Beholding the Glory of Christ Crucified

Introduction

I’m sure it might seem a little strange that I would preach on on Resurrection Sunday.

It seems like it would be more of a fitting Good Friday sermon, since this passage focuses heavily on the suffering of Jesus Christ.

And the resurrection is not the suffering of Jesus Christ, it’s the vindication of Christ.

So why focus on ? Well, this passage is not only about the suffering of Jesus Christ but also the victory of Jesus Christ, and how he would accomplish salvation.

Out of the 4 passages I wanted to teach on for this series makes the most sense to teach on Resurrection Sunday.

And it actually does hint at the resurrection as well. But nothing could be more appropriate to our series and to Resurrection Sunday, than to behold God to behave Godly for God’s glory.

And because actually does make a reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This passage is not only about the suffering of Jesus Christ but the victory of Jesus Christ, and how he would accomplish salvation.

But as we will see, this passage is not only about the suffering of Jesus Christ but the victory of Jesus Christ, and how he would accomplish salvation.

Right before that quote in , is quoted in . So there is this incredible unity between and as it specifically relates to Jesus’ ministry.

The goal of our series is summarized by the title, “Beholding God to behave Godly for God’s Glory”.

Which is interesting because it shows an already rejection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, especially by the Jews, whom you think wouldn’t have rejected the Gospel.

talks about the fact that Jesus showed the people signs, and gave the people reason to believe. And they still did not believe.

We’ll see the glory of God has He pours out His wrath on His Son

Because predicted that people would still reject the Gospel. And showed the judgment that seals them in their unbelief.

We’ll see the glory of the God-man as He works to atone for our sin

So this brings us to a head this morning. Because the bookends of our series of and expose two kinds of people.

And the way we’ll do that with our last sermon is by looking at the point of this passage which is the title of our message this morning is “Beholding the Glory of Christ Crucified”.

And we’re going to behold the glory of Christ crucified in one of the most intense passages in Scripture.

And these two kinds of people are probably here with us today. Those who obey the Gospel and those who reject the Gospel.

And what makes it intense is the fact that in the Hebrew text this is some of most beautifully crafted Hebrew poetry in all of Scripture.

And I did say, “obey” especially because also quotes and Paul uses that to prove his statement, “Not everyone has obeyed the Gospel”.

He does say faith comes by hearing and hearing by the preaching of the word of Christ. But ties faith to obedience the same way the reformers did, “faith alone saves, but a saving faith is never alone”.

And that’s significant as this is beautiful as much as it is graphic. And it isn’t just the suffering of the servant its the victory of the servant as we will see.

Verse 1 actually creates our introduction for us and shows us the way in which we should behave godly:

And again that theme is that we can have incredible changes in our lives by beholding God. And notice how verse teaches us that:

And this kind of faith is the result of someone listening to what we have for us in .

(NASB95)

1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

So Beholding God to behave Godly for God’s glory is fulfilled in , as we behold the Glory of Christ Crucified.

Believe this message and behold the revelation of the Lord as He pours out His wrath on His son instead of on us. And how His Son succeeds in saving us from our sins.

The goal of this sermon is to address the two people groups. Those who are not obeying the Gospel and those who are.

Which means that if the Lord should reveal himself, then we would be able to behold him. And therefore we would believe.

For those who are not obeying the Gospel, the goal is for you to see what Jesus Christ did explicitly for you and not potentially for you but absolutely for you.

So that when you realize that Jesus did this for you, you won’t be able to help but to obey the Gospel as the supremely satisfying reality of your life.

16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”

For those who have put their faith in the Gospel, that this would motivate you to live a life worthy of the Gospel, like says.

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

So preaching the word of Christ displays Yahweh for people to behold. And , the second question sets up the context by saying,

Here’s the way Yahweh is going to reveal Himself.

Behold the Sorrows of Christ

(NASB95)

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? [the answer is no one] And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? [and the reason is because it is dependent the Lord revealing himself]

This is the way in which the Lord reveals himself. So this set

In fact it’s difficult to initially see how Christ is glorified in this passage, except till the end.

The first stage in beholding the glory of Christ crucified is to behold Christ in what at first does not seem so glorious at all.

But notice initially, there’s two things that really don’t seem glorious about Christ. Notice,

There’s two things that don’t seem glorious about Christ in the beginning of this chapter. Notice,

(NASB95)

2 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.

This is the way in which the Lord reveals himself, which

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

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.

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

The sorrows of Christ are seen in two ways:

Notice the two things that we behold:

Jesus is not an attractive man

Jesus is a sorrowful man

Now he’s not a sorrowful man because he’s depressed, but because as verse 4 indicates, he’s bearing our grief.

