It is indeed a privilege to be here with the precious saints of God to remember,
commemorate and celebrate the passion of our Lord, on the behalf of those He love.
My text for this evening is Isaiah 53. More than any other passage this one addresses
the unique nature and work of the Christ, the Messiah. This is His portrait as the
servant who redeems by His passion those He called to Himself.
This text or passage is referred to, and appropriately so, as the parable or song of the
Suffering Servant. It is the prophetic prediction of the coming of the Messiah who, in
accordance with the will of God, will suffer and be slain in order to redeem the people of
God from the bondage of sin and death, and from the wrath of God that is to come.
Again, it is this passage that is referenced most often during this time of year when we
as God’s people take time to give earnest and reverent reflection to the great price our
Lord paid for our salvation. We mustn’t ignore the reality that the Lord Jesus suffered
greatly at the hands of vile men, men He created to serve Him, who took pleasure in
murdering our savior.
Indeed did our precious Savior suffer and it is apt that we consider the grief of our Lord
as it was for us, o’ wretched sinners that we were, that He suffered. His suffering
demonstrated the astounding and wondrous nature of His love for lost, rebellious,
sinners. In Romans 5:8, the apostle Paul reminded us of the incredible,
incomprehensible nature of this love; only a love as great as God’s could offer such a
gift. I only wish I had time and the knowledge to expound on such a love as this.
Perhaps for now, the words of a song that comes to mind might suffice; that great hymn
by Charles Wesley, I’ll quote only the first stanza, “And can it be that I should gain, An
interest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him
to death pursued? Amazing love, how can it be, That Thou, my God shouldst die for
me.” These words remind us is every way what the Spirit of the Lord reveals in this text.
Isaiah starts out by asking a question and if you’ve ever thought much about the nature
of the Messianic mission, you’ll agree that is indeed a very legitimate question. He asks,
“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed?” Who really believes this? And again it is a reasonable question because
what this passage presents, is quite an incredible claim, isn’t it? Let me ask you
beloved, what do we believe? Do we know what we believe or do we only believe what
we, know? I leave that for you to ponder on your own time, but this is why Isaiah asks,
“Who has believed our message?” And then adds, “And to whom has the arm of
the Lord been revealed?” Who is it that believes the truth that, Isaiah earlier said, in
the previous chapter, 52:7; the truth that comes over the mountain by way of the
beautiful feet or those who announce peace and bring good news of God’s salvation?
Here’s exactly how he said it, “How lovely on the mountains, Are the feet of him
who brings good news, Who announces peace, And brings good news of
happiness, who announces salvation”; the salvation through which God will show
the whole world, His holy power.
Who believes that message? Isaiah no doubts asks this question on the basis of the
enormous claims of the message. He realizes the difficulty many will have with believing
it and so to help those who would hear him, ensure that they do indeed know the
message he agitates their consciences by asking this probing question; who really
believes this?
Isaiah then begins to give shape to the context of this question. He now speaks about
the One the question alludes to. Remember it’s ultimately a question about salvation, a
certain and sure salvation gained by the arm of the Lord, the mighty, arm, of the Lord.
But the message speaks more extensively about the servant through whom the Lord will
procure salvation and He doesn’t seem to fit the profile of One the Lord would use, His
stature doesn’t measure up to the mighty arm, mantra.
Right away we see that there’s nothing particularly great about Him. He’s not majestic or
royal, not even stately. He’s a common man perhaps even less than that. He appears
to be a weary man. It seems to imply this in that He comes from dry ground. Again, He
doesn’t fit with the powerful theme of “the Arm of the Lord!” The arm of the Lord kind of
liberator ought to be noble and fierce, not tender as Isaiah describes this man. As he
says in verse 2, clearly He has no stately form that we should look upon Him, to admire
Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
Isaiah goes on to say that He is a despised and forsaken by man, acquainted with grief;
and He’s like one who men hide their faces from, not wanting to engage Him at all. We
want nothing to do with a man like this. Clearly Isaiah is describing a lowly humble man,
and as touching as this might sound, it seems highly unlikely that He would qualify to be
a liberator in the vein of the arm of the Lord. It’s no wonder the prophet asked, “who
believes our message?”
Now, obviously I’m not going to analyze and elaborate on every description Isaiah gives
in the text, of the suffering servant, of the Lord. I just wanted to try to get us to engage
some with the reality of who Christ is as our Savior. I wanted to see, how He came into
the world and how He was, is, perceived and what He endured and suffered for the
salvation of the elect, of God. Christ gave up all the glories of heaven and came to join
fully into the human race; He grew up as a tender plant and like a root out of dry
ground. As Paul said to the Philippians, Jesus “being in very nature of God, did
not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself
nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became
obedient to death-- even death on a cross!”
