Isaiah 53

Do turn in your Bible to Isaiah 53.

! Isaiah 53.

Samuel 53.

Samuel 53.

Samuel 54.

Samuel 54.

In the States they have to commemorate God's goodness in bringing their pilgrim fathers and allowing them to settle in the US.

There's this really strange tradition, isn't there?

If you've seen the West Wing, you'll know about it.

The presidential pardon of the Turkey.

It's real. It happened last November 2.

No one's really quite sure where it came from.

Some people blame President Truman.

Some people go as far back as Abraham Lincoln.

But every year on Thanksgiving, the President of America, the so-called most powerful man in the world, partners a Turkey.

You can go onto the White House website.

There are two turkeys.

A couple of years ago, one was called Pumpkin and Pecan.

There's names for the turkeys.

Previous winners include Marshmallow and Yam, Biscuit and Gravy, Stars and Stripes.

It's odd, isn't it?

And there's a question where you can send in your question to the President.

What happens to the Turkey after it's been pardoned?

Well, apparently for 15 years, the turkeys were sent to Kidwell Farm.

Wait for it.

Frying Pan Parade, Virginia.

The last couple of years, they've been sent to Disneyland.

So instead of ending up on somebody's Thanksgiving dinner, these turkeys spend the rest of their lives in freedom.

Another question from the website.

Once a turkey is pardoned, would eating it be considered a federal crime?

He says, I need to check with the Attorney General.

Bizarre, isn't it?

Absolutely bizarre.

At the heart of Thanksgiving, there is, isn't there, a pardon for the most powerful man in the universe.

At the heart of the Christian message, is a pardon for the most powerful man in the universe.

And it's not for turkeys.

It's for human beings.

And that is the message of the gospel.

The gospel.

There is a pardon from Jesus, God's servant, our Savior.

And yes, he is the most powerful person in the universe.

But you wouldn't know it, would you, from Isaiah 53.

It doesn't look like it.

The message of Christianity, in many ways, Isaiah 53, boils down to its simplest form.

That Jesus, God's servant, our Savior, died that you and I might live.

That's why Philip, in Acts 7, can tell that if you're a eunuch, that this servant who suffered and died in the most appalling circumstances, that this is good news.

And it's good news when you understand what it's about.

Now, Isaiah 53 is a poem.

It's a song in five verses.

And it's written in 750 years before Jesus was born.

And it's written in such a way, very carefully written, that you are to read it from the inside out in.

The emphasis falls on the middle section in Isaiah 53.

The middle section, that he was pierced for our transgressions.

He was bruised for our iniquities.

The chastisement of our peace was upon him.

That is the middle section, verses 4 to 6.

And so the whole thing is constructed in a way that deliberately leads you to that point.

God has the first word and the last word in the song.

So if you look at chapter 52, verses 13 to 15, God introduces his servant.

He says, behold, look at my servant.

He says, my servant will be raised and exalted and highly lifted up.

That's the first verse in the song.

And then we'll see the last verse in the song is chapter 53, verse 12.

Isaiah 53:12

Where God says, I will give him a place amongst the great.

I will divide him a portion with the many.

I will divide the spoil among the strong.

I'll give him a place among the great ones, literally.

So, as far as God is concerned, Jesus really is the most important and powerful person in the universe.

He is highly exalted.

The highest place that heaven affords is his by sovereign right.

And yet, in between the beginning of the song and the end of the song,

we are shown something that seems to completely contradict that.

We're shown three things about the servant.

Before we want to get into that, I want us just to notice the trailer for the film.

The trailer is really verses 13 to 15, where God introduces his servant to us.

And he gives us the main theme of the film.

God shows us what the servant is going to do.

And it's bewildering.

Because it's contradictory.

Look at verse 13.

He is successful.

He is triumphant.

He is highly exalted.

But in verse 14, he is disfigured.

He is disgraced.

And he is mutilated.

It's the same person.

So, look what it says.

God says, behold, my servant will act wisely.

He will be raised and lifted up.

And he will be exalted.

But in verse 15, people are appalled at him.

As many were astonished at him.

Because his appearance is so mad.

He is so disfigured beyond human resemblance.

