The Suffering Servant (Good Friday)
Notes
Transcript
Planning
Planning
Passage
Passage
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Big stuff
Big stuff
Big idea: we have victory in Christ
Fallen condition focus: we focus only on the immediate battles
Good news statement: our ultimate battle against sin and death has been won through Christ
Felt need: we feel like we’re losing
Big question: what hope do we have when we’re losing our battles?
Sermon structure
Sermon structure
Intro
1, Victory through suffering
2, Victory over sin and death
3, Victory forever
Feedback with Tim
Feedback with Tim
30/03/2026
Good
Connection to Acts
Improve
More explicit mentions of Good Friday
Intro
Explicit mentions of present battles
Point 1
Exegesis of verse 7 is a bit unclear
Condense some of the explanation of Jesus’ journey to the cross
The Bible emphasises the shame of the cross and the bearing of God’s wrath more than the pain of the cross
Point 2
More joy in the victory, not just explanation
Point 3
Sermon
Sermon
Introduction
Introduction
If you had a friend who shared with you some struggle they were having, how would you comfort them?
Perhaps you’d just sit there and listen to them.
Perhaps you’d give them advice on how to address that struggle.
Perhaps you’d tell them that things will be okay.
Or maybe you’re thinking,
“Martin, that hypothetical is too general.
You need to give me some specifics and that will determine how I respond.”
Okay, then let’s picture this.
Your friend is overseas.
A few years ago, their country lost a war.
Your friend knows lots of people who died in that war.
When their enemy won the war, the enemy took the citizens of that country back to enemy territory.
Your friend isn’t a prisoner.
They are now a member of the enemy’s society and given considerable freedom.
But there’s still a lot of grief.
Every day in this new place is a reminder of their country losing the war.
All the change is disorientating.
There’s no sense of identity.
So your friend is calling you from overseas...
How would you comfort them?
What we’ve just pictured isn’t too far from what happened to the Israelites almost three thousand years ago.
And in today’s passage, we see how God comforts them in their struggles.
See the nation of Israel in around 600 BC were fighting against Babylon.
But Babylon won that war.
King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, took the Israelites out of Israel and brought them back to Babylon.
They weren’t treated as prisoners of war.
They were actually allowed to start a new life in Babylon and contribute to society.
But they had still lost the war.
They were ruled by an enemy king.
This life in enemy territory wasn’t what they wanted.
And worst of all, it felt like God had abandoned them.
In that situation, in Israel’s struggles, how does God comfort them?
This morning, we’re looking at Isaiah 53.
The context is the Israelites’ exile in Babylon.
And the content is a message of comfort from God.
This sort of comfort that God provides wasn’t just for Israel in their struggles.
We need comfort in our struggle too.
Some of us here with difficult family relationships.
Others are struggling with illness.
There are financial hardships, stresses about world affairs, and so much more.
Thankfully, this Good Friday, we’ll hear a message of comfort.
What is that comfort that God gives us?
What sort of comfort has God given the Israelites in exile in Isaiah 53?
It’s a promise of victory through a suffering servant.
A promise of victory through a suffering servant.
How does that victory give us comfort?
Well we first need to understand what that victory is.
In Isaiah 53, we’ll see three main things of this victory.
It’s victory through suffering.
Victory over sin and death.
And victory forever.
1, Victory through suffering.
2, Victory over sin and death.
3, Victory forever.
So let’s start with point 1.
Victory through suffering.
1, Victory through suffering
1, Victory through suffering
Now Isaiah 53 describes a servant of God but it doesn’t actually say who it is.
Many of us know the servant is Jesus, but how do we know that?
Well later in the Bible, in Acts 8 which we read in our first Bible reading, there’s an Ethiopian official.
The Ethiopian official is reading this Isaiah passage on his way home.
But the passage is pretty confusing.
He can’t understand what it means.
So God sends a disciple named Philip to help.
Philip explains to the official that this passage was about Jesus.
So Acts 8 shows us that Jesus is the servant.
Let’s come back to Isaiah 53.
If we jump down to the end, in verse 12, there’s language of military victory.
[Don’t read]
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, ...
God giving Jesus a portion among the great is God rewarding him for his victory.
Jesus dividing the spoils is describing a military victor sharing his victory.
So how does Jesus become this victor?
