven not to
do my will, but the will of him that sent me. This is the will
of him that sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son and believeth
on him might have everlasting life, and I'll raise him up at
the last day. He'll be satisfied by his knowledge,
his knowledge of the Father, the Father's knowledge of him,
his knowledge of us, our knowledge of him, all those things. Shall
my righteous servant justify many, many, many? And I'll tell you there's no
reason in this world why he can't justify everybody here. Many,
many. A number which no man can number.
A number which no man can, I'll tell you how he justifies them,
because he bears their iniquities. Therefore, here's the clause,
therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great, I'll
give him the highest seat. God the Father hath exalted him
and given him a name which is above every name. That is the
name of Jesus. Every knee will bow and every
tongue will confess that he's Lord. Everyone in heaven, earth
and under the earth. I'll divide him a portion with
the great and he, he shall divide the spoil with the strong or
the spoil of the strong. He shall spoil principalities
and powers. He's done that, hasn't he? He
shall take the spoil from their hands. He led captivity captive. I was a, captive of the law.
He bought me and led me. He led captivity captive to him. I'm his bondman now, and glad
to be. But he defeated and took the
spoil out of the hands of the strong, and then he's going to
divide the spoil with his people. He's the conquering king. Listen,
all of this because he poured out his soul unto death. My dear friends, as I continue to preach, I'm
going to preach more and more about the blood, sacrifice, and
death of the Lord Jesus Christ, because that's all our hope,
our foundation, our salvation, our life. He did this because
he poured out his soul unto death, his soul. And he was numbered
with us, the transgressors. He was numbered with us. You know, if you went down to
the post office anymore and saw your picture, do they still do
that down at the post office, put pictures of criminals on
the wall? Used to when I was a kid. We'd go down to the post
office and we'd look at all these pictures of the the wanted. What if you turned up and saw
your picture there? It'd shock you, wouldn't it?
It'd embarrass you. You'd run to the postmaster and
say, there's been a great mistake. But my lord came down here and
put his picture on the wall as a transgressor. He was numbered. One of us. That's right. He despised the shame endured
the cross. He took that shame. And you and
I, if we saw our picture there, that's not near the shame he
took. Because we probably deserve to
be there, huh? Probably the only reason we're
not there is the grace of God. But Christ came so far from glory. and was numbered with the transgressors.
That's a shame. That's a shame. But he was numbered
with us and he bared the sin of many. And right now, he makes
intercession for these transgressors, trespassers. He's there at the
right hand of God making intercession for us. Well, he was wounded by our transgressions. justified many. I hope that's
a blessing.