He doesn't even look like a human being, according to verse 14.

So, one minute, he's in the highest place of the universe.

But the next minute, he's at the point where he doesn't even look like a human being.

Just a chunk of meat.

So, you don't know, in verse 13 or 14, whether to be amazed or appalled.

You don't know whether to be delighted or disgusted at him.

Can it be the same person?

And so, God says, after introducing in his sermon, in verses 13 and 14,

So he shall sprinkle many nations.

And kings will shut their mouths because of him.

Because what they were told, they see.

And that which they've not heard, they understand.

Kings will shut their mouths.

Royalty will be speechless.

And many will be astonished.

There's amazement at the servant king.

There's a sense of shock at the servant king.

There's a sense of fear and a sense of joy.

And you and I are so familiar with it.

That it doesn't astonish us.

It should shock us.

A.W. Tozer wrote in a radio broadcast.

And his title was, Is the O Missing from Your Faith?

If you go through a good old hymn book,

and you go to the index,

and you look at O,

you will see that previous generations

wrote lots and lots of hymns,

beginning with O.

So think of some of the older songs.

And can it be?

And can it be that I should gain an interest

in the Saviour's blood?

Died he for me,

who caused his pain,

for me who him to death pursued.

Amazing love.

How can it be?

That thou, my God,

shouldst die for me.

Tis mystery all.

The immortal dies.

Who can explain

this strange design?

In vain the firstborn seraph,

the angel tries,

to summon the depths of God's.

It's astonishing.

They were not told about it,

but they will see it.

They've not heard about it,

but they will understand it.

And it's not something that you could have guessed.

And God tells us

two things that the servant's going to do.

In this introduction,

in this trailer,

verse 13,

he says that he will act wisely.

It doesn't mean he's got a high IQ.

That's not the point.

You can be very intelligent,

can't you,

and not be wise.

But this says,

my servant will act wisely.

In other words,

he will know what to do

to bring about God's purpose.

Another translation says,

my servant will prosper.

In other words,

he will succeed at what he's going to do.

So you look at the life of Jesus,

and when he's 12 years old,

in the temple,

he knows what he's doing.

The little boy has got lost in the big city,

and his mum and dad are frantic.

But when they find him,

he's there talking with the doctors of the law,

in the temple.

And they're cross, aren't they?

The parents are angry with him,

and they're worried.

And that comes out.

Your mother and I were looking everywhere for you.

What were you thinking?

Do you remember what Jesus said?

Didn't you know that I'd be about my father's business?

You mustn't think of Jesus

as some kind of wide-eyed,

innocent,

abroad,

a kind of evolutionary freak,

who's not like the rest of us.

Jesus knew what he was doing at 12 years old.

He knew what he was about.

He knew he was about his father's business.

He is the servant of the sovereign Lord,

who's come to do his father's will,

which is the sufferer to die.

My servant will act wisely.

He will prosper.

He will succeed in what I've asked him to do,

God says.

He knows what he's about.

But what is it he's about?

Look at verse 15.

So he shall sprinkle many nations.

Do you remember when we went back

through the book of Leviticus,

and the day of atonement,

that's what the priests were to do.

They were to take the blood of an animal,

and they were to sprinkle that blood

over everything.

Over the people,

to make atonement for their sins,

to declare that they were now right with God.

Sprinkling is what the priests did.

And why did God want the priests

to take the blood of an animal

and sprinkle it over everyone and everything?

Why?

To teach the seriousness of sin,

and the holiness of God.

That you can't just breathe

into the living God's presence

as if nothing has happened.

God is holy,

and we are sinners.

And you see,

not even Aaron,

Israel's great high priest,

not even Israel,

God's chosen nation,

can approach God in their own right.

The blood is going to be sprinkled.

Someone's got to die.

And the surprise, of course,

is what the servant will do.

In verse 15,

the servant's blood,

which is sprinkled,

atones for not just

the nation of Israel,

but can you see it,

for many nations.

That's the surprise.

That is the mystery

that Paul calls in the New Testament.

That this servant,

who's going to shed his blood,

is going to sprinkle

many nations,

Jew and Gentile,

and reconcile many nations

to God.

That's his job.

One of the three things.