Well when I think of victors, I think of someone who’s very capable.
I used to play a video game called Super Smash Bros.
I event went to tournaments.
And the victor was the person who practised regularly, who researched the game, who adapted quickly to their opponent’s strategies.
In races, the victor is the person who runs the fatest.
In a battle, the victor is the side which is more powerful and strategic.
But victory in today’s passage doesn’t come through strength, or prowess, or intelligence.
No, victory comes through suffering.
Victory comes through Jesus’ suffering.
What did that suffering look like?
Well Isaiah 53 describes the suffering Jesus went through.
Isaiah 53 is actually a prophecy written roughly 600 years before Jesus died on the cross.
And yet, even despite the prophecy being written so much earlier before, it accurately describes the suffering of Jesus.
This foretelling of Jesus’ suffering that accurately matches the Gospels and other historical records is a testament to God’s power.
So how does the prophecy begin?
Well it actually begins a few verses before, in chapter 52.
So let’s turn one chapter back and read verse 14.
Isaiah 52:14.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—
You know how sometimes movies or Facebook posts have a warning saying,
“The following images show graphic content, including blood and violence.”
We’re warned about these things because an instinctual human response as we see terrible pain is to be appalled at it.
It’s what happens for the people who saw Jesus on his way to the cross.
So what does it mean in this passage when Jesus is disfigured?
Marred beyond human likeness?
Well we need to remember what happened before Jesus was crucified.
Let’s keep going to Isaiah 53:7.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
Before Jesus was crucified, he was accused and interrogated by the Jewish leaders, the crowds, and Pilate, the Roman governor.
Yet even despite these unfair accusations, Jesus didn’t defend himself.
As the Lord of the universe, he could’ve easily ended the whole situation.
But he willingly allowed them to condemn him to death.
Pilate, the Roman governor knew Jesus was innocent.
But Pilate was scared of the crowds.
So he first sent Jesus to be flogged.
After Jesus was flogged, the soldiers mocked him.
A crown made of thorns.
And of course, there is the crucifixion itself.
Crucifixion starts with nailing a person to the cross.
It what the start of Isaiah 53:5 is about when it says that Jesus was pierced for our transgressions.
[Don’t read]
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions ...
The soldiers nailed his hands and his feet to the cross.
The next step was to put Jesus up on the cross.
Death on the cross comes through asphyxiation, through being unable to breathe.
The Romans wanted crucifixion to be the most humiliating death imaginable.
It was like a sign from the Romans saying, “This is what happens to our enemies.”
This death on the cross is what the start of verse 9 refers to.
[Don’t read]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
How was he assigned a grave with the wicked?
Well he was condemned to a form of death assigned for the wicked, even though he was innocent.
He was crucified alongside two criminals.
And after he died, he was taken to the tomb of a rich man, called Joseph of Arimathea.
None of this sounds like victory.
If anything, it sounds like failure.
But you may have noticed that we’ve only looked at a scattering of verses in our chapter.
So let’s look at the rest of the chapter to see what this suffering accomplished.
We’re at point 2.
2, Victory over sin and death.
2, Victory over sin and death.
Victory over sin and death.
We already saw a bit of the purpose of Jesus’ suffering when we read verse 5 earlier.
Let’s go back there again.
Verse 5.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Jesus suffered for our transgressions.
For our iniquities.
Those are longer words that mean sin.
They mean the wrong things that we’ve done.
Evil things.
So why was Jesus pierced for our transgressions?
Well to understand that, we need to think about justice.
Our modern world is very big on justice.
When we hear news of exploitation of girls and young women, we want justice!
We learn about corrupt leaders of nations abusing their power so they can get more power and money.
And we want justice!
Racial minorities are mistreated.
C-suite executives embezzle company funds.
Modern slavery still exists.
And we want those who have committed these evils to be punished.
It’s right to want evil to be punished.
Evil should be punished.
Justice is a good thing.
But it’s very easy to point the fingers at others, isn’t it?
Many of us think of ourselves as good people.
You probably haven’t murdered someone or committed adultery or exploited people.
Or maybe you have.
But all of us, if we’re honest, have committed some sort of evil.
It might be a lustful look or an angry accusation.
It might just be pride in our hearts.
And what did we say before?
“Evil should be punished.”
If we’re consistent, evil should be punished, not just for those outside, but for each of us as well.
