The Depth of God’s Love

Welcome again, good morning, especially good morning and welcome to our missional justice partners and all our guests.

My name is Oscar, if you don't know me, and I serve as one of the elders here at Watermark.

Please join me in prayer as we dive into God's Word.

Father, we humbly come before you as we look at this incredible passage from Isaiah.

I pray, Lord, that our hearts and minds will be open to receive your Word today.

Thank you for your Word, which is real and true and powerful, that penetrates deep into every facet of our body, our heart, and our mind.

I pray, Lord, that as we consider your Word today, that we would see the beauty of the suffering of Jesus and the beauty of his glorious resurrection.

Be with us, Lord, in this time.

In your name we pray. Amen.

I'm going to invite Jaya in a moment to read the Scripture, but before then, a question.

The question is, how do you know that someone loves you?

Once in a while, I'll ask one of my kids, I'll be a bit cheeky, and I'll ask one of them,

how do you know that Daddy loves you?

And usually, their response is, because you make me cheeseburgers.

Or, because you read me bedtime stories.

How do you know that Jesus loves you?

I mean, we all know that he loves us.

We read it in the Bible all the time.

But how do you know that he loves you personally?

How do you experience his love?

Are you secure in his love?

Let's park that thought for a moment.

Over the past two weeks, we've been going through an Easter sermon series,

looking at Old Testament Scriptures and how they point to or foreshadow the cross of Jesus.

Two weeks ago, Kevin shared from Exodus 32 to 34, where, after being rescued by God from slavery in Egypt,

the people of Israel sinned terribly against God by worshipping an idol made out of gold.

And Kevin, he addressed this seeming paradox, which was,

How can a holy God who absolutely cannot stand sin somehow forgive sinners?

And we learn that God indeed pardoned Israel because of one man, Moses,

who stood in the gap between God and man.

Because of the righteousness and the goodness of this man, Moses, God pardoned Israel.

This is a picture of the gospel, is it not?

But Jesus is our perfect mediator, who, on the cross, stood in the gap.

And all of us who love and trust him, God will pardon us and forgive us as well.

Last week, Niels continued on our series, and he opened up Leviticus 16,

where God gave Moses specific instructions on the Day of Atonement,

where one day a year, the people of Israel, through the high priest,

would conduct a complicated but necessary animal sacrifice to appease the wrath of God.

But as Niels shared, we learned that this sacrifice of bulls and goats,

although it would appease God's wrath for a year, it wasn't enough.

For us here today, through that animal sacrifice thousands of years ago,

we still could not see God or know God or be with him.

We need something more.

And today, I'm excited, because we're looking at this incredible passage in Isaiah,

which is the picture, which is a picture of the perfect and permanent Savior, Jesus Christ.

God sent his Son into the world, our Lord Jesus, to be the true mediator and the true sacrifice.

Now, by way of background, the prophet Isaiah's ministry was primarily to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah.

Recall that in about 900 BC, Israel was split between the northern kingdom called Israel and the southern kingdom called Judah.

And Isaiah's ministry began about 200 years later.

And throughout his book, Isaiah warns Judah to repent from sin or otherwise face the wrath of God.

Isaiah also gives Judah hope that God would deliver her from her enemies.

And he also provides his promise that God would bring a servant Savior who would rescue God's people.

Chapter 7 of Isaiah, he would be born of a virgin and be called Emmanuel or God with us.

Chapter 11, he would come from the root of Jesse.

He would be a descendant of King David.

And chapter 9, he would sit on David's throne, ruling with justice and righteousness.

These are all pictures of Jesus.

And today, today's passage paints this very, very detailed picture of this servant Savior who would be despised and rejected by man.

He would face unspeakable suffering.

In fact, nowhere in the Old Testament is the suffering of Jesus depicted at such length and in such graphic detail as in this passage from Isaiah 52 and 53.

It's incredibly sobering to read and we'll hear in just a moment.

But what we'll also see today, I hope, is that the servant's suffering will lead to his glory.

