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The Saving Servant
Isaiah 53:10-12
August 4, 2024

This morning we return to our study of Isaiah’s suffering servant
And come to the conclusion of this wonderful 53rd chapter.

There is so much richness and joy found here that I’m quite certain that next week we could start through it again and still be overwhelmed but the atoning work of Christ.

As we have said, you just can’t overstate the significance of this chapter.
We learn our doctrine on the atonement from the New Testament writers,
But they learned it from Isaiah 53.

This is the passage that made it all make sense.

When a natural man looked at the cross,
All he could see was humiliation, defeat, disappointment, and death.

There was no silver lining to watching a man hanging on a cross.
• The suffering coupled with the embarrassment
• And the certainty of death
• Could not be painted in a positive light.

It is no wonder that even the disciples
Were immediately and instantly grieved by what they saw.

But what human eyes could not perceive,
The Spirit of God could certainly reveal
And that is what this chapter does for us.

It allows us to examine the cross through God’s eyes, not our own.
And through God’s eyes the cross is only glorious.

Just to remind you of where we’ve come.

We started in Isaiah 52:13-15 where we discussed: THE SUCCESSFUL SERVANT

That is how Isaiah began the passage.
Isaiah 52:13 “Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.”

But that statement certainly represented God’s perspective, not man’s.
For from man’s perspective
All that could be discerned was humiliation and death.

Isaiah 52:14 “Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.”

Human eyes didn’t see exaltation, human eyes saw horrifying destruction.

And even this past week, while we are at Glorieta with the youth at camp this verse came to mind.

The theme of camp was “In His Image”
• We discussed how man was made in the image of God,
• But how because of sin that image has been distorted or marred.
• And here we find Christ paying the penalty for that sin and the punishment laid
upon Him was that His body was “marred more than any man”.

We marred the spiritual image which God intended for us to bear, and as a punishment Christ had His physical image marred by God in judgment.

He certainly didn’t look like a successful servant of God on the cross.

But that’s exactly what He was.
Isaiah 52:15 “Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.”

Through His suffering He will be the savior of nations.
• On the day when God opens the eyes of the blind,
• The nations will flock to Him for salvation.
• He is The Successful Servant.

From there Isaiah began to explain why this chosen servant of God was rejected so severely as to be hung on the cross.

In Isaiah 53:1-3 we saw: THE SCORNED SERVANT

He was rejected and disbelieved because He didn’t have the right personality or the right pedigree.
• He was tender and mild
• And Joseph was nothing but a carpenter.
• He also had “not stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”

And since He didn’t appear to be the type of Savior we wanted,
We did not esteem Him.
Instead we asked for His crucifixion, and thus He was marred.

Isaiah said He was, “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;”

And as we noted, that is a peculiar title for One who is very nature God.
• We know of God’s ASEITY (self-sufficiency).
• We know He needed nothing outside of Himself.

So why was He filled with sorrow?
Why was He acquainted with grief?

And Isaiah gave us that answer in 53:4-6 were we saw: THE SUBSTITUTIONARY SERVANT

The grief He bore and the sorrow He carried
Was NOT His own grief or sorrow, it was imputed grief and sorrow.

He came in the “likeness of sinful man”.
He bore our pain and our grief.

When He hung on the cross and received the wrath of God,
It was NOT for anything He had done.

“He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;”

God was treating Him like He lived my life.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

As Isaiah said, “The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.”
• He was taking our place.
• He was our substitute.
• God first placed our sin on Him and then crushed Him for it.

And that led us to wonder how Christ felt about that.
• Did Jesus want to die?
• Did He want to bear our sin and the wrath upon it?
• Was He ok with this great injustice poured upon Him?

And the answer is: ABSOLUTELY!

In Isaiah 53:7-9 we saw: THE SILENT SERVANT

He had more than a few opportunities to plead His innocence
Or to beg for mercy and He ignored every one of them.
• He never threatened.
• He never warned.
• He never begged or cursed or even complained.

He came to bear our sins on the cross
And He saw it through to the end.

As the old hymn says:
“Humbled for a season to receive a name from the lips of sinners unto whom he came, faithfully he bore it spotless to the last, brought it back victorious when from death He passed;”

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

• We saw His cruel arrest.
• We saw His corrupt trial.
• We saw His crucifixion on the cross.

But we also saw that God vindicated Him in His burial.
Isaiah 53:9 “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”

He died in reproach, but He was buried in honor
Because God was pleased with Him.

And certainly if you were here LAST WEEK,

We can easily throw in the sermon Cody preached from Psalms 22
• Where David looked ahead 1,000 years and quoted Christ on the cross saying,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

As Cody pointed out,
• David saw that crimson worm attached to the tree,
• Covering His offspring with His own shed blood
• And revealed to us that when Christ called to God for help God heard Him.

Christ was clearly vindicated by the Father in death.
You even saw that last week in Psalm 22.

Well that brings us to OUR FINAL QUESTION
And thus our final segment here in Isaiah 53.

We ask the question:
If God was pleased with Him that He would vindicate Him in burial, why was God so pleased to first crush Him?

That is what we read here in Isaiah 53:10
Isaiah 53:10a “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief…”

If God was so pleased with Him so as to honor Him in burial, why was God so pleased to first crush Him in grief?

And of course the answer is
Because of what Jesus was accomplishing through His crushing death;
• Which was nothing less than the appeasement of God’s wrath
• And the salvation of sinners.

That answer is given to us here in the final 3 verses as we now examine: THE SAVING SERVANT

We’ll break this final segment down into 3 points.

#1 GOD’S SATISFACTION
Isaiah 53:10a

You will notice as we work our way through these final 3 verses that “Satisfaction” is really the closing theme of the chapter.

And so it certainly must first be discussed, as it is mentioned here,
That the work of the cross totally and perfectly satisfied God.

(10a) “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering…”

Isaiah says a mouthful here when He calls what Christ did on the cross
“a guilt offering”.

The “guilt offering” was a specific type of atoning sacrifice prescribed by God and revealed to us in Leviticus 5 and 6.

It was certainly an atoning sacrifice.
• It was certainly a blood offering given to God for the forgiveness of sins.

Some of the specific sins listed that it was required for were:
• If someone is a dishonest or unreliable witness. (Lev. 5:1)
• If someone touched an unclean animal. (Lev. 5:2)
• If someone touched human uncleanness. (Lev. 5:3)
• If someone makes a thoughtless oath to God. (Lev. 5:4)
• If someone acts unfaithfully to any holy thing. (Lev. 5:15)
• If someone commits any sin at all. (Lev. 5:17)
• If someone deceives or cheats their neighbor. (Lev. 6:2-3)

All of those sins would require that the sinner then present to God
The “guilt offering” for the forgiveness of that sin.

The segment closes with this clarifying statement:
Leviticus 5:19 “It is a guilt offering; he was certainly guilty before the LORD.”

It was an offering in which the animal had to die
And its blood was sprinkled on the altar.

Isaiah takes that well-known atoning ordinance
And tells His audience to look at this suffering servant.