Here’s what I really want us to consider. Look at verses 4-6. What is this about? Do we
come to this time so familiar with what will be said that we do not really acknowledge the
truth about our Lord and what He did on our behalf? Let’s be honest, all that I have
mentioned already, we already know that stuff, don’t we? That’s 101 Good Friday
course content. And you see, that’s where I’m concerned. We’re all very bright
knowledgeable people and somewhat adept at biblical matters, which often creates
problems in our relationship with the Lord and His people. Have we truly given thought
over these past days as to why Isaiah says the suffering servant was sorrowful and
acquainted with grief? He was sorrowful because He took upon Himself the full weight of
all our infirmities and while it grieved Him with the deepest sorrow, with deeper
compassion it moved Him to be crushed and pierced for our freedom. I wonder if we
consider, in our hearts how our Savior, truly suffered, for us?
If we’re not careful, the Christ that hung on that cursed tree of death, could to our
minds become a mere theological construct and symbolism could trump the reality that
Jesus, fully man, was cruelly and unjustly murdered for us. If you can imagine it, at
times we get distracted by the knowledge we have acquired about God and sometimes
we close out the influence of the Holy Spirit.
In other words, by our efforts to know, we sometimes disrupt the Spirit engaging with
our hearts, not allowing His presence to fill us and commune with our souls. And so we
come away, not truly knowing what we say we know because we don’t really know in out
hearts the One who gave His all to know us. Right now, right in this moment, where God
is intervening and engaging with us by way of His word, let us commit to come away
tonight with a faith more tempered by the knowledge and reality of the great cost of our
hope; a hope that doesn’t disappoint us, “because God has poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Let’s remember, that
“at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly.”
In Titus 3:3-7, Paul reminded Titus of the grace of our Lord in offering up His Son for
our salvation.
We had all gone astray from God; none of us was seeking Him. But because of His love
for us, He offered His Son. As Isaiah said, IT PLEASED GOD TO CRUSH HIM AND
MAKE HIM SUFFER, SO THAT HE CAN SEE HIS OFFSPRING, THE FRUIT OF HIS
SUFFERING; THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE CHURCH.
commemorate and celebrate the passion of our Lord, on the behalf of those He love.
My text for this evening is Isaiah 53. More than any other passage this one addresses
the unique nature and work of the Christ, the Messiah. This is His portrait as the
servant who redeems by His passion those He called to Himself.
This text or passage is referred to, and appropriately so, as the parable or song of the
Suffering Servant. It is the prophetic prediction of the coming of the Messiah who, in
accordance with the will of God, will suffer and be slain in order to redeem the people of
God from the bondage of sin and death, and from the wrath of God that is to come.
Again, it is this passage that is referenced most often during this time of year when we
as God’s people take time to give earnest and reverent reflection to the great price our
Lord paid for our salvation. We mustn’t ignore the reality that the Lord Jesus suffered
greatly at the hands of vile men, men He created to serve Him, who took pleasure in
murdering our savior.
Indeed did our precious Savior suffer and it is apt that we consider the grief of our Lord
as it was for us, o’ wretched sinners that we were, that He suffered. His suffering
demonstrated the astounding and wondrous nature of His love for lost, rebellious,
sinners. In Romans 5:8, the apostle Paul reminded us of the incredible,
incomprehensible nature of this love; only a love as great as God’s could offer such a
gift. I only wish I had time and the knowledge to expound on such a love as this.
Perhaps for now, the words of a song that comes to mind might suffice; that great hymn
by Charles Wesley, I’ll quote only the first stanza, “And can it be that I should gain, An
interest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him
to death pursued? Amazing love, how can it be, That Thou, my God shouldst die for
me.” These words remind us is every way what the Spirit of the Lord reveals in this text.
Isaiah starts out by asking a question and if you’ve ever thought much about the nature
of the Messianic mission, you’ll agree that is indeed a very legitimate question. He asks,
“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed?” Who really believes this? And again it is a reasonable question because
what this passage presents, is quite an incredible claim, isn’t it? Let me ask you
beloved, what do we believe? Do we know what we believe or do we only believe what
we, know? I leave that for you to ponder on your own time, but this is why Isaiah asks,
“Who has believed our message?” And then adds, “And to whom has the arm of
the Lord been revealed?” Who is it that believes the truth that, Isaiah earlier said, in
the previous chapter, 52:7; the truth that comes over the mountain by way of the
beautiful feet or those who announce peace and bring good news of God’s salvation?