And the glory for all of us who love and trust him.

Can I invite Jaya to lead us in the passage today?

Good morning, church.

Our scripture this morning comes from Isaiah 52 and 53.

Feel free to follow along in your bulletin or on the screen behind me.

Starting in Isaiah 52, 13, we read,

Behold, my servant shall act wisely.

He shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted.

As many were astonished at you, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance and is formed beyond that of the children of mankind,

so shall he sprinkle many nations.

Kings shall shut their mouths because of him.

For that which has not been told them, they see.

And that which they have not heard, they understand.

Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been 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.

And as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.

And with his wounds, we are healed.

All we, like sheep, have gone astray.

We have turned, everyone, to his own way.

And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and he was afflicted.

Yet he opened not his mouth.

Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter.

Like a sheep that before its shearers is silent.

So he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

And as for his generation,

who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

And they made his grave with the wicked

and with the rich man in his death.

Although he had done no violence

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him.

He has put him to 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 servants,

make many to be accounted righteous.

And he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many.

And he shall divide the spoil with the strong.

Because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors.

Yet he bore the sin of many

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks, Jaya.

Oh, sorry.

My lovely wife told me that my mic was too far from my mouth.

So I moved it closer.

Can you guys hear me okay now?

All right.

Let's start.

Let's start in Isaiah chapter 53, verse 2.

Isaiah 53:2

A root out of dry ground.

That phrase seems to refer to

the relatively obscure place

of the Lord Jesus' upbringing

in the north, in Nazareth.

Nazareth was about 100 kilometers

from Jerusalem, the capital.

And it was a dry desert

where nothing good was ever really expected to emerge.

And Jesus himself,

there was nothing noteworthy

about his family background

or his parents.

Mary and Joseph.

He wasn't born to a rich or prominent family.

His parents weren't part of the religious elite.

He wasn't naturally handsome or attractive.

When we think of the physical qualities

of an attractive person,

we think of a celebrity or an athlete,

someone who was tall or strong,

handsome or pretty.

He had none of these things.

In fact, he had no beauty

that we should desire him.

And so although Jesus is called

the radiance of the glory of God

and the exact imprint of his nature,

Hebrews chapter 1,

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

he had no beauty that we should desire him.

Jesus, God in flesh,

God incarnate,

God who waited thousands of years

to be born into the world.

And when he did,

he was entirely unremarkable.

If we saw him on the street,

we wouldn't turn to look at him twice.

In fact, we do the opposite.

He was a man of sorrows

and acquainted with grief

and also one from whom men hide their faces.

He was despised

and we esteemed him not.

He was called a man of sorrows.

What a sobering description

of someone, is it not?

But such an accurate one.

Everything about his life

speaks to the burden that he carried.

He was born in a small, insignificant town.

He grew up poor.

His own people rejected him.

His disciple, Peter,

denied him.

His other disciple,

Judas Iscariot,

betrayed him.

The religious leaders

persecuted him.

He had no place to settle

or call home.

Our Lord Jesus, this is him.

His cousin John the Baptist

was executed.

His dear friend Lazarus

passed away.

The Bible never says

that Jesus laughed,

but we often read

that he wept.

But perhaps,

more than any other reason,

Jesus was called

a man of sorrows

because he always knew

in his heart

that he was born

to suffer and die.

He was born to be both

the mediator,

standing in the gap

on behalf of man to God,

and the sacrifice,

the true mediator

and the true sacrifice.

Only one person

who has ever lived

has known the exact time

and the circumstance

of how he would die.

What a burden to carry.

And so, dear friends,

what this means for us today

is that although life

is uncertain,

and we're all going to face

some sort of hardship,

Jesus has experienced

all of the messiness

and all the ugliness

that we'll ever experience.

Your best friend

stabbed you in the back.

Jesus has been there.

Someone has broken your heart.

Jesus has been there.

Someone you love is sick.

Jesus has been there.

He's been there,

and he doesn't just understand

or empathize,

but he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows.