That is what He is doing.
He is the “guilt offering”.

He is being offered to God as a blood sacrifice
For the forgiveness of the sins of His people.

And here we find that God was pleased to accept it.

That word “pleased” in the Hebrew
Can also be translated, “desire” or “delight”.

In short, God really wanted this.
• God desired this.
• God delighted in this.
• It pleased Him to see Christ on the cross bearing our sin.

It points us back to the love of God who delights in mercy and forgiveness.
It points us to the desire of God to forgive sinners.

And so when Christ offers His body on the tree
As an offering for sin and guilt, God is pleased to accept it.

He crushed Christ.
He heaped grief upon Him.

Christ was providing Himself as the means
Through which God could and would save His children.

And the beauty of what we learn in all of Isaiah 53, not just verse 10,
IS THAT THE OFFERING WORKED.
• God was pleased.
• God was satisfied.

The New Testament word we use here is: PROPITIATION

Romans 3:23-25a “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.”

1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Hebrews 2:17 “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

The word itself means “appeasement” or “satisfaction”
It is such a strong word that
It cannot be defined as anything partial or potential.

It is total, it is effective, it is complete, it permanent.

All of the wrath which God had toward the sin of His people
Was totally and permanently eradicated by Christ on the cross.

God’s wrath was appeased.
God’s anger was settled.
God’s justice was satisfied.

Romans 8:1-3 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”

And this satisfaction means the world to us.
• We are no longer counted as enemies, we are now counted as sons.
• We are pleasing to the Father through Christ’s atoning work.
• We are loved, we are accepted, we are welcomed.

God holds no wrath for those who are in Christ Jesus,
HE IS SATISFIED WITH JESUS.

God’s Satisfaction

#2 CHRIST’S SATISFACTION
Isaiah 53:10b-12a

This is really the main thrust of these final 3 verses.
Namely that Christ also was totally satisfied by what He accomplished.

Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We are taught that Christ “despised the shame”.
• That doesn’t mean He hated it.
• It means He thought little of it.

It was a small price to pay in order to achieve what He achieved.

And let me just say,
If you are not totally captivated by the love Christ has for you,
You most certainly should be.

He looked at the cross with all of its EARTHLY HUMILIATION.
• He contemplated the arrest
• He contemplated the trial
• He contemplated the false accusations
• He contemplated the beatings
• He contemplated the embarrassment
• He contemplated the reproach

But He thought that an acceptable price if it meant saving you.

He certainly considered the cross with all of its DIVINE WRATH.
• He prayed about that cup of wrath in the garden
• He sweat drops of blood under the weight of sin
• He anticipated the day of the Lord that would soon fall on Him

Even that He thought an acceptable price if through it He could save you.

Let me show you His satisfaction here.
And it’s easiest to understand His satisfaction if we break it down a little further into 3 areas.

1) SATISFACTION IN DEATH (10b)

“If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.”

There are certainly a lot of atoning applications that can be made here,
But I want you to follow the point of Isaiah.

• Christ was a man on a mission.
• Christ was a man who came to accomplish a purpose.

As our youth learned at every worship service at camp:
1 Timothy 1:15 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”

But think about a man on a mission for a moment.
• Think about a man who came to deliver captives or set prisoners free.
• Think about a man on a liberation mission to rescue those in bondage.

• He leaves his home base and travels into enemy territory.
• He identifies the captives and hatches a plan to deliver them.

But the next thing you see is
The would-be hero hanging dead before the people.

To earthly and human eyes, what does that mean?
IT MEANS HE LOST.

He’ll never see those captives delivered.
He’ll never see any more of life at all.

Solomon painted a very accurate earthly picture of death for us:
Ecclesiastes 9:2-6 “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.”

I remember my dad laying in a hospice bed, and he got all emotional one day and said, “My grandkids won’t even remember me.”

That was a grief and sting of death.
• You won’t see your kids or grandkids grow up.
• You won’t experience their great moments in the future.
• In fact you won’t see anything else, your days are over.

And we don’t even have to talk about the success of your mission.
If you die, the mission is over.
It is defeat.

That is what death always looks like.
That is what death always feels like.

Even Christ’s disciples thought this to be the case when Jesus died.
Luke 24:21 “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.”

“He had a good run, but now He’s dead and everything has fallen apart.”

But that is NOT what Isaiah says.
• Isaiah says that even though He died on that cross, “He will see His offspring”
• Even though they buried Him in a tomb, “He will prolong His days”
• Even though His followers saw only failure, “the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.”

BUT HOW?
• How could Christ die and still see His offspring?
• How could Christ be buried and still prolong His days?
• How could Christ in such circumstances still cause God’s plan to succeed?

You know the answer: RESURRECTION!
• He died, but He didn’t stay dead.
• He was buried, but He wasn’t there long.
• His followers grieved, but it was very quickly turned to joy.

In short, this grief and sorrow and suffering
Was not permanent and it was not ineffective.

What He did there was not a defeat, it was a victory!
He didn’t fail in His mission, He succeeded in it!

God’s plan was perfectly executed by Christ through death.

Acts 3:18 “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.”

Christ was satisfied even in death
2) SATISFACTION IN ANGUISH (11)

“As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.”

We know people who experience victory even through suffering.
• We’ve heard of soldiers who suffered greatly yet still won the battle.
• We think of cancer patients who endure difficult treatments but beat the disease.

But while such people certainly celebrate the victory,
It is very rare for any of them
To actually have fondness about the battle itself.

They see the battle as a necessary evil, but an evil none the less.

And that is perhaps what we would expect from Christ.

That maybe He was glad that He accomplished God’s purpose
But that He would have nothing but disdain
For the cross on which He suffered.

But that is NOT what we learn here.
We learn that Christ was satisfied with the anguish of the cross.

“As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied;”

Literally it reads, “He will see satisfaction”

The word “satisfied” there is interesting too.
The Hebrew word means “to be full” or “to be satiated”,
It can even speak of a glutton full of food. (Like you after Thanksgiving dinner)

Have you ever been so satisfied with something?

I work with wood as a hobby and I’ve told people that:
• I don’t like going to get lumber
• I also don’t like unloading lumber
• I don’t enjoy cutting up or ripping lumber
• I don’t enjoy much of the process of building
• I really hate finishing it and moving it

To which you might ask why I do it?
• I like to look at it when I’m done.
• There is a satisfaction to me in what is accomplished.

Here we find that Christ looked past the anguish of His soul
To the satisfaction of what He was accomplishing.

What was this satisfaction?
“By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.”

The word “knowledge” there means “perception or discernment”

That is to say that while He was suffering
• He knew what He was accomplishing
• And even in the midst of His anguish
• He was fully satisfied with that.

Perhaps you’ve heard the song that states,
“When He was on the cross, I was on His mind.”

That is the idea here.
• He knew why He was there.
• He knew why the Romans were crucifying Him.
• He knew why God was afflicting Him.