Here’s exactly how he said it, “How lovely on the mountains, Are the feet of him
who brings good news, Who announces peace, And brings good news of
happiness, who announces salvation”; the salvation through which God will show
the whole world, His holy power.
Who believes that message? Isaiah no doubts asks this question on the basis of the
enormous claims of the message. He realizes the difficulty many will have with believing
it and so to help those who would hear him, ensure that they do indeed know the
message he agitates their consciences by asking this probing question; who really
believes this?
Isaiah then begins to give shape to the context of this question. He now speaks about
the One the question alludes to. Remember it’s ultimately a question about salvation, a
certain and sure salvation gained by the arm of the Lord, the mighty, arm, of the Lord.
But the message speaks more extensively about the servant through whom the Lord will
procure salvation and He doesn’t seem to fit the profile of One the Lord would use, His
stature doesn’t measure up to the mighty arm, mantra.
Right away we see that there’s nothing particularly great about Him. He’s not majestic or
royal, not even stately. He’s a common man perhaps even less than that. He appears
to be a weary man. It seems to imply this in that He comes from dry ground. Again, He
doesn’t fit with the powerful theme of “the Arm of the Lord!” The arm of the Lord kind of
liberator ought to be noble and fierce, not tender as Isaiah describes this man. As he
says in verse 2, clearly He has no stately form that we should look upon Him, to admire
Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
Isaiah goes on to say that He is a despised and forsaken by man, acquainted with grief;
and He’s like one who men hide their faces from, not wanting to engage Him at all. We
want nothing to do with a man like this. Clearly Isaiah is describing a lowly humble man,
and as touching as this might sound, it seems highly unlikely that He would qualify to be
a liberator in the vein of the arm of the Lord. It’s no wonder the prophet asked, “who
believes our message?”
Now, obviously I’m not going to analyze and elaborate on every description Isaiah gives
in the text, of the suffering servant, of the Lord. I just wanted to try to get us to engage
some with the reality of who Christ is as our Savior. I wanted to see, how He came into
the world and how He was, is, perceived and what He endured and suffered for the
salvation of the elect, of God. Christ gave up all the glories of heaven and came to join
fully into the human race; He grew up as a tender plant and like a root out of dry
ground. As Paul said to the Philippians, Jesus “being in very nature of God, did
not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself
nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became
obedient to death-- even death on a cross!”
Here’s what I really want us to consider. Look at verses 4-6. What is this about? Do we
come to this time so familiar with what will be said that we do not really acknowledge the
truth about our Lord and what He did on our behalf? Let’s be honest, all that I have
mentioned already, we already know that stuff, don’t we? That’s 101 Good Friday
course content. And you see, that’s where I’m concerned. We’re all very bright
knowledgeable people and somewhat adept at biblical matters, which often creates
problems in our relationship with the Lord and His people. Have we truly given thought
over these past days as to why Isaiah says the suffering servant was sorrowful and
acquainted with grief? He was sorrowful because He took upon Himself the full weight of
all our infirmities and while it grieved Him with the deepest sorrow, with deeper
compassion it moved Him to be crushed and pierced for our freedom. I wonder if we
consider, in our hearts how our Savior, truly suffered, for us?
If we’re not careful, the Christ that hung on that cursed tree of death, could to our
minds become a mere theological construct and symbolism could trump the reality that
Jesus, fully man, was cruelly and unjustly murdered for us. If you can imagine it, at
times we get distracted by the knowledge we have acquired about God and sometimes
we close out the influence of the Holy Spirit.
In other words, by our efforts to know, we sometimes disrupt the Spirit engaging with
our hearts, not allowing His presence to fill us and commune with our souls. And so we
come away, not truly knowing what we say we know because we don’t really know in out
hearts the One who gave His all to know us. Right now, right in this moment, where God
is intervening and engaging with us by way of His word, let us commit to come away
tonight with a faith more tempered by the knowledge and reality of the great cost of our
hope; a hope that doesn’t disappoint us, “because God has poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Let’s remember, that
“at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly.”
In Titus 3:3-7, Paul reminded Titus of the grace of our Lord in offering up His Son for
our salvation.
We had all gone astray from God; none of us was seeking Him. But because of His love
for us, He offered His Son. As Isaiah said, IT PLEASED GOD TO CRUSH HIM AND
MAKE HIM SUFFER, SO THAT HE CAN SEE HIS OFFSPRING, THE FRUIT OF HIS
SUFFERING; THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE CHURCH.
| Good Friday Evening, April 6, 2007 Sermon Outline THE SUFFERING SERVANT Isaiah 53 Pastor Michael D. Goolsby, Sr. |
New Life Fellowship Church
Isaiah 53
Isaiah 53
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