Now, we might think,
“Hold on...
Evil should be punished.
But the punishment should fit the crime.
Big punishments for big crimes and small punishments for small crimes.”
Well if that’s true, what’s a small crime?
We judge how bad crimes are not just by what the action is but who it’s against.
Killing an ant is vastly different to killing a human.
Both might be the same action of ending life but the latter is so much worse because of whose life is ended.
What about crimes against God?
Well God is the Creator of the universe and he has given each of us life.
He deserves our worship.
Our full obedience.
He has called everyone to love others.
So when we wrong others, we are also wronging God.
Evil against finite human beings is already bad enough.
But evil against the infinite, holy God?
Well when we appreciate that this is the true nature of evil, we see that there is no such thing as a small crime against God.
The uncomfortable truth is that any wrongdoing against God deserves significant punishment.
And that’s God’s eternal wrath.
Do you see what that means for every single person here?
All of us has committed some sort of evil.
Your sin means that you deserve to face God’s righteous anger.
But God isn’t only righteous.
He’s also merciful.
And we see that mercy in our passage.
In verse 5.
[Don’t read]
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Evil should be punished, and here we see that Jesus took our punishment.
He suffered.
He experienced the wrath of God.
He died on the cross.
We deserved to be punished for our sin, but Jesus took that punishment instead.
It’s quite amazing, isn’t it?
Jesus, the Son of God, went all the way to the cross.
He experienced the shame of the cross.
He endured God’s wrath.
And all of that was for us.
The result of that suffering is also in the second half of verse 5.
Because Jesus took our punishment, we don’t need to be punished.
So Jesus he brought us… peace.
We longer face God’s anger.
We have peace with God.
And still in verse 5, we were healed!
That’s not so much about physical healing but still about Jesus healing our relationship with God.
So what’s the victory Jesus has won for us?
It’s victory over sin and death!
It’s victory over sin because our sin had broken our relationship with God, and now Jesus has restored that relationship.
It’s victory over death because we were bound for death, for eternal death, which is hell.
But Jesus has made us righteous before God and now we’re bound for life.
This wonderful news!
And we can see this wonderful news of Jesus’ sacrifice all over Isaiah 53.
It’s in verse 6.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
It’s in the last line of verse 8.
8 ... for the transgression of my people he was punished.
And in the last line of verse 12.
12 … For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Our Isaiah passage promises a suffering servant who brings victory over sin and death.
And that’s why this Friday isn’t a sad Friday where we simply remember Jesus dying.
It’s Good Friday because Jesus’ death brings us life.
So what does that mean for us?
Well it’s quite simple.
If you want that victory as well, you trust in Jesus.
You rely on him as your Lord and Saviour.
You accept that he has taken your sins on the cross.
And you live your life for him.
The heart of the gospel is that trusting in Jesus leads to salvation and life.
That is good news!
And yet…
Sometimes, Christians categorise sins and think,
“This sin is bad.
But that thing I did was terrible.
I don’t think Jesus could forgive me for that.”
Do you think that’s what we’re reading in today’s passage?
That Jesus suffered only for some sins?
No, of course not!
The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus has taken the punishment for all our sins.
Not just the ones we think are small.
But the deep, shameful, terrible sins too.
Not just the sins from long ago.
But all sins, even our future sins.
Jesus suffered for all our sins.
So we should be certain of our victory over sin and death.
That’s not to say that we don’t struggle with sin.
We still need to fight against it everyday.
No, the victory over sin and death is confidence in our salvation.
It’s assurance that our sin doesn’t separate us from God.
It’s certainty that we won’t face God’s wrath because Jesus has already faced it for us.
So when you feel like you’re losing the battle to sin, remember Jesus.
He has died on the cross for your sins.
Because of Jesus, you have victory over sin and death.
Well, we know that we have victory through Jesus’ death on the cross.
But what happened to Jesus after he died?
You’ll have to come back on Resurrection Sunday to hear a fuller picture.
But this passage does refer to the resurrection even though it emphasises Jesus’ death.
Which brings us to point 3.
3, Victory forever.
3, Victory forever.
Victory forever.
You may have noticed that the Isaiah passage mostly used two tenses.
Past tense and future tense.
There’s one set of events and another set that happens afterwards.
