Our Suffering Servant 5

Our Suffering Servant’s Exaltation

Text: Isaiah 53:10-12

Introduction

However, it’s main purpose is to inform Israel that they will one day look back and see the gospel for what it is and who provided it and these words will be there lament.

Isreal is the only nation of which the Bible speaks about that will one day in the future turn in faith toward the Messiah Jesus Christ. That was God’s promise to them.

This chapter is written in the past tense even though it is telling of a future suffering of Jesus. This gives you the understanding that it is written from the vantage point of Israel laments and repents of their long rejection of Jesus Christ and sings this song.

Zechariah 12:10 “10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, The spirit of grace and of supplications: And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, And they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, And shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

This chapter gives us the picture of an honest confession. Along with the past tense verbs, there are present tense plural pronouns; “we” and “our.” They are not blaming God for their rejection of the Messiah. They, at this future point is owning their sin and humbling themselves before God.

What have we already unpacked:

Jesus was someone who the Jews considered a nobody from nowhere. A common man, from a common family, who surrounded himself with very common people.

There was no beauty in who He declared Himself to be because they had their form of religion (a works based religion).

Jesus did not fit their expectations of the Messiah. They then despised and rejected Him.

We understood from verses 4-6 why they rejected Jesus:

In verse 4, they had a wrong attitude.

In verse 5, they had a wrong behavior.

In verse 6, they followed their nature.

Wounded, bruised, and afflicted for our transgression and for our peace.

Last week we touched on these deep truths:

Wicked Jews and the like gave their best to “cut him out” of this world.

Jesus never once spoke out in verbal or physical retaliation.

His silence under the full wrath of the Father for you sin provided you with an opportunity to break the silence with a forgiven joy.

Even though Jesus was silent through suffering and death, He resurrected in full volume for the world to know.

Through it all, God remained sovereign!

Today we embark on a shallow dive into the exaltation of our suffering Servant Jesus the Christ!

1) Beyond His Grave

Have you noticed once again that we are gazing at Calvary? Why does it seem that Calvary has been in every verse? The pains, suffering, despair, and rejection in every verse?

Calvary is there. Calvary is always there. We look at it and hastily turn away. Mount Calvary is a hideous place and the old Hebrew prophet keeps bringing us back to it again and again. For although the sight is dreadful, it has a horrible fascination about it that will not be denied. John Phillips, The View from Mount Calvary: 24 Portraits of the Cross throughout Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006), 148–149.

A. “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him”

You might say, “This language is just becoming too much to take in. Couldn’t God has just hardwired us to love and follow Him?”

God could have shaped humanity like an ant colony or bee hive, but that is not what He wanted.

He did not want some kind of mechanical masterpiece. He wanted humanity to have a heart. He wanted them to love Him from a genuine motive, not something forced.

There would be no world where this could be where Calvary did not come into view!

There would be a planet in the cosmos where sin would be allow to raise it’s ugly head and fully express itself at a lonely mountain called Calvary.

“It pleased the Lord” sounds anything but loving.

Calvary would be the climactic moment where God truly demonstrated to the entire universe His love.

It could also be rendered “It purposed the Lord.”

Philippians 2:8 “8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Hebrews 12:2 “2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

“to bruise Him” = “to crush”

Quote: “God, having passed the severest sentence upon sin that His infinite holiness could demand, turned around and in the person of His only-begotten and well-beloved Son, He paid it Himself, at the Cross.” (John Phillips)

While wicked people was pleased to kill Him, it pleased the Father to crush His perfect Son.

While wicked people were pleased to remove Him, it pleased to the Father to permitt His wrath on His elect Son to remove guilt from their soul.

“put Him to grief” = speaks of the depth of sickness your sin brought upon Him.

Q — How many of you have broke out into a heavy sweat when you were sick?

Your sin nauseated the Son of God to the point His sweat dripped off his face as if it were drops of blood.

B. As we have seen already, verse 10 highlights the resurrection

a) “shall prolong His days”

Not only was Jesus the Son of God, He was also the Son of man.

Prior to Jesus taking on flesh, He was eternal Spirit.

Jesus took on flesh of which is a temporary dwelling place.

The incarnation Jesus however ascended into Heaven and is materially in the power of an endless life.

This demands the resurrection! HE IS ALIVE!

HE WILL SEE YOU and you will see Him!

b) “pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand”

Hebrews 12:2 “2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Try to imagine the joy that now fills the soul of Jesus Christ as He sits on His Father’s throne.

He is there watching the Holy Spirit operating according to His perfect gospel work.