HE KNEW
• He was being punished so that those whom He loved might go free.
• He was being crushed so that those whom He loved might have peace.
• He was dying so that those whom He loved might live.

And the understanding He had
That He was successful in His mission
Was totally satisfying to Him.

This again is why we believe in an ABSOLUTE ATONEMENT.

It is unthinkable to us that Jesus could have been bearing such anguish on the cross and not know whether or not anyone would ever believe.

It is unthinkable to us that Jesus could be bearing God’s wrath on the cross with no certainty at all that it would actually save anyone.

No, “My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.”

He knew exactly who He was dying for,
He knew that because He was dying for them that they would live.
Every single one of them.

He was satisfied in death, He was satisfied in anguish
3) SATISFACTION IN ETERNITY (12a)

“Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong;”

To the victor goes the spoils and Christ Jesus is the victor!
And even while dying in anguish on the cross
He was satisfied for He knew what was coming.

God’s plan was being fulfilled.
His children were being delivered.
And He was obtaining an incomparable future glory.

Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Revelation 5:9-12 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

Christ knew the glory that was His.
• He was fulfilling God’s plan
• He saving His children
• And He knew that He would soon be with those He saved in glory.

“How I long to breathe the air of Heaven, Where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets; To look upon the One who bled to save me, And walk with Him for all eternity.

There will be a day when all will bow before Him. There will be a day when death will be no more. Standing face to face with He who died and rose again; Holy, holy is the Lord

And on that day, we join the resurrection, And stand beside the heroes of the faith; With one voice, a thousand generations, Sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”

Christ saw that day coming.
And even while in anguish on the cross He was satisfied.

He did what He came to do and He was satisfied!
• He fulfilled God’s plan.
• He saved sinners.
• He earned eternal glory.

God’s Satisfaction, Christ’s Satisfaction

#3 OUR SATISFACTION
Isaiah 53:12b

The final 4 lines here of Isaiah 53 give us a great summary
Of the great work of Christ on our behalf.

Let’s start with His HUMILIATION
“Because He poured out Himself to death,”

Philippians 2:6-8 “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

We think of His humiliation to become human.
• He was made in human likeness.
• He bore our sorrow and our grief.
• He bore our sin and carried all the way to judgment on the cross.

Every part of that was beneath Him.
Every aspect of that was a humiliation to Him.
He deserved so much more and He received so much less.

He humbled Himself to death, “even death on a cross”.

From there certainly we discuss His IDENTIFICATION
“And was numbered with the transgressor;”

Every gospel writer alludes to it, but Mark states it explicitly.
Mark 15:27-28 “They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”

We call it identification.
That Christ identified with us.

He stood in our place.
He put on our sinful robe to take the punishment we deserve.

And so we also talk about His SUBSTITUTION
“Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,”

It wasn’t His sin He bore, it was our sin He bore.

He wasn’t the One who deserved wrath, that was our fate.
But in humiliation and identification, He hung on that cross in our place.

Last week Cody told you that in the story we are Barabbas and that is true.
The murderer set free while Christ hangs on his cross.

Christ stood as a criminal.
Christ was mocked, condemned, crucified, and crushed as a sinner.

Because that is what we deserved.

And we also see His role as HIGH PRIEST
“And interceded for the transgressors.”

From the cross Christ cried, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”
• And that is a prayer He has echoed countless times on our behalf since that day.

He came in humiliation to identify with you,
To die as your substitute,
And to become a faithful high priest on your behalf.

Because of what He did,
• We will never bear the wrath of God.
• We will never know what it is to be forsaken of God.
• We will never be without atonement or intercession.
• We will never be rejected.

All we will ever know from God is pure and perfect love
Because Christ came in our place to save us.

So here is the question:
ARE YOU SATISFIED?

God was satisfied with the offering of Christ.
Christ was satisfied with the anguish required in order to save.
ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH WHAT HE DID?
Or do you still want the world instead?

Isaac Watts said:
“Where the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Can you sing that with him?

Sovereign Grace Music wrote the song:
“Lord, forgive us for our love Of the things we wish to own. We forsake the feast above For all the crumbs below. Though You’ve made us sons and daughters, We do not the world disown. May we find our greatest treasure Is in You alone.”

Is that true in your life?

Rhea Miller wrote this famous one:
“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather be His than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands. I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause; I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause; I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame. I’d rather be true to His holy name.

Than to be the king of a vast domain, Or be held in sin’s dread sway. I’d rather have Jesus than anything This world affords today.”

How about that one?

Jesus Christ left heaven to be humiliated and die in your place
And He was satisfied in doing so.

And now He asks you
To be so satisfied in Him that you
Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.

And yet so many love this world too much to do it.
How can it be that God was satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus but so many sinners are not?

• Idolatry is the sin of not being satisfied with Jesus.
• Lack of priority is the sin of not being satisfied with Jesus.
• Stinginess or coveting is the sin of not being satisfied with Jesus.
• And the list could go on and on and on…

We refuse to leave our sin and follow Jesus
Because we are not satisfied with Him.

If we’ve learned anything from Isaiah 53 it is that Jesus is enough!
• And He deserves my devotion.
• He deserves my praise.
• He deserves my commitment.
• He deserves my contentment.

He deserves, my soul, my life, my all.

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The Silent Servant
Isaiah 53:7-9
July 21, 2024

Tonight we come to our 4th look at this wonderful Suffering Servant passage of Isaiah.

We’ve seen THE SUCCESSFUL SERVANT
That despite His horrific suffering, He is God’s chosen servant and God has promised to exalt Him.

We’ve seen THE SCORNED SERVANT
That because He did not look the part, He was despised and not esteemed by humanity.

We’ve seen THE SUBSTITUTIONARY SERVANT
That the reason for His suffering is because He was bearing our sin and the consequences that came with it.

And tonight we look at THE SILENT SERVANT

When reading these 3 verses it becomes immediately obvious that Isaiah has a special interest here in the speech of our servant.

Twice in verse 7 we are told that despite His suffering “He did not open His mouth”

The end of verse 9 reveals to us that there was no “deceit in His mouth”

Clearly the emphasis here is on His speech.
Perhaps more than that we are talking about His response to all the suffering.

We learn very clearly from Jesus in the New Testament:
Matthew 12:34b “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”

Certainly here we get a look at the heart of Christ.
Certainly here we get a look at the participation of Christ.

We learned this morning at the end of verse 6 that Christ’s coming as a substitute was all the sovereign will of the Father.

“But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”

Acts 2:23a “this Man, [was] delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God”

It was God who sent Him.
It was God who imputed our sin to Him.
It was God who then poured out judgment and wrath on Him as the bearer of our sin.

I suppose an obvious question to follow such a revelation would be, “What did Christ think about that plan?”

And here we find the great love of Christ for we see that in every aspect of His suffering, He was ALL IN!

John 10:17-18 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Clearly Christ was totally compliant.
He willingly and eagerly participated in the plan.

If someone were to look at the scene of the crucifixion unfolding and ask the question, “But did Jesus want to go to the cross?”