First of all,

let's see the reality

of his suffering.

Look at verse 1.

Who has believed

what he's heard from us?

It's unbelievable.

And to whom is the arm

of the Lord being revealed?

For he grew up before him

like a young plant

and like a root

out of dry ground.

He had no form or majesty

that we should look at him

and no beauty

that we should desire him.

He was despised

and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows

and acquainted with grief.

It's unbelievable.

Who's believed our message?

What is that message?

What we saw in Isaiah 50 last week,

it is a message

about great strength

in great weakness.

God's strength

in his servant's weakness.

The arm of the Lord

revealed

in a tender shoot,

a root

out of dry ground.

The arm of the Lord

in verse 1

is a phrase

that crops up,

doesn't it,

in the Old Testament

again and again.

So we're told

that God

rescued

Egypt,

Israel,

out of Egypt

with an outstretched arm.

God did that.

God rolled up

his sleeves

and stretched out

his arm

to rescue

his people

out of slavery

from Egypt.

And again

and again

we find that phrase

used to describe

that event.

The arm

of the Lord

has done that.

His arm

is not too short

to save.

The Lord

rolled up

his sleeves.

I've seen your plight,

I've heard your cries

and I have come down

to deliver you.

The arm

of the Lord

stands for

his outstretched arm,

his strength

to rescue.

The arm

of the Lord

means his power

to save his people.

David Morgan

was one of the leaders

in the 1859

revival in Wales

and David Morgan

was a very boring

preacher.

And people didn't

like to listen

to David Morgan.

There were other

preachers that they

preferred to listen to

because he was so dull.

Anyway,

he was new to preach

at one of these

great gatherings

and just at the

outbreak of the

revival,

someone introduced

him and prayed

for him and this

is how they prayed.

He said,

Lord David Morgan,

not much of a preacher,

just a tattered

old sleeve.

Put your arm

in him.

It's a great prayer

for a preacher.

Just a tattered

old sleeve.

It's not a

designer label.

Jesus,

it's not even

a designer label.

What is he?

He is a tattered

old Galilean

peasant

homespun.

I mean,

can anything good

come out of Nazareth?

Nazareth was

even on the map.

He is the

illegitimate son

of a Galilean

peasant.

Is this the

son of a

carpenter,

they said?

Why should we

listen to you?

Who has believed

our report?

Who has believed

our message

that the arm

of the Lord

is going to be

revealed

in this tender

shoot,

this root out

of dry ground?

You expect

some kind of

charismatic figure,

some dynamic

conqueror,

some Alexander

the Great,

not some

not particularly

good looking

Galilean

peasant,

that you

wouldn't even

cross the

road for.

You might

think,

we want

someone like

Israel's

first king.

Do you

remember Saul

who stood

head and

shoulders above

the rest?

Or King

David who

had this

charismatic

personality

who was so

good looking,

who was so

popular with

the people?

No,

this servant

will be

despised,

verse 3,

and rejected.

It's no

wonder Isaiah

says,

who's believed

our report?

They were

expecting,

weren't they,

a dynamic

deliverer?

They were

expecting a

mighty king

and instead

they got a

tattered,

ragged,

empty sleeve

of a man.

Forget about

the stained

glass windows,

forget about

the images

in the

children's

Bible,

Jesus was

not impressive

to look

at.

In fact,

if Jesus

walked past

you in

the street,

you wouldn't

pay the

blindest bit

of notice

because he

had no

form or

majesty

that you

should look

at him.

He had

no beauty

that you

would desire

him.

He was

Mr.

Average.

And so

how can it

be that the

one that God

is going to

use to save

the world

is like

this?

So why

did God

choose to

do it

this way?

Well,

let's

secondly

see the

reason for

his

suffering.

And this

is the

heart of

the poem

from verses

4 to

6.

And it

is structured

in such

a way that

all the

emphasis

lies here.

Surely

he has

bore our

griefs,

carried our

sorrows,

yet we

considered him

stricken,

smitten by

God and

afflicted,

but he

was pierced

for our

transgressions,

he was

crushed for

our

iniquities,

and upon

him the

chastisement

that brought

us peace,

and by his

wounds we

are healed.