Now why wouldn’t Jesus be physically attractive? Wouldn’t the Son of God be handsome?

The point is that we wouldn’t be attractive to Christ’s looks but irresistibly attracted to Christ works.

It’s purposeful that Jesus was not physically attractive. Plus, Jesus is not supposed to be naturally attractive to us. He ends up being supernaturally attractive to us.

As when the Holy Spirit shows us the work of Jesus Christ in passages like this, we are irresistibly drawn to Christ through the Gospel.

Which would be the same in the first century when Jesus fulfills this, with a continued Greek cultural mindset, a prominent Roman mindest and a Jewish mindset.

We’re not talking about something that isn’t intensely beautiful. And it’s important to start seeing the Gospel that way.

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

This isn’t very glorious at all. Rulers, hero’s, they’re supposed to be beautiful, they’re supposed to be the happiest.

And yet our text says that Christ would not look majestic or beautiful. And that those who would see him don’t want to look at him and don’t find him desirable.

And he is a man of sorrows and is no stranger to grief. Physically unattractive and emotionally described as unhappy.

It’s important to note, though that the reason he’s a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief is because of our second point, and what verse 4 brings out,

Jesus is bearing our sorrows and our grief. Because Jesus actually was a very joyful individual. Joyful even through suffering.

But as he bears our griefs and our sorrows, he’s is then summarized as a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.

Now. Why is this glorious? What’s glorious about being despised and rejected by men?

Well notice that he is described as coming up with the dry ground. That imagery is sounds a lot like a humble beginning.

And the fact that he’s not attractive to the world is also significant. Especially if you remember our sermon from last week. That what God finds attractive are those who are humble and contrite.

And who live in a way that isn’t attractive to the world, but is solely attractive to God.

And you don’t think that the greatest God fearer was the Son of God? The one who sweat drops of blood in anticipation of his experience of His Father on the cross?

(ESV)

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be held onto at all costs,

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

So the reason why the is glorious is because Jesus is perfectly attractive to God the Father.

And now we have the servant of God, who is unattractive to the world. Jesus Christ is literally, physically unattractive to the everyone.

Because if Christ’s work for you is supremely irresistible, then the sin that plagues you starts to be less.

(ESV)

So we need to behold the sorrows of Christ because we see Christ in his physical nature, unattractive.

17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

And because we behold him bearing our sorrows. And what really are our sorrows? It’s the presence and effects of sin.

One of the many essential habits that a Christian should have, is to practice finding lovely what God finds lovely.

Which brings us to our second point:

And especially because that’s the exact opposite of the “we” in this text. Verse 3 concludes with, “we esteemed Him not”.

Or more literally, “We considered Him to be nothing”.

(NASB95)

So keep it on

11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

Behold the Sorrows of Jesus. How the God-man could be rejected, even by his own relatives. And yet in the midst of all that is entirely pleasing to God.

And Paul said in , have the same mind of Christ, who even though He is God, lived as man, in a humble condition.

Which means there’s the possibility of being rejected by those closest to us, when we behold Christ to behave godly.

1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

It’s interesting because the context of has to do with having encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, participation in the spirit, affection, sympathy, joy and unity.

2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

That’s what happens when you behold the glory of Christ, even in the midst of His sorrows and suffering. Technically, He suffered His whole life prior to the cross.

Looking out for the interests of others. Which entirely how a Christian community is supposed to work.

And did so for you, with your sorrows and your griefs. To secure your joy. That’s why this first point is glorious. That’s why Christ, physically unattractive, and emotionally suffering, is glorious here.

If everyone were focused on everyone else other than themselves every would be taken care of.

Are you in need of encouragement. Behold Christ in His humility. Are you in need of Comfort. The sorrows of Christ, the grief of Christ were to secure your comfort.

Behold Christ in his grief. The number one most important thing for you to do in your personal life, as members of HCF, or anywhere is to behold Christ

And fix Christ as the focus of your life. But it requires to you behold Christ as He has been revealed.

Our series has had a goal in mind that. That we increase our godliness by increasing our experience of God in the Bible.

Behold the Suffering of Christ

(NASB95)

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 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.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

6 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.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

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.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

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.

9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

No doubt this is one of the most intense passages of Scripture as it expresses the intense suffering of Jesus Christ.

What that means is that, “We considered that Christ deserved to be stricken and smitten by God, afflicted”.

(ESV)

63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.