The answer is absolutely!
That is why He came.
That was His desire.
That was His purpose.
He came to save sinners.

And even to that the motive is not difficult for us to understand:

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

It is the unyielding, uncomprehensible, unfailing, unrelenting love of Christ.

He did not go to the cross as an unwilling sacrifice.
He was not handed over as a reluctant savior.

If that were the case we might have heard Him arguing, pleading, complaining, or defending Himself.

But “He did not open His mouth.”

His heart was set upon saving His people.
And as He told Peter and the rest of the disciples:

Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”

This had to happen for salvation to occur and Jesus, in His heart, was all in.

He came to save you and it was His desire to do so.

It really is remarkable love just to think about it.
And that love is clearly manifest for us here in these 3 verses as we examine really the scene that unfolded and Christ’s compliance with it.

Tonight we want to break these verses down into 4 points.
And I want you to see the love of Christ through His compliance.

#1 HE WAS VOLUNTARY IN HIS TRIAL
Isaiah 53:7

We open the verse by reading that, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted,”

And now we can add both of those realities to His growing list of sufferings.

We’ve already examined His sorrows and His griefs.
We’ve already seen that He was pierced through and crushed.
And now we add words like “oppressed” and “afflicted” to the list.

“oppressed” is a Hebrew word that means “pressed hard”

It can be used of a driver of livestock who pushes his animals hard in labor or in transport. Or of a boss who is extremely hard on his employees.

Isaiah 58:3 “‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers.”

In Exodus it referred to those Egyptians who oppressed the slaves.
Exodus 5:13 “The taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.”

The same word is there translated “taskmaster”.

And this is the oppression that Christ was placed under.

We also see the word “afflicted” which comes from a word that means “to become low” or “to be put down” or “to be humbled”.

And if you’re allowing your mind to take you back to the events surrounding the cross then you know that here we are discussing both His arrest and His trial.

Where Christ was captured and bound and taken to trial.
While He was there He was pressed hard and abused.
They attacked Him so as to humble Him and humiliate Him.
They treated Him like a criminal.

And I again remind you why.
It is because He was bearing our sin.
He was being treated as we deserved.

But we saw this oppression and affliction during His arrest and trial.

He was arrested in the garden, going with them without a fight.

He was first taken to Annas:
John 18:22 “When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?”

He was then taken into the house of Caiaphas:
Mark 14:65 “Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.”

He was then taken to a public trial:
Luke 22:63-65 “Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.”

He was then carried before Pilate:
John 19:1-5 “Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!”

He was then taken to Herod:
Luke 23:11 “And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.”

And finally back to Pilate where He was sentenced to be crucified.

That is what you call oppression and affliction.

He was pressed hard, He was brought low.

If there was a time to fight back or defend yourself this was it.

Many a criminal has sought to defend himself at the moment of his arrest.
Certainly under the questioning of a trial he will try to offer evidence of innocence.

And they do this because they don’t want to be punished.
They don’t want to go to jail.
They don’t want to pay a fine.
They don’t want to be executed.

But here was Jesus, being pressed hard from every direction and being humiliated by His accusers and what did He do to try and escape the scorn and the punishment?

NOTHING

“Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

Peter said:
1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

He simply held His tongue.

Before Caiaphas:
Mark 14:60-61a “The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But He kept silent and did not answer.”

Before Herod:
Luke 23:9 “And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing.”

Before Pilate:
Mark 15:2-5 “Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “It is as you say.” The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.”

And again the second time:
John 19:8-9 “Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.”

Jesus just wouldn’t defend Himself.
It’s almost like He was determined to go to the cross.

This is what we call amazing love.
To submit to oppression.
To submit to humiliation.
To refuse to offer a defense.
To refuse to try and free yourself.

It is no wonder that this is the very passage that overwhelmed the Ethiopian Eunuch and led him to salvation.

Acts 8:32-34 “Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH. “IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH.” The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?”

What else can we attribute that to but the love of Christ that He refused to speak up to free Himself or to defend Himself.

He was voluntary in His trial.
#2 HE WAS VICTIMIZED IN HIS JUDGMENT
Isaiah 53:8a

“By oppression and judgment He was taken away;”

In know we saw the word “oppressed” in verse 7 but this is a different Hebrew word used here.

That word was NAW-GAS
This word is O-TSER

This word speaks of “restraint” or “closure”.
It is actually used of when the LORD closes the womb and restrains a woman from having children.

But here it speaks of a restraint as a result of coercion.

It’s not talking about Jesus here being restrained, this is talking about the restraint that was thrown on Pilate.

You’ve read the account, you know that Pilate definitely had a preference regarding what to do with Jesus.

Even Pilat’s wife had warned him to have nothing to do with Jesus.
And several times Pilate tried to set him free.

But in the end Pilate ends up crucifying Jesus anyway, why?
Because the Jews coerced him.
They bound him up and restrained him from doing what he wanted.

How?
John 19:12-16 “As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.”

Did you hear the threat of the Jewish leaders?
“If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar;”

Luke 23:23-24 “But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted.”

We read that the masses “were insistent”

Mark 15:14-15 “But Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify Him!” Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”

There we read, “wishing to satisfy the crowd”

And what was Pilates final decision?

Matthew 27:24-26 “When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”

“By oppression and judgment He was taken away;”

Pilate was encircled and coerced.
He was pressured and intimidated.
He was threatened and overwhelmed.

And in his own human weakness he submitted and passed “judgment” on Christ who was “taken away” to be crucified.

Christ was totally victimized.
There was nothing right in this.
There was nothing just in this.

We don’t have time tonight, but go look up the sermon we had years ago on Matthew 26:57-68 and “The Corrupt Trial of Jesus” and see that there was nothing legitimate about this.

I know it is common for most convicted criminals today to try and play the victim card, but Jesus really was.

He was totally cheated.

And what did Jesus say to all of this?
NOTHING

He never asked to address the crowd.
He never warned Pilate that he better listen to his wife.
He never sought to contradict the testimony against Him.

And even when being sentenced to crucifixion He didn’t argue for a lesser sentence.

Crucifixion is what He came for.
He was committed to it.

But there is even more of a picture here.

We read it this morning:
Leviticus 16:21 “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.”

That is the same language being used here.
Christ, bearing our sin, was also “taken away”

And He submitted to it without a single request on His own behalf.
Tell me about the love of Christ.

He was voluntary in trial
He was victimized in judgment

#3 HE WAS VILIFIED IN HIS DEATH
Isaiah 53:8b

Now we have moved from His trial and the pronounced judgment upon Him to the place and moment of His execution.

We know He was crucified.
He was nailed to that cross and raised up between two criminals.

Here we read that “He was cut off out of the land of the living”

That means death.

And we even know why He died.
“For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due”

As we have learned repeatedly, He was bearing our sin and thus was subject to our punishment.

He had become surety for our note.
He had taken our debt upon Himself.
And that debt could only be paid in blood.

The wages of sin is death and so Christ came to die to pay off our debt.