Oh,

we like

sheep have

gone astray,

we've turned

everyone to

his own

way,

and the

Lord has

laid on

him the

iniquity

of us

all.

What does

that imply?

It implies

that we are

not at

peace with

God,

in fact we

are at

war with

God.

We are

rebels

against

God.

That's what

sin really

is.

The

punishment

that brings

us peace

with God

was upon

him.

it should

have

been on

us.

Notice how

he piles

up the

words here

to describe

our

plight.

The word

transgression,

it means a

willful and

a deliberate

rejection of

God's law.

It's don't

walk on the

grass and you

walk on the

grass.

It's a

crossing of

the boundary.

It's a

deliberate and

willful rejection

of God's

moral law.

And God

says you

shall not

commit adultery

and we

say I

don't

care what

God is

going to

say.

It

makes me

feel good.

You

shall not

lie but it

doesn't matter

what God

says.

Everyone

lies.

That is

transgression.

It's

crossing the

boundary that

God has

set.

And the

word iniquity

is a

different word.

It comes

from the

word to

bend or

to twist.

And it

reflects that

there's a

pervertedness

about human

nature.

That it's

not just

what I

do is

the

problem.

It's

what I

am.

I am

not a

sinner

because I

sin.

That may

sound

complicated but

it's very

very important

to get

hold of.

I am

not a

sinner.

You are

not a

sinner because

you sin.

You sin

and I

sin because

I am a

sinner.

And so

my problem

is not

just the

things I

do or

that I

don't do.

My problem

is what

I am.

And

amazingly

Jesus pays

for that.

He pays

for what

I do

yes but

he pays

for what

I am.

He

became sin

for us.

He who

knew no

sin

became sin.

So just

as on the

day of

atonement

the sin

of the

people do

remember it

when we

looked at

Leviticus

it was

laid on

the goat

and the

goat was

led into

the wilderness

so Jesus

takes the

sins of

his people

upon himself

and he

carries

them away.

He

was

delivered

up for

our

offenses

Paul

says in

Romans

not his

own

he

hadn't

committed

any

offenses

but he

was

delivered

up for

our

offenses

and raised

for our

justification.

George

Bernard Shaw

once heard

this message

the same

message I'm

preaching to you

this morning

and he

heard the

message of

the cross

and the

substitutionary

atonement

of Jesus

and he

was so

offended by

it as

many people

are.

He got

up in

the middle

of the

sermon

and he

stormed out

of the

room and

he said

as he

left the

church he

shouted out

I'll pay

for my

own sins

thank you

very much.

And that's

what proud

human beings

want to do.

We don't

want to be

in anybody's

debt.

Kingsley Amis

gave an

interview to

the Telegraph

in the last

week of his

life he

wasn't a

Christian and

this is what

he said.

He said

one of the

great advantages

of Christianity

is that it

offers an

explanation for

sin.

I haven't

got an

explanation for

sin.

Christianity

has got one

enormous thing

right.

Original sin.

But one of

the benefits

of organized

religion according

to Kingsley

Amis is that

you can be

forgiven your

sin.

Which must be

a wonderful

thing he said

in the last

week of his

life.

And then he

paused apparently

for a very long

time in the

interview and he

bowed his head

very low and

said I carry

my own sins

around with me.

There is nobody

around to

forgive them.

How terrifying

that is in the

last week of

your life.

I carry my

own sins

around with me.

There is no

one to forgive

them.

But there

is.

But there

is.

There is

someone there

to forgive

them.

Who is he?

Well he's the

most powerful

man in the

universe.

There is

forgiveness.

There is

pardon from

the chief

executive

officer of

the universe

and there

is a

pardon from

Jesus.

Why?

How is it

possible that

because this

man who is

indeed highly

exalted in the

highest place in

the universe,

this man has

been to the

depths and

he's taken

your sin upon

himself, he's

paid the

price.

Behold the

man upon a

cross, my

sin upon his

shoulders.

The word

for it is

substitution.

It's at the

heart of the

Christian message.

Substitution

is not

difficult to

understand.

It really

isn't.

Mothers say

to their

children, or

at least they

do when I

grew up, go

and get some

milk from

me.

What does

that mean?