People are being drawn to the Father and many are responding in faith.

He with great joy is advocating for every one of His children daily.

Everything prospers in His hands!

2) Beyond His Travail

We now hear the voice of God Himself take the narration of the glorious ending of this chapter.

A. “travail of his soul…shall be satisfied”

Travail—it is a word from the maternity ward, a word that speaks of pain soon to be forgotten in joy. It pictures suffering and struggle bravely endured, so that a new birth can take place and a new name written down in glory. John Phillips, The View from Mount Calvary: 24 Portraits of the Cross throughout Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006), 157.

Illustration — Martin Luther’s journey to find rest for the travail of his own sin. He fell bodily sick, traveled barefoot across the Alps to Rome, and even walked up the many stone steps at Rome on his knees undoubtedly praying, “Holy Mother, pierce me through, In my heart each wound renew, Of my Savior crucified.”

Illustration — I think about the prodigal son’s journey back to his father.

None of these pictures of “travail of sin” compares to that of Christ!

“shall be satisfied” = speaks of Jesus on the resurrection side of Calvary completely satisfied; the law of satisfied; God is satisfied; He will see all of His children gathered around His throne forever, the nation of Isreal and each of you who have believed on Him.

Illustration — It joys my heart to see the

B. “By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For he shall bear their iniquities”

a) “By his knowledge”

Jesus had both complete comprehension of all that God knows and is and of our frailties.

God’s demands, holiness, wisdom, love, and power…

The frailties of each of us today.

Psalm 103:14 “14 For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.”

Hebrews 4:15 “15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

Q — What did Jesus know and learn about us?

The most humbling thought is that He knew mentally how wretched were are and yet came to feel how wretched we are.

Yes, He could not have gained any greater awareness of our condition, but He did gain the experiential weight of our wickedness.

Quote: “He must know every detail of all our lives—know the place, the time, the occasion, the background, the outcome, and the continuing consequences of every soul and every sin. Such are His credentials. Such is His knowledge. Only One who is God can have such infinite comprehension.” John Phillips, The View from Mount Calvary: 24 Portraits of the Cross throughout Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006), 162.

b) By knowledge… “shall justify many”

Isaiah is speaking of the “unfinished work” of the Father’s righteous servant.

If you and I didn’t have Jesus Christ as our Heavenly attorney, what hope would you have to remain justified before the Father?

Revelation 12:10 “10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

FALSE TEACHING — The Roman Catholic is taught that he is too great a sinner to come to Christ. He needs a mediator in the person of Christ’s mother. If a suppliant wants a thing done by her Son, Rome declares that His mother might influence Him on that person’s behalf. John Phillips, The View from Mount Calvary: 24 Portraits of the Cross throughout Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006), 162.

Mary would have to have all the attributes of God in order to serve as mediator. She would have to be God.

Romans 8:31–34 “31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

O’ the compassion of God’s righteous servant!

Here is how good my Savior is. When I am disobedient, I should humble myself is a reverential fear and ask for forgiveness. LISTEN…I never have to be afraid of Him in those many moments.

3) Behold The Pierced King Of Kings

A. “I will divide him a portion with the great”

The Father is continuing to be the One speaking about His righteous servant.

Here we learn that Satan truly has not won!

If Jesus had ascended into Heaven to never return, Satan could be perceived to have somehow won. HOWEVER…the story does not end on that mountain in that way!

Jesus Christ the King of glory IS COMING BACK!

Psalm 24:1 “1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.”

Romans 8:19–25 “19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

Illustration: When it comes to bookkeeping within a bank, nobody leaves until the books have been balanced. Every debit has to have a credit. (I appreciate our history of treasury workers in this church)

LISTEN…One of these day, King Jesus is going to balance the books.

Quote: “The great debit of the Cross is to be balanced by the great credit of the coronation.” John Phillips, The View from Mount Calvary: 24 Portraits of the Cross throughout Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006), 167.

Who are the great? Those who have believed on Him as Savior. He will one day share with us a greatest we have never yet experienced. We will not be equal with Him, but we will be like Him.

This takes us to Rev. 11 where every kingdom will be devoured by the kingdom Jesus will bring down from Heaven.

This takes us to Rev. 19 when He returns with the name King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess His name; LORD!

CONCLUSION

We know this will later be the song of national Isreal, but it must be your confession today for you to have certain hope of escaping the future wrath of God.

What confession:

He became a servant for me.

He suffered for me,

He died and paid my debt of sin.

He rose again and is alive today.

He is Savior and Lord over my life.