And we have discussed that substitutionary atonement that He worked on the cross.

But if you’ll notice verse 8 here is in the form of a question.

This is not a verse where Isaiah is for the first time revealing to us that Christ was suffering for our sin.

He already told us that this morning back in verses 4-6.

Here in verse 7 Isaiah is watching Christ die and he is asking a question.

That question is this:
Who there at the cross knew that is why Jesus was dying?

“And as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was do?”

“His generation” refers to the people of His day.
And Isaiah simply wants to know if anyone there, watching Him die, understood why He was dying?

I mean here was a guy who had already submitted to an oppressive and humiliating trial all for the goal of being crucified for His people.

Here is a guy who already stood silent before His accusers and even before Pilate at His sentencing all because the objective was to have Pilate crucify Him.

But now, the deed is done.
He has been crucified.
He is hanging before men.
There is no going back.

Now, at this point, does anyone understand what is really happening?

Is anyone there aware that He is doing this for them?

Well we know the answer.

Matthew 27:38-44 “At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.”

Mark 15:27-32 “They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.” Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.”

Luke 23:35-39 “And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”

Now, we do know that there was one who had his eyes opened and did see.
The thief on the cross was made aware, asked for salvation, and Jesus saved him.

But not a single other person understood.

I mean, even when we introduced this text last Sunday morning we talked about how even His disciple didn’t get it.

Don’t you remember those men on the road to Emmaus?
Luke 24:17-27 “And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. “But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

And here is a good question.
WHY NOT?

Well certainly we could appeal to the fact that they thought God was punishing Him for His own sin.
Certainly we could talk about Him not looking majestic in His saving work.
Certainly we could talk about Him being marred beyond human likeness.

But there is another reason no one figured it out while He was on the cross.

Of all the things He said there, can I tell you what He didn’t say?

He never explained from the cross that He was innocent, or that He was dying for them.

He never looked down from the cross at the crowd and said, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

That’s what I would have done!

If I’m going to suffer for you and bear your sin and be oppressed and afflicted and falsely tried and corruptly condemned and nailed to a cross…

You had better know for sure that I’m going to make sure everyone knows why I’m doing it.

I’m going to be explaining to everyone that this isn’t for me, this is for you.

I’m going to start naming every one of your sins, both public and private as I pay for them.

I’m going to talk about everything you did and how I am bearing it.

But not Jesus.

“He did not open His mouth” at least not to defend or explain Himself.

Why?

Well partly because part of the suffering was shame and He was not there to avoid it.

But also because what He did He did out of love, not just out of duty.
If you love someone and you wish to save them you don’t humiliate them doing it.

If you save out of love you just save.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,”

He is the silent servant.
Tell me now about His great love for you.

He was voluntary in His arrest
He was victimized in His judgment
He was vilified in His death

All while remaining silent

#4 HE WAS VINDICATED IN HIS BURIAL
Isaiah 53:9

As this verse continues we find that the desire for scorn continued.

At this point Jesus is dead and so there’s no way He can defend Himself even if He wanted to.

And we find that “His grave as assigned with wicked men”

He was numbered with transgressors, no doubt He was going to be buried with them.

I can tell you were they were going to be buried.
They were going to be buried in that potter’s field or field of blood.

But at this point God, in His sovereign providence intervened.

We read that:
“Yet He was with a rich man in His death,”

And this is not mysterious to us.
Matthew 27:57-60 “When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.”

It was Joseph who found courage and took the body of Jesus and buried it in an honored buried site as opposed to that criminal’s pit.

And of course the theological promise behind all of this is clear to us as well.
Psalms 16:10 “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

And all of that is true.

But Isaiah here links this honorable burial, not to a prophetic promise from David, but rather as a response from God to the submissive nature of Jesus.

Isaiah says that “He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”

There are many ways to read that.

When we talk about doing “no violence” it can either be a reference to His submissive willingness to be arrested, tried, convicted and crucified.

That would certainly be true.

It can also be a reference to His humble obedience to God’s Law.

Remember how Jesus spoke of the rebellious Jews?

Matthew 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”

It was a reference to people trying to malign the word of God and lower the standard to force their way into heaven.

God would echo that:
Ezekiel 22:26 “Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.”

Even when we read that there was no “deceit in His mouth.”

It certainly could be that He never lied to protect His own skin while on trial, but it can also be a reference to His purity in His confession of loyalty to God.

When He made commitments to God He kept them.
When He said He was going to the cross, He went.
He always did the things pleasing to the Father.

Jesus rebuked the religious elite:
Matthew 12:34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”

They couldn’t speak truth because they had evil hearts.
All they knew was deception.

But not Jesus.

His confession was pure.
His confession was true.
He never maligned or twisted God’s word.
He simply walked in purity.

And I think that is what Isaiah is referring to.

This Jesus who was oppressed and afflicted in His trial…
This Jesus who was victimized in judgment…
This Jesus who was vilified in death…

He was silent, not making any defense..
He was silent, not offering any request.
He was silent, not giving any explanation.
He was silent, not voicing any complaint.

And while He would not honor Himself, God did it for Him through a honorable burial and ultimately a resurrection.

Psalms 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.”

And God proved that with Christ.

So do you understand here Isaiah’s point?

Yes He was the substitutionary servant.
Yes it was God’s sovereign plan to make Him so.

But He didn’t do it reluctantly.
He didn’t go to the cross kicking and screaming.
He didn’t feel the need to vindicate Himself though God certainly proved He deserved it.

He went to the cross out of love.
He went their willingly.

“No one took His life, with love He gave it. He was crucified on a tree that He created.”

Can you ever question the love of Christ?

When you walk through trials and you are tempted to question His love, remember that He walked through trials and never opened His mouth.

When you are wrongly accused or persecuted and are tempted to question His love, remember that He was wrongly convicted and never opened His mouth.

When you are shamed, scorned, vilified, or humbled and desperately want people to know the truth and you treat your shame as though Christ must not love you, remember that He endured all of that and never opened His mouth.

He loves you.
He proved it by His submission to the cross.
He proved it by His desire for the cross.

This man put you first for every second of His life on earth.
He bore your sin.
He bore your shame.
He bore your arrest.
He bore your trial.
He bore your conviction.
He bore your death.

And He never once tried even a little to get out of it.

He loves you.

Tonight I encourage you to love Him back.

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The Substitutionary Servant
Isaiah 53:4-6
July 21, 2024

This morning we jump back into our study of Isaiah’s Suffering Servant.

I remind you again that
• You cannot overstate the significance of this passage.
• None of those who walked with Christ and who saw His death and resurrection fully understood what was going on there
• Until God allowed them to understand the Scriptures.

And chief among the Scriptures
Which explain the atonement of Christ is Isaiah 53.

Our theology on the atonement
Certainly comes from the New Testament writings of the apostles,
But their theology came from Isaiah 53.

Now we’ve already spent two sermons in this passage.

First we saw: THE SUCCESSFUL SERVANT (Isaiah 52:13-15)

Where we were reminded that
• Despite the shock,
• Despite the fact that Jesus suffered more than any human ever,
• He is in fact God’s Chosen Servant.