You be my

substitute.

You go down

to the

shops instead

of me and

you get the

milk instead

of me.

And Jesus

went down

into the

depths of

humiliation.

He took

upon himself

the curse

of God

because of

sin so that

you did

not have to

go there.

Bearing shame

and scoffing

rude in my

place,

condemned he

stood.

Those funny

programs,

you know the

airport things

where someone

sees there's

something weird

about a

passport.

passport.

It was a

valid passport

but the

photo didn't

quite fit so

they send it

off to the

lab and

they find out

that somebody

has put their

own photo on

someone else's

passport and

that is

fraud.

There's a

sense in

which that is

the message of

the cross.

That is what

Jesus has done

but it's not

fraud for him

to do that.

Jesus has

substituted his

identity for

ours so that

you and I

can get into

the kingdom.

It's not

fraud, it's

perfectly valid

because Jesus

is what you

and I are

supposed to

be.

He is the

image of the

invisible God.

He is the one

you were meant

to be like

but you haven't

been that

person.

He came

and lived the

life that you

should have

lived but

you've not

lived it.

And he died

the death that

we deserve so

that you don't

have to die

that way.

He has

substituted his

identity onto

our passport so

that you can get

into the kingdom

of heaven.

He was made

sin for us, he

who knew no

sin so that we

might be made

the righteousness

of God in

him.

Substitution, it's

not difficult,

is it?

You're playing

football and

somebody's having

a lousy game

and so the

manager pulls

you off and

he sends on a

substitute.

And so that's

precisely what I

want you to do

this morning.

If you want to

know how to

become a

Christian, then

listen carefully.

You are playing

a lousy game

and you know

where your life

is going and

you know that

you need a

substitute.

And you

know that you

are bound

to lose if

you carry on

playing in

that way.

And the

Bible tells

us that God

has provided a

substitute for

you.

A substitute

who can come

and take your

place so that

there may be

victory instead

of pathetic

failure.

So that you

can get up on

the podium at

the end and

get your

medal.

Not that you

deserve it.

not that you

earned it.

You've played a

lousy game but

he is your

substitute.

And so will

you call on

that substitute

if you've

never done

that before?

To call on

the Lord

Jesus to be

your substitute.

To admit

your life is

going nowhere

really in the

end.

And I need

you to come

on the field

and be my

substitute and

a standing

for me.

thirdly the

reward of his

suffering.

Verses 7 to

12.

What does

Jesus get for

his pains?

What is his

reward for his

sufferings?

Because at

first it doesn't

look very good.

Verse 7.

He is deprived

of justice.

Can you see

that?

Just again

notice the

words.

He is

oppressed,

afflicted,

led like a

lamb to the

slaughter.

He is deprived

of justice.

He is deprived

of descendants.

verse 8.

As for his

generation who

considered that

he was cut

off from the

land of the

living.

He struck

down in the

prime of

life.

He doesn't

have a secret

life in

France like

Dan Brown

says.

He doesn't

have descendants.

He was a

single man.

He chose to

be a single

man.

It was a

choice that

he made.

It wasn't

easy for

him.

You were

single here

this morning.

You need to

understand that

Jesus understands

the pressure

that you are

under.

as single

people.

He chose to

be a single

person without

children.

Even though

everything in

him as a

human being

would have

wanted to

have a

family.

He chose

to go that

way.

He had no

children.

He had no

descendants.

He was struck

down in the

prime of life.

He wasn't

even buried in the

family vault.

Look at verse 9.

And they made

his grave with

the wicked and

with a rich man

in his death.

And I used to

think that's why

it all turns.

That's the good

part.

He gets a

comfortable grave

to lie in.

Things are going

better.

Joseph

Barmothea.

He comes up

with this

tomb and it's

wonderful but

it's not.

Because when you

read the book

of Isaiah,

what do you

find out about

the rich?

You find out

that the rich

were corrupt.

And the point

is this.

For a Jew,

you see,

it was so

important to

be put in a

family vault.

To be gathered

to your own

people.

Don't you see

that all the way

through Genesis?

But Jesus

wasn't even

gathered to his

family in death.

he was strung

up like a

common criminal.