He takes our sorrows

upon himself.

All the pain

that we experience

from broken relationships,

all the suffering

we experience

from abuse,

all the stress

of having to perform,

all of it,

he takes it upon himself.

He made himself

humble and lowly

in order to carry

this burden for us.

He doesn't just cry with us.

His tears mean

that our sorrow

can turn to joy.

Jesus said,

come to me,

all who labor

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you

and learn from me,

for I am gentle

and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest

for your souls.

For my yoke is easy

and my burden

is light.

Matthew chapter 11.

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

Jesus,

the man of sorrows.

So we've just seen

how Jesus suffered

in life,

but even more,

he suffered

in death.

Let's look at

52 verse 14.

As many were astonished

at you,

his appearance

was so marred

beyond human semblance

and his form

beyond that

of the children

of mankind.

Perhaps when we

think about Jesus

and his suffering,

our mind goes right

to the cross.

The nails that pierced

his wrists

and his feet,

the thorns

that were gnawing

at his head.

Jesus,

hanging there naked,

battered and bruised,

alone and abandoned.

A brutal and horrible

depiction,

the crucifixion of Christ.

But his suffering

began well before

the cross,

as his passage

in Isaiah

shows us.

Jesus suffered

in the Garden of Gethsemane

where he was

in such anguish

and in utter exhaustion.

Imagine the emotional

stress and anxiety

he was under

in anticipation

of the cross.

I remember when I was a kid,

I took piano exams

and I remember sitting

in the waiting room

waiting for my exam.

I still had PTSD

thinking about

that waiting room.

The waiting was worse

than the actual exam.

But imagine Jesus

in the garden

visualizing the road

to the cross

and the suffering

that he would endure.

After he was arrested,

he was brought in front

of the Jewish authorities

who mocked Jesus

and beat him.

They put a blindfold

over Jesus' eyes

and they would beat him

and say,

tell us, tell us,

prophesy,

tell us who is beating you.

And after the Jewish authorities

passed Jesus over

to the Roman authorities,

the Romans

also mocked him

by putting a purple robe

on Jesus

and gave him a staff

as a pretend king scepter.

The Romans then grabbed

that staff

out of Jesus' hands

and they beat him

over the head with it.

But perhaps the worst

physical torture

or physical suffering

that he experienced

before the cross

was the scourging.

In verse 5 of 53,

we read,

upon him was the chastisement

that brought us peace

and with his wounds

we are healed.

Some Bible versions say

by his stripes

we are healed

or by his scourging

we are healed.

The New Testament

describes

the scourging

of Jesus.

And Bible commentators

define scourging

as a Roman judicial penalty

consisting of a severe beating

with a multi-lash whip

containing embedded pieces

of bone and metal.

Picture right here.

So perhaps this

is why Isaiah writes,

his appearance

was so marred

beyond human semblance

and his form

beyond that

of the children

of mankind.

Our Lord was beaten

and flogged so badly

that he was unrecognizable

when the Romans

were done with him.

Those who witnessed

this horrific punishment,

they were astonished,

they were appalled,

they were horrified

at the appearance

of Jesus.

And this was all

before Jesus

carried the cross

and then he went up

to his own crucifixion.

After the Romans

had fastened

that crown of thorns

on his head,

Jesus somehow

stumbled up

to Golgotha

where he was nailed to

and hung on a cross

for perhaps

three to six hours.

and in the last moments

before his death,

he prayed,

Father,

Father,

why have you forsaken me?

For on the cross,

Father God

did not just simply

turn his back on Jesus

and abandon him.

Father God

wasn't passive.

It's not as if

his hands were tied

and he could not help

but let the Roman authorities

do unspeakable evils

to his son.

Isaiah tells us

it was Father God's will

and intent

to crush

his own son,

Jesus.

Jesus was smitten

by God

and afflicted

as the Lord

has laid on him

the iniquity

of us all.

Father God

intentionally put our sin

on Jesus

on the cross

and watched

both our sin

and Jesus

perish.