1. God has raised Him.
2. God has ascended Him to the heavens.
3. God has seated Him at His right hand.

Jesus is both Lord and Christ
Despite what the world saw in His horrific crucifixion.

He is the Successful Servant.

Last Sunday night we saw: THE SCORNED SERVANT (Isaiah 53:1-3)

Even though He is God’s chosen Messiah,
The world most certainly has not recognized Him as such.

They didn’t see an obvious king.
• The saw “a tender shoot”
• And “a root out of parched ground”

They saw a meek and gentle man, not a revolutionary.
And they saw an ordinary man, not one with a noble pedigree.

Even His appearance was less than inspiring since “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”

Visually speaking He just didn’t have that “it” factor.
When seeing Him in a crowd, He didn’t stand out as an obvious king.

(3) “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

And I want to bring that verse back to your attention
Because this morning we move into verse 4
And yet it is clear that verse 3 is still on Isaiah’s mind.

Namely that statement: “A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;”

And if you think about it, that is really a peculiar statement.

We even have a song that begins with:
“Man of sorrows, what a name for the Son of God who came!”

Why is it so peculiar that the Son of God would be called a “man of sorrows”?

Let me remind you here of a theological truth.
We call it: THE ASEITY OF GOD

Aseity comes from a Latin word that means “From Self”
And it speaks of God’s self-sufficiency.

That is to say God needs nothing outside of Himself
For His own satisfaction or fulfillment.

God is totally self-sufficient.
God is totally self-fulfilled.

Sometimes we hear contemporary Christian songs which deny this doctrine. For example a recent Hillsong song called “What a Beautiful Name” which says, “You didn’t want heaven without us, so Jesus You brought heaven down.”

The song insinuates that there was this empty hole in God;
some lack of fulfillment or inward grief that could only be fulfilled by us.
Heaven, without us, just wasn’t enough.

That is blasphemous because it denies the Aseity of God.
Within the trinity God needed for nothing, wanted for nothing.

John 5:26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;”

Acts 17:24-25 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;”

God is totally self-sufficient and fulfilled.

So it is extremely peculiar that the God-Man would be described as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”

• As though He was somehow unfulfilled.
• As though He was somehow depressed.
• As though He was somehow in need.

We would expect the God-Man to be described as “A man who needed and wanted for nothing. A man invincible to the plight of humanity.”

But He was called “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”

And that statement brings with it an enormous: WHY?

And the answer to that question is given here in the first two lines of verse 4 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;”

HE WAS A SUBSTITUTE
• The “sorrows” He carried weren’t His “sorrows”, they were “our sorrows”.
• The “griefs” He bore weren’t His “griefs”, they were “our griefs”.

He was “a man of sorrows” because He bore our sin.

And that is repeated continually in these 3 verses.
Take a look at all that was laid on Him.
• (4) “griefs” and “sorrows”
• (5) “transgressions” and “iniquities”
• (6) Apostasy and Defection “gone astray” and “turned to his own way”
• And again in verse 6 “iniquity”

None of those were His, they were ours.

And one of the things that I think will help us understand the weight of this passage even more is if I start by asking you a question.

WHEN?

• When were our griefs laid on Him?
• When were our sorrows laid on Him?
• When were our transgressions laid on Him?
• When were our iniquities laid on Him?

If you say “the cross” then you are off in your timeline by about 33 years.

For it was not the cross where our sins were first laid on Him,
IT WAS THE MANGER.

Romans 8:3 “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”

Christ was SENT “in the likeness of sinful flesh”
• Christ bore the marks of sinful flesh in His body, being circumcised the 8th day.
• Mary had to complete the days of purification even after the birth of Christ.
• Philippians 2 says He was “made in the likeness of men”

A.W. Pink wrote:
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust” (1Pe 3:18). The reference here must not be restricted to what Christ endured at the hands of God while He hung upon the cross, nor to all He passed through during that day and preceding night. Beware of limiting the Word of God! No. The entirety of His humiliation is here included. The whole life of Christ was one of sufferings. Therefore was He designated “the Man of sorrows,” not simply, “sorrow.” From His birth to His death, suffering and sorrow marked Him as their legitimate victim. While yet an infant, He was driven into exile to escape the fury of those who sought His life. That was but the prophetic forerunner of His whole earthly course. The cup of woe, put to His lips at Bethlehem, was never removed until He drained its bitter dregs at Calvary.
He experienced every variety of suffering. He tasted poverty in its severest rigor. Born in a stable, owning no property on earth, dependent upon the charity of others (Luk 8:3), oftentimes being worse situated than the inferior orders of creation (Mat 8:20). He suffered reproach in all its bitterness. The most malignant accusations, the vilest aspersions, the most cutting sarcasm were directed against His person and character. He was taunted with being a glutton, a winebibber, a deceiver, a blasphemer, a devil. Therefore do we hear Him crying, “Reproach hath broken my heart” (Psa 69:20). He experienced temptation in all its malignity. The prince of darkness assailed Him with all his ingenuity and power, causing his infernal legions to attack Him, coming against Him like “strong bulls of Bashan,” gaping on Him with their mouths like ravening and roaring lions (Psa 22:12-13). Above all, He suffered the wrath of God, so that He was “exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Mat 26:38), in “an agony” (Luk 22:44), and ultimately, “forsaken of God.”
https://www.chapellibrary.org/read/subsfg

Had our sins not been imputed to Christ until the moment He hung on the cross then what explanation do we have for His suffering before that day?

No, God placed our sins on Him from His birth, and His entire life of suffering bears witness to His identification with us.

• All the poverty
• All the reproach
• Even the temptation in the wilderness

He suffered those things because He was made in identification with us.

A.W. Pink makes another remarkable observation,
And one that I had never contemplated.

We know for example that Psalm 40:7-11 is about Christ.
Hebrews 10 tells us that specifically.

Psalms 40:7-11 “Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, You know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation. You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.”

Pink then says, “What about verse 12?”
Psalms 40:12 “For evils beyond number have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; They are more numerous than the hairs of my head, And my heart has failed me.”

And we easily say, “That can’t be about Christ, for He never sinned.”
And that is true He didn’t.

But what if verse 12 is not speaking about His own sin,
But rather sin He has taken upon Himself and is now liable for?

When a man legally becomes surety for his neighbor has the debt not become just as much his as if he had made the charges himself?

Every time Christ offered forgiveness to a sinner,
Who promised to pay that debt? Where did it transfer?
• Our sin was NOT POTENTIALLY transferred to Christ.
• Our sin was NOT SYMBOLICALLY transferred to Christ.
• Our sin was ACTUALLY TRANSFERRED to Christ.
• And thus He bore our sin as though it was His own.

IT FELL ON CHRIST.
He took the statement.
He took the bill.
He became liable.

AND THIS IS THE POINT.
Christ started sipping that bitter cup the moment He was born,
And He drained it down to its dregs on the cross.