66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”

In fact the suffering of Jesus Christ was summarized already in

67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped hi

68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

This is exactly what happened to Jesus Christ. He was considered guilty before God, by those who crucified Him.

As with our first point, it’s hard to begin to see how this is exactly glorious to behold.

And in many ways it’s not glorious to behold. But in some very specific ways it absolutely is.

(ESV)

These words in the Hebrew text are exactly how they’re translated. Pierced like with a weapon, crushed like under a giant stone, and chastised like disciplined.

Three descriptors of pain and agony. Christ was pierced, Christ could easily be said to be crushed under the wrath of God.

Which is important to consider, anyone could be crucified. That wasn’t the only horror that Christ experienced.

What makes the death of Jesus Christ so terrible, is the fact that not only was He crucified, but He punished by God.

Not notice the preposition, “for”. In the Hebrew text this is a preposition of cause. So this is, “pierced because of our transgressions”.

Pierced because of our crimes against God. Crushed because of all our sins.

But disciplined in order for our peace. This the peace-punishment of Jesus.

And with these wounds on Christ, we are healed. Not physically healed from sicknesses.

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV)

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Healed from sin.

And there’s a chance that someone might think, “but I haven’t done anything wrong”.

Verse 6, “all of us are like sheep, having gone astray, turning aside to do our own things”.

And then it’s fascinating because as we are like sheep we wonder away, we stray from the life God planned for us.

And Jesus was also like a sheep. Except He wasn’t like the wondering sheep, he was like the slaughtered sheep. (Verse 7)

What are we beholding here? We’re beholding the absolutely graphic depiction of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

In fact everything that is presented was already summarized by demonstrating how horrific this sight actually is:

(ESV)

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

So everything that’s experienced here is gruesome. It is absolutely gory. This is the gory of Christ for the Glory of Christ.

Which causes me to think about what I really don’t like about movies that try to depict Jesus Christ crucified. Among all the issues that can be taken, what i really don’t like

You couldn’t tell He was human anymore, he was so tortured.

The biggest problem that I have with movies that portray Jesus on the Cross, is not the fact that an actor is trying to portray Jesus

Is that they are not violent enough. Let me show you what I mean.

It’s the fact that there has never been a movie that has shown Jesus on the cross, that has been violent enough.

In this passage Christ is predicted as bearing grief, bearing sorrow, stricken, smitten of God, afflicted,

Pierced, crushed, chastened, scourged, oppressed, afflicted, slaughtered, judged, cut off from the living, receiving the stroke of death,

Scourged. In anguish and poured out unto death.

buried

Sacrificed as a guilt offering, experienced anguish and poured out unto death.

And you might think those are good descriptors of crucifixion, but these are all actually descriptions of God’s actions on Christ.

So then add crucifixion to these, and that’s the death of Jesus.

Anyone can be crucified. Tons of people were. What made Jesus’ crucifixion horrible is the wrath of God.

Now in the midsts of all this is “us”. What are we doing?

Verse 3, we are not esteeming Christ. Or literally, we are considering him to be nothing.

Verse 4 We are considering his stricken, smittenness and afflictedness as being something he deserved.

Verse 6 we’re all going astray and going our own way. Like sheep.

It’s fascinating to see, we are going astray like sheep. Christ is also acting like a sheep would, but he’s acting the way sheep act right before they’re slaughtered.

The Prophecy of Isaiah Witnesses, Divine and Human, to the Sin-Bearing, Dying, Living and Victorious Servant

While he thus deals with our moral and spiritual needs and our broken personhood we are not even mentioned except as contributors of the sin which caused his pain.

“You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” ― Jonathan Edwards

Well since all that what Christ experienced wasn’t pointless it all had a purpose, what is the purpose of each of these experiences?

Verse 4, it’s our griefs and sorrows that he carries. Verse 5 he’s pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities.

He’s punished for our peace. That’s the peace-punishment of Christ. He’s punished, we’re at peace with God. And the word here for peace is exactly the Hebrew word you would expect, שָׁלוֹם.

Total well-being.

His scourging heals us. Which is healing from our sins. Which get that picture. Why would Christ need to heal us of our sins?

Why not just forgive us? It’s because sin is like a corrupting acid. He damages us. All sin is damaging. It requires spiritual healing.

Christ is wounded that we may be made whole.

The Lord puts our iniquity on Christ. Cut off from the land of the living because of our sins.

He was sacrificed as our guilt offering. And he justifies as because he bears our iniquities.

Which is an incredible thing. Because the word for “justify” is the word that was used for “esteem”

As in we “esteemed Christ nothing.” “We esteemed Him guilty”. The word is the same word used for imputing or considering.