But shouldn't that

be us

on the cross

to experience

and receive

the wrath

of God?

But instead,

Jesus was made

an enemy

of his own

Father

for our sake.

Do we understand this?

In the Watermark

Bible reading plan

this year,

we looked at

the account

in Genesis

of God

instructing Abraham

to sacrifice

his own son Isaac.

Abraham,

he agreed

to do what God

instructed him to do.

And so he tied

a bunch of wood

on Isaac's back

and as they

climb Mount

Moriah,

Isaac,

understandably confused,

he turns to his father

and he says,

Father,

where is the lamb

for the burnt offering?

Can you imagine

being Abraham

in that moment

having to

respond to your son?

About to sacrifice

your own son?

The son he loves,

his beloved son,

the son he waited

a hundred years

to have,

his promised son?

Can you imagine?

And so when we

think about Abraham

potentially sacrificing

his own son,

perhaps,

perhaps we have

a glimpse

of the heart

of God the Father

when his own

terrible wrath

bore down

on his own son,

Jesus Christ,

who is perfect,

holy,

and righteous.

As Jesus said,

Father,

Father,

why have you

forsaken me?

So how do you know

that God loves you?

How do you know

the breadth

and the length

and the depth

of the love of God

to you?

Look at Jesus.

Look at the cross.

But now the question is,

why did Jesus

have to suffer

so terribly?

I mean,

we learned last week

from Leviticus

that the people of Israel

needed to sacrifice

an animal

in order to atone

for their sins.

And this,

of course,

foreshadowed Jesus

being the true

and permanent sacrifice

as his soul

makes an offering

for guilt.

But the animals

that were sacrificed

back in the day

of Moses,

they seemed to be

treated quite mercifully.

The necessity of death

was illustrated,

but not the suffering.

But here in this passage

in Isaiah,

Isaiah now adds

this very graphic detail

of the suffering

of Jesus

leading up to

the crucifixion

and also on the cross.

Why?

Why did Jesus

have to suffer

so terribly?

Well,

it's because

in his suffering

and in his death,

God wanted to show us

just how much

he loves us,

just how much

he hates sin.

All we like sheep

have gone astray.

We have turned

every one

to his own way.

And the Lord

has laid on him

the iniquity

of us all.

In the Garden

of Eden,

we were supposed

to be living

in purity

and righteousness

with God

as we were made

in his image.

But sin came

into our hearts

and our hearts

are now prone

to wander.

Our heart compass

is out of whack.

I mean,

my heart compass

is out of whack.

I realized

something recently.

I have a portfolio

of investments,

stocks and bonds.

And I realized

recently that I've

been checking

the prices

a bit too often.

It's one of the

first things I do

when I wake up

and one of the

last things I do

before I go to bed.

And I think about

the prices

and my profits

and my losses

throughout the day.

I do the mental math

on it.

And I'm not saying

that having investments

is a sin.

Don't get me wrong.

But what I am saying

about myself

and what I have been

convicted about

is that I am adoring

my investments.

I'm adoring

the profits

a bit too much.

I'm thinking about it

too much.

I'm putting too much

heart share

and mind share

into it.

My heart's prone

to wander.

I'm a sinner.

I had to repent.

Perhaps something

has caught your heart.

Maybe it's money.

Maybe it's a relationship.

Maybe it's food

or alcohol.

Maybe it's vanity.

All we like sheep

have gone astray.

Everyone

each to his own way.

But because of the

eternal holiness

and perfection

sin is appalling

to God.

And the result

is that every single sin

must be accounted for

and must be punished.

So every lash

on the body of Jesus

as he was scourged

every time he was beat

he was beaten

in his head

such that

no one could recognize

him afterwards.

All the blood

that spilled

from his body.

Every amount

of suffering

that he experienced

the nails

that cut deep

into his wrists

and feet

his blood

that was poured out

all of this

every aspect

of his punishment

accounts for

our sin

and deals with

our punishment.