He began to bear our sin
And the sorrow and grief that accompanies it at birth
And He finished it at His death.

Do you want the explanation of why He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”?

It is because He had taken our sin upon Himself.

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;”

At the Day of Atonement we read about Aaron’s job:
Leviticus 16:21 “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.”

And in THE EXACT SAME WAY:

Our text this morning ends with this line:
(6b) “But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”

CHRIST HAS ARRIVED AS OUR SUBSTITUTE.

Christ has arrived to bear our sin
And the sorrow and the shame and the suffering that goes with it.
He took at Bethlehem and He finished it at Calvary.

This is what we mean by substitute.
HE WALKED IN OUR PLACE.

THAT IS HOW the self-sufficient Son of God could come to be called “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”.

THIS MORNING we want to look at these 3 verses in Isaiah 53
Which all speak of His substitutionary work.

These verses are so remarkable because
They speak of us as much as they speak of Him.
• He is referenced 8 times
• We are referenced 10 times
• And those references are linked

It is “our griefs” He is bearing.
It is “our sorrows” He is carrying.
It is “our transgressions” that He is pierced for.
It is “our iniquities” that He is crushed for.

He is taking our place.
He is our substitute.

I’m going to break these 3 verses down into 5 points this morning.

None of them will take long,
Isaiah offers 5 statements of explanation
As to how the self-sufficient Son of God
Could be come to known as a man of sorrows.

#1 THE SIMPLE EXPLANATION
Isaiah 53:4a

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;”

We’ve already discussed this quite a bit
So you understand why He is a man of sorrows acquainted with grief.
• Our sin brings with grief.
• Our sin brings with it sorrow.
• He was bearing our sin.

In Genesis 3 we have sin entering the world with Adam and Eve
In Genesis 4 we have sorrow and grief as Adam and Eve must bury their son Abel.
Grief follows in chapter 5 with death.
Grief continues in chapter 6 with wickedness leading to a flood.

Where does sorrow and grief come from?
And the answer is because of sin.

And for clarity purposes let me say it like this, “Your sin.”

Sure we live in a sinful world and a fallen creation.
But it is misplaced for us to blame our sorrow and grief
On anyone’s sin but our own.

While it is true that at times the righteous suffer. (Job taught us that)
I can assure you that more of our suffering has to do with our sin
Than it does our righteousness.

WE SUFFER BECAUSE WE SIN.
Proverbs 20:17 “Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.”

That was simply Solomon’s poetic way of reminding you that
SIN BRINGS SORROW WITH IT.
• Sometimes it brings immediate sorrow.
• Sometimes it brings delayed sorrow.
• Sometimes it brings lingering sorrow.
• Sometimes it brings generational sorrow.
• Sometimes it brings splattering sorrow.

But it always brings sorrow.
It is never worth it.

AND CHRIST CAME TO BEAR THAT SIN.

Hebrews 9:28a “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many…”

There is an actual imputation of our sin onto Christ.
• This is the reason for His sorrow.
• This is the reason for His grief.
• This is the reason for His death.

HE SUFFERED ON OUR BEHALF
Jesus spoke of this on 3 specific occasions.

Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Luke 22:19-20 “And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

Twice Jesus says it is “for you”

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

That we see.

But we also need to zoom in on the word “Surely” there

Because it reminds that what Christ did wasn’t potential, it was definite.
• He didn’t nearly bear our griefs.
• He didn’t almost carry our sorrows.
• “Surely” He did it.

And that is evident in His life.
He actually suffered because He actually bore our sin.

So there is a SIMPLE EXPLANATION as to why He was a man of sorrows.

#2 THE STUPID EXPLANATION
Isaiah 53:4b

“Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”

Talk about the miscalculation of the century.

• We saw Christ suffering poverty…
• We saw Christ suffering grief…
• We saw Christ suffering slander…
• We saw Christ suffering arrest…
• We saw Him humiliated and crucified…

And our own logical explanation was that
HE MUST HAVE REALLY OFFENDED GOD BAD!

“we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”

We see it at the cross, as Jesus hung there.

Matthew 27:43 “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

What are they saying?
We let’s see if God is really pleased with Him or not?

IT IS RIDICULOUS!

A similar analogy would be like if you go out today and sign your name on a note to buy a new car, but you can’t afford it.
• So someone else agrees to let you keep the car,
• But they have the note transferred into their name.

But because of the added financial burden to their life,
• They become visibly burdened.
• Their clothes get worn out,
• They resort to very little food,
• It becomes obvious they are suffering under a heavy financial strain.

And your response to their plight is: “Well I guess they’ll learn to better manage their money.”

It is the most remarkable picture of human blindness in the entire Bible.
The thought that Jesus suffered because of something He did wrong.

THAT IS A STUPID EXPLANATION.
• For if He has a sin, then name it.
• If He has a failure, then expose it.
• If He offended God, then show it.

A Simple Explanation, A Stupid Explanation
#3 THE SPIRITUAL EXPLANATION
Isaiah 53:5a

“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;”

Now it is obvious that the stakes have been raised.
• For now the Servant is not just sorrowful or grieved;
• Now He is “pierced through” and “crushed”

We’ve moved from consequences to judgment.
We’ve moved from depression to death.
We’ve moved from discipline to execution.

He was “pierced through” and “crushed”
• This is not lethal injection.
• This is not dying in your sleep.
• This is not euthanasia.

This is painful, intense, horrific, execution.

The type of death that makes one wonder just how angry God was?
And the answer is: VERY ANGRY.

Later we will read:
Isaiah 53:10a “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief…”

There is no hesitancy here.
There is no relief here.
There is no restraint here.
It is the determination to Hit Him as hard as you possibly can.

It reminds us again of the hatred which God has toward sin,
For we clearly read that it is sin which brings this judgment down.

We read about “transgressions”
PE-SHA in the Hebrew and it speaks of “rebellion” or “revolt”

• It is sometimes translated “breach of trust” (Ex 22:9)
• It is someone who was in covenant with you and then sinned against you.

And clearly God does not take it lightly.
In fact His response to “transgressions” is to pierce one through.

We read about “iniquities”
A-VONE in the Hebrews and it speaks of “perversity”.

And God does not like it.
Exodus 20:5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,”

God’s fury here is seen on this sin to the point that
He crushes those who engage in it.

By crushes we mean “trample under foot”.
It is severe judgment.

So on one hand you have the general depravity and perversity of humanity and their propensity to do vile and immoral and perverse things.

And on the other hand you have this broken vow or broken commitment or treachery or breach of trust.

BOTH OF WHICH GOD HATES

BUT CHRIST IS THE ONE BEING PUNISHED FOR IT.
He was never perverse. He never betrayed.

But God has laid our betrayal and our perversity on Him
And He is being crushed and pierced through for it.

“But He was pierced through for our transgression, He was crushed for our iniquities;”

• Think about the most vile and perverse things you have done.
• Think about the times you have broken your word to God.
• Think about God’s fury on those sins.

And now see God laying that sin on Christ and punishing Him for it.