And he was

put in a

rich man's

tomb.

It's the

ultimate

humiliation.

For the

servant to be

buried with

the rich,

it's like a

final insult.

God's servant

doesn't do

what they do.

He's not like

them, but he

gets buried

with them.

And even

after he has

died, he's

counted amongst

the wicked

and the

corrupt.

Crucified between

two thieves.

Buried with

the rich.

And if we

were to stop

there, you

get depressed.

We'd give

up.

We would

say, wouldn't

we, Jesus

is a heroic

failure.

A loser.

But the

final word

belongs to

God, and

that's why

we're here

this morning.

Look at

verse 10.

Three little

letters.

Yet.

Yet.

Yet it was

the will of

the Lord to

crush it.

be

Yet it was

the will of

the Lord to

crush him.

He was

put into

grief.

When his

soul makes

an offering

for guilt,

he shall

see his

offspring.

He shall

prolong his

days.

The will

of the

Lord shall

prosper in

his hand.

Out of

the anguish

of his

soul, he

shall see

and be

satisfied.

By his knowledge shall the righteous one

My servant make many to be accounted righteous

And he will bear their iniquities

Belsa Mandela spent 27 years in prison

Suffering locked away by a racist regime

Do you remember when he was released from prison?

It was an amazing thing wasn't it?

He was released from prison

Walking out of Robben Highland

And then within a matter of months it seemed

He was the president of South Africa

He went from being powerless

And dishonoured and disgraced and defeated

And he went from rock bottom to scale the heights

And became a world statesman

That's what Jesus has done in a more profound way

And far reaching way than Mandela

He hit rock bottom

He was despised and rejected

Scorned and mocked and beaten and killed

And yet now he is risen and ascended

And exalted at God's right hand

And look at verse 10

The will of the Lord will prosper in his hand

That is today

That's 2000 years after the crucifixion

The will of the Lord will prosper in his hand

That's what he's doing this morning

He is sitting at God's right hand

And his will is prospering

53,000 people will become Christians today

Somewhere in the world

Only 3,000 people became Christians on the day of Pentecost

We don't see that do we

We don't see very much of that

But we need to pray that that will change

But the will of the Lord is prospering in his hands

What is the will of the Lord?

It's to sprinkle many nations

The word many

It crops up again and again

In verse 11 and 12

He will make many to be accounted righteous

He will justify many

Verse 12

He bore the sin of many

What is his reward?

He was a childless man

Cut off in the prime of his life

What is his reward?

It's more people than you can number

Many people, many nations

He doesn't have a family

He dies childless

And yet his descendants

Just as God promised Abraham

Are more than sand on the seashore

And as he looks at his church today

He loves it

And he delights

Behold I and the children you have given me

And as he looks at you and I

And this vast family around the world

This vast growing family

The church

And as the gospel is preached throughout the world

His heart is filled with delight and love

Because Jesus died for our sins and rose again

And he's up there with the great ones

Who says that?

They're probably not your friend at work

They ask you what you're doing

You said you went to church

And they look at you

And you've got three hands

He's a footnote to history

Isn't he?

According to our world

They don't rate him

But God does

And his resurrection

Is his vindication

Do you remember at the day of Pentecost?

Peter said this man that you took

And you slew

And you crucified him

That was your verdict

You throw him on the slag heap of history

You thought you got rid of him

But God has raised him from the dead

And made him Lord

And so today

You have to think again

Don't you?

God's verdict

On the crucified

Suffering servant

Well he raised him from the dead

And he served notice

On the entire human race

Of the final verdict

That on that last day

Every knee will bow to him

And every tongue will confess

That Jesus Christ is Lord

So this is the one

Who was deeply humiliated

But is now highly exalted

And to this day

Verse 12

He is dividing him

A portion with the many

And he's seeing

Of the travail of his soul

And he is satisfied

There is forgiveness of sins

For what you have done

There is forgiveness of sins

For your guilty conscience

There is forgiveness of sins

For the skeletons in your cupboard

From the most powerful man in the universe

Who purchased it

At such cost for himself

And there is forgiveness

A presidential pardon

Not for turkeys

But for you and I sinners

Won't you take it?

Let's sing

Let's sing