And so how do you know

the depth

the length

the breadth

of the love of God

for you?

Look at the cross.

Greater love

is no one

than this

that someone

laid down his life

for his friends.

John 15 13

So now

what does Isaiah

say happens

after Jesus' death?

He writes

in 53 verse 10

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.

Isaiah wrote

that Jesus would die

for the sin of man

but be raised

to life

again

he shall prolong

his days

and so where

is Jesus

now?

Let's go back

to the very first

verse of this passage

from 52 13

Behold

my servant

shall act wisely

he shall be high

and lifted up

and shall be

exalted

our Lord

was raised

to life

and is now

exalted

into the highest

place in heaven

next to

Father God

for all time

Now this phrase

high and lifted up

was used by Isaiah

in chapter 6

when he was first

commissioned as a

prophet of God

Isaiah sees

this vision

I saw the Lord

sitting upon a throne

high and lifted up

and the train

of his robe

filled the temple

above him

stood the seraphim

each had six wings

with two he covered

his face

and with two he covered

his feet

and with two

he flew

and one called

to another

and said

holy holy holy

is the Lord

of hosts

the whole earth

is full

of his glory

this

is where Jesus

is seated now

24-7

into eternity

the angels

who are in his presence

cannot help

but adore

and praise

and glorify

the risen Jesus

and if we here

love and trust him

one day

we too

will join the angels

in his glorious

assembly

but

now if Jesus

had suffered

and died on the cross

and remained buried

in the grave

until today

well

he would be remembered

as one of the greatest

human beings

that ever lived

no question about that

but if he remained buried

in the grave

until today

well

those of us

that call us Christians

we would be in a

sorry state

Paul writes in

1 Corinthians

if Christ has not been raised

your faith is futile

and you are still

in your sins

we would have no hope

there would be no

glorious eternity

in heaven

there would be no power

of God

to transform us

today

but Jesus did indeed

rise

from the grave

and the resurrection

is proof

that God is real

and his hope

is true

it's

it's

the resurrection

is proof

that Jesus

is who the prophet

said he is

the world's

promised Messiah

and Savior

it confirms

God's promise

to us

and Jesus

is

alive

and so therefore

now the question is

what does the resurrection

mean

for us here today

here at Watermark

well let's look

let's look at these

last few verses

from our passage today

from 53 verses

11 and 12

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

counted righteous

and he shall bear

their inequities

therefore I will

divide him a portion

with the many

and he shall divide

the spoil

with the strong

Christ's resurrection

means

for those of us

here today

who love and trust him

our standing

in front of the

holy God

is righteous

is perfect

and not only that

but we also have

the privilege

of partaking

in Christ's glory

as being a part

of his family

and of course

it's hard to grasp

that day to day

but we have to remember

this week

because this week

we're going to go back

to work or school

or families

or wherever

and we're going to get

bombarded by the religion

of this world

someone is going to

annoy us

and frustrate us

as Irene pray

we're going to be

grumbling

sometime this week

we have to go back

to what we learned today

and so this week

when all these things

happen to us

let us refocus

our hearts

and our minds

on the risen Christ

and remember the implications

of his resurrection

I'll mention just

four implications

number one

our righteous standing

is confirmed

the death

and the resurrection

of Jesus

means that our sin

isn't just forgiven

and accounted for

it's been wiped

it's been buried

into the deepest ocean

it has been put

as far as the east

is from the west

it's been erased

from all hard drives

and backup servers

we are justified

in front of the holy God

his resurrection means

that instead of guilt

and shame

we are righteous

and pure

in the eyes of God

number two

we are part

of God's family

but we aren't merely

forgiven

and justified

incredibly

we are also part

of God's family

we are like the orphan

who steals

the king's crown jewels

but instead of a prison sentence

the king adopts us

into his own family

we live in his palace

we dine at his table

and our new title

is now prince

or princess

and so when

earthy relationships

let us down

we can be comforted

and run into the arms

of our loving father

in heaven

and three

death has been defeated