He is not only a man of sorrow and grief,
He is also a man under God’s furious judgment.

And He is there because He is a substitute.
So there is not just a physical substitution going on here,
But clearly a spiritual one.

#4 THE SAVING EXPLANATION
Isaiah 53:5b

“The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.”

Thus far we’ve seen two categories of His substitutionary suffering.

We’ve seen sort of a physical or at least social suffering indicated by His sorrow and grief.

We’ve seen a spiritual suffering indicated by His being pierced through and crushed under God’s wrath.

But here we find the upside of His substitution.
He suffered so that we can be at peace.
He suffered so that we can be healed.
His substitution was so that He might save.

Isaiah says, “The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him”

“well-being” is the Hebrew word SHALOME and it means “peace”

Humanity, ever since the garden, had been at enmity with God.
• Adam and Eve removed from the garden.
• Cain cursed to wander the earth.
• The entire world flooded during the days of Noah.
• The world scattered at Babyl.
• God on a mountain warning not to even touch the mountain.
• God dwelling behind a veil which no man can enter.

THERE WAS ENMITY AND SEPARATION.

That is because of sin, and more specifically, unatoned sin.
Because the rebellion & perversion of man had not been dealt with.

AND MANKIND COULD NOT BE AT PEACE WITH GOD.

So Christ comes to suffer God’s wrath.
Christ comes to pay the penalty.

AND THE BENEFIT OF HIS SUFFERING is transferred to those who believe in Him.
• He received grief, sorrow, piercing, and crushing;
• We get peace as a result.

There was “chastening” required for our peace and He took it.

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

The other benefit we receive is that “by His scourging we are healed.”

This is a direct reference to the “griefs” He bore up in verse 4.
That word “griefs” can also be translated “sickness”
And thanks to the work of Jesus we no longer bear those griefs,
We are “healed”.

NOW, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO ADDRESS IT.
Many charismatics have taken this verse to mean that because of the atonement of Christ, no Christian should ever get sick, and if they do they have the right to expect complete and total healing.

Now, aside from Scriptural exposition,
Even human observation should reveal the nonsense of such a belief.
Clearly everyone ages and everyone dies of something.

Paul told us that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven” and that this “mortal must put on immortality”.

So clearly that is not what is meant.

Now, I will say that physical healing is absolutely part of the atonement, but so is sinlessness. And they will be achieved in the millennium when Christ restores all things, but that is not a promise we enjoy here.

That is a misunderstanding of Isaiah’s point
And a distraction from the gospel here.

To clarify, let me simply ask you a question about Isaiah 53.
In this beautiful chapter is Isaiah referring to sickness as a sin or is Isaiah referring to sin as a sickness?

Isaiah is using sickness as an analogy for sin
And revealing that Christ came to fix that problem.

Now, others will push a bit further and point out when Matthew quoted this verse.
Matthew 8:16-17 “When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

Clearly there Matthew quoted this verse in reference to literal physical healing, so shouldn’t we then say that is the point?

No, what Matthew is doing is forcing the reader to understand
The spiritual significance to the healing ministry of Jesus.

He links the healing ministry of Jesus to Isaiah 53
So that you will turn and read Isaiah 53 and see that
The One who can heal diseases
Is actually the One who can forgive your sin. That is the point.

What we are talking about here is that
Jesus bore our sin so that we might be saved.

He was saddled with our sin.
The ramifications of that for Him was sorrow, grief, piercing, and crushing.

But because He was saddled with our sin
The ramification for us is peace and healing; spiritual healing.

He bore our sin so that He might save us.

Simple Explanation, Stupid Explanation, Spiritual Explanation, Saving Explanation
#5 THE SOVEREIGN EXPLANATION
Isaiah 53:6

Peter loved this verse too:
1 Peter 2:24-25 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

We again see emphasized the substitutionary work of Christ.
• We see that we were the sinners.
• We see that we were the strayers.
• We see that we are the rebels.

But we see that all of our sin has fallen on Him.
• Not just the consequences for our sin,
• But our sin itself is imputed to Him.

“the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”

It is that same point made over and over and over in these 3 verses.
• Christ is our substitute.
• Christ bore our sin.
• Christ took accountability for the evil things we did.
• He took our debt, we get debt relief.

That is all stated here again.

BUT THE FINAL POINT I want you to see here this morning
Is who THE CATALYST for all this is.

Take very special note of the instigator:
“But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”

THIS IS GOD’S DOING!

Humanity did not get together and decide to offer Christ to God as some sort of payment for our sin. (That is pagan)

No, it is God who determined to send Christ to bear our sin and pay the penalty for it. (That is the gospel)

So many misunderstand the gospel, as we mentioned at the start,
• As if God was somehow unfulfilled
• And desperately needed us as friends
• So in order to fix His loneliness and unfulfillment
• He decided to send Christ so that He could have us back.

That is blasphemous
That is humanistic
That is idolatrous

No, God was totally self-satisfied just as He was.

He didn’t send Christ out of His need to be reconciled to us,
He sent Christ because we had a need to be reconciled to Him.

We saw it all the way back in Genesis:
Genesis 22:7-8 “Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.”

Genesis 22:13-14 “Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”

And what was God’s motive for such a sacrificial act?
(not loneliness, not depression, no unfilfillment)
LOVE

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s love was not motivated out of His own selfishness
Or desires to fill some void in His own life.
GOD’S LOVE WAS SELF-SACRIFICING.

• God decreed the coming of Christ.
• God decreed His incarnation.
• God decreed that He bear our sin.
• God decreed that He bear our sorrow and grief.
• God decreed that He bear our judgment.

And God put it upon Him.
God strapped it on His back.

Just as Aaron laid his hands on that goat
And figuratively placed the sin of the people,
So God literally placed our sin on Christ and judged Him for it.

This was done so that we might have peace with God.
This was done so that we might be healed of our wickedness.

Christ is the SUBSTITUTIONARY SERVANT.
Christ is the means by which we are forgiven and saved.

And we celebrate that this morning in the taking of the Lord’s Supper.
Here we celebrate the body that suffered for us.
Here we celebrate the blood that was spilled for us.

Here we see His humiliation, His sorrow, His grief,
His piercing through, His crushing, His death.

And He did it for us that we might know
Peace and healing, forgiveness and salvation.

And as we partake, we love Him, we celebrate Him, we praise Him,
We thank Him, we proclaim Him.

It should have been our body that was broken,
It should have been our blood that was spilled,
But Jesus took that upon Himself for you.

Eat and rejoice!
Drink and rejoice!

“The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.”

We will now have a time of preparation and then we will approach the table of the Lord.

LORD’S SUPPER

• Deacons come forward

Isaiah 53:1-3 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

• Give bread to deacons
• Deacon prayer
• Deacons pass out bread

Luke 22:19 “And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

• Take bread

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

• Give juice to deacons
• Deacon prayer
• Deacons pass out juice

Luke 22:20 “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”

• Take Juice

• Prayer
• Parting Hymn