We’ve already looked at the first set of events.
Jesus suffered for us.
He died on the cross for us.
Now we’re going to look at the second set of events.
I suspect that everything that’s in the future tense in our Isaiah passage happened after Jesus’ death.
It’s like Isaiah was speaking at the time of the crucifixion.
Past tense in this passage is about Jesus’ death.
Future tense means after Jesus’ death.
Let’s take the verse 9 for example.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
All of this is past tense.
Past tense describes Jesus’ death.
Future tense appears in verse 10.
[Don’t read]
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
It was the Lord’s will to crush him.
That’s still past tense.
That’s Jesus’ crucifixion.
And he will see his offspring and prolong his days.
Here’s the future tense.
Things after Jesus’ death.
How does a crucified person see their offspring?
Only through resurrection.
Jesus was raised to life!
It’s in verse 11 as well.
[Don’t read]
11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
After Jesus suffered through the pain of the cross, God raised him to life.
He was exalted and is now ruling at the right hand of God.
Justifying many and bearing their sin.
And verse 12 as well.
Our final verse of today’s passage and a good summary of the whole chapter.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
“Dividing the spoils” is language of shared military victory.
Jesus as the victor over sin and death shares his victory with others.
Because of Jesus, others too will have eternal life.
They too will be with God, forever.
It’s victory forever.
So why is it important that we have this victory forever?
How does the certainty of eternal life make a difference now?
Well it’s gives us hope of the future even when we’re losing our battles now.
Remember, this passage in Isaiah was written for the Israelites in exile.
They had been taken from their homeland.
They were had lost their identity.
They were struggling in the land of Babylon.
So the passage resonates with them because it speaks of another person who suffered.
Jesus the suffering servant.
But it doesn’t just resonate with them.
It gives them hope.
Because this Jesus is exalted.
And in his great victory, he shares his victory with his people.
The suffering Israelites in exile will be on the winning side.
They will be victorious beside Jesus.
And that’s true for us when we’re losing our battles too.
When we’re losing our battles, we have something to hold on to.
We can be certain of a good ending because Jesus has suffered for us.
We can have hope because we’re on the winning side.
Let’s see if we can get more specific.
Perhaps you’re struggling with a difficult boss.
They’re exploiting you.
They’re treating you badly at work.
The Bible doesn’t promise that you will win this battle.
But our passage reassures of victory forever.
If you trust in Jesus, you will be with him in glory forever.
And that future reality helps you deal with the present.
You know that your work situation won’t last forever.
It’s still going to be difficult.
But it won’t last forever.
You can look forward to something far greater.
As Paul says in Romans 8:18,
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Perhaps, you own a small business and you’re struggling with financial concerns.
I recognise that money is a huge point of stress for people.
So how does the promise of eternal life help you if you’re small business is failing?
Well it reminds you to keep things in perspective.
The financial worries are real.
But they’re temporary.
If the finances do fall through, maybe you’ll have to close down the business.
Maybe you’ll have to sell some things.
Life might become quite hard.
But it’s not the end of the world.
Because you know that at the actual end of the world, you will be with Jesus.
Perhaps it’s more of a battle with sickness.
I met elderly man named Russell a few years ago.
Russell was fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer.
At the same time, Russell was a Christian.
When I talked to him, he had genuine joy.
He knew the victory he had in Christ.
He knew his sins were forgiven and that he had eternal life.
Russell passed away one year after I met him.
He lost his battle with cancer.
We grieved his passing.
But he is now with his Lord and Saviour, Jesus.
The hope he had is now a reality for him.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Friends, how did God comfort the Israelites in exile?
What message of comfort do we need to hear on this Good Friday?
Well he doesn’t promise that we’ll win our battles.
No, he points us to the greatest victory, which we can have in Christ.
It’s a victory through suffering.
A victory is over sin and death.
And it’s a victory that will last forever.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for your suffering servant, Jesus. Thank you that he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our inquities. The punishment that brought up peace with you was on Jesus, and by his wounds, we are healed. Thank you.
Help us to see afresh how great a victory this is. Help us to understand how Jesus not only gives us eternal life, but hope and comfort even when we face our battles today. Keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
In his name,
Amen
The good news of Jesus isn’t just something we thank God for.
It’s something we declare as we praise God in song.
So let’s stand and sing, How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.
