SEE 'Unheard of Mercy' in the Cross
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
When you look to the Cross, to the Man of all Sorrows, when you consider his whole life, what is it to you? How would you assess this Jesus and His Cross. This prophesy which we look to so often to see the events predicted before hand, says just as much as you must see those events, as much or even more you’ve got to see the significance of those events to you. This passage which along with Psalm 22, and Psalm 110 the very heart and core of God’s message to us calls us to examine our response to the two greatest events that ever happened! Those two events are the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection. And the urgent call of the prophet is for you to gain a proper response to God’s Servant and what He Has done for us!
Our text for Good Friday and Easter Sunday morning are these Kings seeing and coming to understand Christ’s sprinkling work: Isaiah 52:15
so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.
This unfolds the unheard of mercy in Jesus’ Cross, and the unheard of grace to give you new life in Jesus’ resurrection! So today:
Key Truth: In the Cross of Christ, you must ‘get’ unheard of mercy.
Key Truth: In the Cross of Christ, you must ‘get’ unheard of mercy.
It is kind of like looking at one of those optical illusions. You know the kind - stare at old woman/young woman if just see one -it’s kind of hohum, what’s the big deal - but if turned and you see both - wow the lights go on, you get it you behold it. But with an optical illusion not much at stake - just whether you can ooh and aw with understanding - be in the group that gets it. But when it comes to really seeing Christ on the Cross what’s at stake is whether you really see an unheard of mercy and trusting in his work - take it to yourself. In v. 14 the many who looked on the suffering servant, just appalled and don’t really get it. Do you? The NT says, that deep meaning is also seen in picture form - in the Lord's Supper - and to come - you have to get the “ooh and aww” moments - have to discern the body of Christ and all that it means. We have got to be like these kings - seeing and understanding!
So let the prophet Isaiah lead you along so you see the Christ and the Cross and take hold of an unheard, out of this world mercy, that you will no where else in this entire world! And isn’t that what earliest evangelism was about Ethiopian Eunuch with Philip - The Gentile political servant, staring at the ink blot can’t get the pattern. Phillip says: Acts 8:35
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.
See that’s Isaiah's goal too. 5th servant song and He has been describing how the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah would come and deal with all the sin and suffering of God’s people - restore and rebuild the kingdom, the Zion of God, the new Jerusalem. And its our task this morning not just to see the bare events and humble life of Jesus - but what he does to establish us in that new kingdom!
Look at how he introduces his goal to get us to really see Jesus Christ from another angle. Isaiah 52:13
Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.
Now remember he’s describing Jesus life of lowly service, coming in the form of a servant, taking on our humanity, then taking on our sin and dying, being condemned in our place - and he introduces saying - this lowly life, this shameful death - this isn’t great towering cedar of Lebanon of a person - not Man of great reputation politically, power militarily, not popular in the values of this world - compared to David, just a shoot in dry land - He is doing something differently. And yet - BEHOLD of all the lives and of all the deaths of this world none like this one - Socrates popular death - hemlock, other martyr’s for causes, other lives demonstrate beautiful philosophy and teaching of life - MLK Jr, Ghandi - but what Jesus was doing was so different, and God was going to make that wisdom from on high - prosper … and think of it as Jesus said, going to give His life and in so doiong LIFTED UP - and draw all people to himself! Do you get that - predicted here the way of humiliation shame, of this Cross, because of what Jesus was doing on it - that would be the means by which Kingdom established, whole new world ,new creation begun - how he would be made high and exalted and lifted up!