We considered Christ all these bad things and because Jesus stood in our place under God’s judgment, God considers us righteous.

Behold your Christ, crucified. Behold Him in His suffering.

Be broken hearted at seeing what you should’ve experienced.

Be grateful you will never have to ever.

And be motivated to live for God’s glory, which is not only possible but secured by Christ.

He was oppressed, judged, cut off from the Land the of the living. The servant of God, Jesus Christ was cut off.

And He was so, because of our sin.

Verse 9, He did nothing wrong or anything to deserve this. Why is this glorious?

Well, imagine all that Christ took in your place, as your eternal experience.

And there’s another reason why it’s glorious, not just because Christ took our place. But also because Christ thinks His crucifixion is glorious:

(ESV)

23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.

31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,

38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

We’ve discussed this experience as beholding God to behave Godly for God’s Glory. That has been the entire purpose of this series.

Behold the Success of Christ

(NASB95)

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; 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.

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.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

The shock value of this passage of Scripture just continues.

After all that we just witness predicted and fulfilled on the cross of Christ, you have both the servant of the LORD and the LORD

And these verse demonstrate the glory of Christ because all this time, it wasn’t just to redeem sinners.

Satisfied. Verse 10 is the LORD and verse 11 is the servant. And they’re both satisfied.

He is blessed because of it all. It’s incredible to see verse 10, God the Father please with crushing Christ and then verse 11,

Christ out of the anguish of his soul, is also pleased. He’s also satisfied by the work he’s accomplished.

In fact in verse 11, it’s actually satisfaction after you’ve eaten your fill.

And that’s in the context of Jesus experiencing anguish of His soul. He has His fill of anguish and is satisfied with it.

It’s absolutely incredible to see the Godhead totally satisfied with the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Meanwhile the Father is pleased to crush Jesus. And not only that but the good pleasure of the Lord in prospering in Jesus’ hand.

(ESV)

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Also, verse 10 says that Jesus is the one who renders himself the guilt offering. This is entirely and totally willing on the part of Christ.

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

, has a fantastic explanation for all this:

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

(NASB95)

4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

23 And Jesus *answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Notice again in verse 11, that by Christ’s knowledge he make man to be accounted righteous.

By His knowledge, like an attorney who knows the law perfectly.

(NASB95)

28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

And by His knowledge, He will “consider” many to be righteous.

(NASB95)

That’s the same word that was used in verse 3, “We considered him nothing”.

38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

And then in verse 4, “We considered God smitting him to be the right thing”.

All this considering on our end of Jesus as a nobody who is guilty before God, and yet because of the work of Jesus Christ,

So Christ on the cross is the glory of the Godhead. This is glorious for Christ to do this. It’s glorious for the Father to do this.

We are considered a somebody who is innocent before God.

Not only that but verse 12 would probably be better translated as, “There I will divide the many as a portion to him.”

This is the success of Jesus. And even more so is what verse 12 states,

So Christ is successfully glorified and successfully glorifies the Father and we are His prize.

He won us, he purchased us, we are his, we are bought with a price our lives are not our own.

It’s probably better translated as, “I will divide the many and the strong as his portion”.

In other words Christ does all this, suffers terribly under the wrath of God, for you, in order to win you as a prize.

And our lives no longer belong to sin.

And of course he accomplished his father’s plan and glorifies himself and his father.

And you can see how the New Testament picks up the two responses that are most appropriate:

But another result, and another prize is that Christ gets the people for whom he died.

Believing this message

Now, in the introduction I mentioned that there is a hint at the resurrection in this passage of Scripture.

Beholding this message

Notice verse 12 again:

No Christian will ever understand their proper behavior unless they understand that all this means our greatest good, freedom from sin

(ESV)

But all this means also our greatest good, we belong to Christ because He’s worth it.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

And he’s worth our live, obedience, and worship.

12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

He bore (completed action), past tense. And he “makes” present tense.

Well the way be bore the sins of many is the fact that the Father laid the sins of many Christ.

And then judged him for the sins of many. And Christ in verse 12, “poured out his soul to death”.

So that’s how he bore the sins was in death. That’s past tense. And the present tense is the making of intercession.

Christ not only died, but subsequent to His death was alive again. And after He was alive again, began making intercession for all those whose sin he bore.

(ESV)

25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

What Christ did was, take you place, to take your punishment, and to intercede on your behalf.

So what does this do? How does beholding Christ this way lead to behaving Godly for God’s glory?

(ESV)

22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

It causes faith.