Jesus did come back

from the dead

an unbelievable event

that has never happened

in the history

of the world

Jesus went face to face

head on

with the thing

that we cannot defeat

death

and he defeated death

and what that means

for us

is that for all of us

who love and trust Jesus

he has defeated death

for us as well

and so all the ways

that we face suffering

and hardship

we have hope

that one day

all pain

and anxiety

all the depravity

of our own heart

all the ugliness

of the world politics

and the horrors

of war

all of that

will be gone

and will be replaced

with being face to face

with Jesus

in person

for all time

death

has been defeated

and fourth

and final

the power of God

is at work

within us

the resurrection

means that we are forgiven

we are justified

and part of God's

eternal family

but it also means

that even today

through prayer

and the power

of God's spirit

we have access

to the same power

which raised Christ

from the dead

Paul prays this

in Ephesians

that you may know

what is the immeasurable

greatness

of his power

toward us who believe

according to the works

of his great might

that he worked in Christ

when he raised him

from the dead

and seated him

at the right hand

in the heavenly places

today the Holy Spirit

is transforming us

Christ followers

are becoming

a little less selfish

a little more generous

we are becoming

a little less anxious

a little more content

dying to ourselves

bit by bit

a little more everyday

becoming more

like Christ

through the power of God

the same power

which raised Christ

from the dead

and let me close now

by looking at the book

of Acts

Acts 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8

in this chapter

Philip

one of the early

Christian leaders

he meets this

Ethiopian court official

who is on his way

back from Jerusalem

and Philip overhears

this court official

reading from Isaiah

and he asks him

do you understand

what you are reading

to which the official

responds and says

how can I

unless somebody

guides me

and what was

the Ethiopian

court official

reading

like a sheep

he was led

to the slaughter

and like a lamb

before its shearer

is silent

so he opens

not his mouth

in his humiliation

justice

was denied him

who can describe

the generation

for his life

is taken away

from the earth

he was reading

from Isaiah

53

the court official

then asks Philip

about whom I ask you

does the prophet

say this

about him

or about

someone else

and of course

Philip reveals

to the court official

that Isaiah

is speaking

about Jesus Christ

the promised Messiah

the savior

of the world

and shortly thereafter

as the two men

pass by

a body of water

the Ethiopian

court official

asks Philip

to baptize him

what's happening here

the official

he hears

God's word

from Isaiah

as we have

been today

he receives it

deep into his heart

and he responds

by moving towards

Jesus

and his gospel

and so today

as Isaiah

reminds us

here

at Watermark

that Jesus

the man of sorrows

Jesus is

the suffering servant

Jesus

is the glorified

king

and as we see

the depth

and we realize

the depth

and the breadth

and the length

and the height

of the love of God

towards us

let us also

move towards him

respond to him

and move towards him

our mission here

at Watermark

is to make mature

disciples

of Jesus Christ

but that doesn't

just mean

knowing the text

intellectually

it doesn't just mean

coming to church

it doesn't just mean

going to religious

type events

it means

that in our hearts

you come to know

how much Christ

loves you

you become

secure

in his love

and your love

with him

becomes deep

rooted

and it's real

it's intimate

it's personal

it's alive

it's powerful

and it's life changing

and so how do you know

God loves you

how do you know

Jesus loves you

look to the cross

look to the resurrection

let's pray

Father thank you

for all of these

Old Testament scriptures

which paint such

beautiful pictures

of Jesus

they were written

and talked about

thousands of years ago

hundreds and thousands

of years ago

Lord

and yet are true

and real

and encouraging to us

today

I pray Lord

that as we have

received your word

today from Isaiah

that we would not

just leave here

and think it's interesting

and intellectual

Lord

but your word

would be rooted

deep in our hearts

and that we would

come away from here

God

being more secure

than ever

in your love

for us

and we would know

the depth

the breadth

and the height

and the length

and the deep

profoundness

of your love

for us

thank you

in Jesus name

Amen

mercy

John

verse

לי

verse

verse

in dir

S