But then look at how the many, the world at large, the generation of Jesus days saw his life and then his death. Isaiah 52:14
As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
If you look at the Cross and even Jesus as the Son of God come down from heaven, to just suffer lowly among us, just come as a moral teacher, and then because of that he is abused, and persecuted and put on a Cross, and you just see Him as a tragedy, feel sorry for him, and on the Cross you just see man’s brutality against man - no bigger plan or purpose, Then you with the many will turn away from the true Christ - like some of his followers - embarrassed - you want a jesus that works your way, makes your life easier, Jesus that fits into our sinful prideful form that will make no waves! You will have no time to really consider His suffering on the Cross, and only see a disgusting form not even worthy of being called human. Why Nietzsche said Christianity so bad that God died of compassion - need will to power just live by …
But listen to how Isaiah introduces how you’ve got to tilt the page of Christ’s life and Cross to see something else. Not turning away from the suffering and the Cross. He says, afterwards, sure the many may just shuffle pass without seeing, but after He has been lifted up and exalted because of his work on the Cross. There are many others, even from the nations, indeed even strong and powerful, indeed even kings who will see and get it? And what is it that they get? Look: As many as were astonished and turn away from Christ, what does the group that get it see and understand: Isaiah 52:15
so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.
These kings with a trembling awe have all words taken from their mouth - like Eunuch Jesus did this for this purpose - how. And Isaiah use one powerful image of the result of Christ’s suffering and death. The image is sprinkling. 7x one who had to be absolutely pure would dip and sprinkle blood - and that dipping sprinkling would ritually purify the person or the object. But if that sprinkler was unclean, he would transmit uncleanness to the person or object being sprinkled. The picture is of the waters of the Red, sea sprinkling the people - purifying passes from life of slavery into new life as nation of LORD, with God dwelling in their midst. Picture is of the sacrifice, like the Passover Lamb - sprinkled on the dwelling places of the people And Isaiah says, not just for one group the Jews, but now joining them the whole world the nations being restored.
And so this introduction is asking you to loo that Cross and tel me what you see - a tragedy or an victory that the of mercy and grace unseen and unheard of in this world, that only God could do? What was being accomplished here
But then Isaiah zooms past the whole life of Jesus’ serving and suffering to get at the very heart of the Cross and he asks you how do you esteem both Jesus work there, and also His Fathers? Different people weigh on your scales of value differing amounts - and different events held as precious or passing - how much does Christ really weigh to you? What does his golden passion described here - what is its value?
And again he says, at first people the many don’t get this, the gospel Isiah and the church of God preaches, just like not even the disciples got it until after - they just don’t get this. The arm of the Lord must reveal it.
Jesus comes as I mentioned not as a towering King but a shoot, out of where - the dry ground. He comes experiencing the struggle and sorrows of your life and mine under the curse of sin. He didn’t come looking for glory, but a cross. His life wasn’t outward beauty - though Isaiah foretold it, Christ explained it, we all so badly misunderstand this gospel, we just want to get on with life without Christ’s suffering and death. And so v.3 says, we might value Christ's morality and his example, his teaching, but his suffering and the Cross as the way to deal with our sin, our sickness in the soul, our guilt our death, our estrangement from God , living without God being really near and dear? We’re like Judas that way - your going to the cross, not kingdom of glory - I don’t want what your selling, not interested, give me earthly kingdom, 30 pieces of silver. Even Peter was saying to Jesus: don’t go to the Cross, I will die for you so don’t do that - get behind me Satan. Like first temptation leave the world and our lives the way they are - just take glory of this world without the Cross! And so look how the many weigh/actually dismiss Jesus and his suffering and his Cross - His decision to deal with the heart of our problem! Isaiah 53:3
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.
As v.4 is going to make clear - the heart of the matter is whether you think Jesus sufferings and what happens on that Cross - was just a product of his life - either God’s mad at him, or humanities mad at him and that’s what happens - or some how turning the page at another angle - can you see, Does God reveal to you - that what happened to Jesus in his suffering and Cross is because of stuff in your life and my life - not just your sins and mine, but your weakness and mine, our sinful nature! And here the lights can go on. Just like that big word that introduced it all BEHOLD my servant, now where is He? At Pilate judgment seat, John 19:5 wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe - BEHOLD the MAN.
But Isaiah says a second big attention word: SURELY - this how you can see things as they really are in a way that you can get mercy and grace unheard of. Isaiah 53:4
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
The language isn’t just that Jesus was taking our sadness and then our sin and then throwing that away. No, the word grief, is about he consequences of sin. Often translated he bore our sicknesses - sickness in all its forms a result of our fall into sin. Jesus heals sickness and Matthew says this Scripture is being fulfilled. But Isaiah began the prophesy saying in Isaiah 1:5
Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
sickness not just physical, but spiritual condition because of sin; and Jesus doesn’t just reach into our lives and pick out all the sickness physical and spiritual with sticky gloves and says, I love you lets get rid of this now. No, all the sickness - the sin and the consequences of sin, the curse of sin needs a deeper answer. The word, to bear - is most familiar to you and me, as bearing burdens. It means to take up and then carry yourself. Christ, we read was becoming sin for us - and in so doing he takes all the consequences of sin and says I will do this for you. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Carries all our sorrows, our sinful nature and all its consequences. And the many, well, we the many, think God is striking him and afflicting him for his own failure and weakness. And its interesting that God does strike and afflict for sin - he did so Pharoah, he did so with His people in exile - real punishment for sin! And you know what we read? Those people under such affliction - they cry out to God. But not this Jesus. He is before Pilate and He opened not His mouth - why not? 1 Peter 2:24
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.
You have heard the story of the Ragman - new rags for old … saw him die . the ragman ragman Jesus Christ
Because He isn’t being forced by God the Father to undergo such suffering to withstand such punishment for sin and our sinful nature. Willingly with full knowledge of what’s coming - out of pure love for us - self-sacrificial love. Look at the Cross in Isaiah 53:5a
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.
God really smote His Son, afflicted Him with punishing wrath. Look at the language He was pierced through but not because he suffered like any human would - for our transgression. Look at it. Jesus was completely crushed - annihilated with death in his human nature a death as real as the one you and I would suffer for our sins. - because of our iniquities.
But keep listening to the end of v.5b. This is so wonderful when you can turn the page and see the point of it all! That word chastisement does involve punishing discipline but it is also not in vain. That punishment is in the context of a greater perfectly positive goal. The chastisement of Christ that you and I earned, but he paid, look what it brings us - PEACE - shalom - this is the foundation of the kingdom of God - rebuilt people of Zion. This is like Proverbs 15:31 - rebukes that bring life! But this chastisement, this rebuke is the biggest one that all of our sin and failures deserve. Look what Father, Son and Holy Spirit are doing here Isaiah 53:6
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.
We were the sheep gone terribly astray but the LORD lays on Jesus our good shepherd the iniquity of us, and he lays down His life , becoming the sacrificial Lamb that each one of us needs! You know this day on which Christ died, day of Passover. But on this Passover by the orchestrations of the Roman government and the Jewish council perpetrated the greatest tragedy of human history, but God was using even that to overrule & orchestrate the very centre of His plan to save us. For His Son to become like us in every way, that we might be saved. He did not become a fellow sinner with us, dying as any other human being; He is a substitute - he is suffering and dying vicariously in your place. So if you are united to him in his crucified death - you will never have to pay for your sins - that's what Christ was in the world to do - to be this Lamb of God in whom God’s justice is fully met - in which your sins and mine are fully paid. Listen to the logic of the gospel: Romans 5:19
For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
This is that one act of obedience, perfect life lived but offered up for our sins - so by these wounds and taking Christ to yourself, being one with him - these wounds are the only medicine that can bring salvation to your sin sick soul. And Sunday morning, we’ll look at how once you’ve died with Christ in this sacrificial death, that healing works by you and I also rising with Him. But that is for Easter Sunday. For today, trust that Christ has taken the judgment of your sins, He is taking it for you and He is releasing you from the punishment and the guilt, shame, and bondage of sin! As the Passover Lamb died in Israel’s place so they could leave their bondage in Egypt, and begin a whole new life. So now you and are set free!
So with the eyes of faith, like that centurion, who was like us the many, the Gentiles, one of the many from the nations. He and we see Christ dying and we understand this is the Servant of the Lord, this is God’s Son- you and I this Good Friday must understand - this is how the the sprinkling must happen. Listen to God’s own explanation of it: Isaiah 53:8b
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?
As we come to take the bread and the wine as memorial of this sacrifice - hear the voice of the Son saying it this is my body given for you, my blood poured out for you, take eat and drink, remember and believe - for a total remission - forgiveness. Jesus take my sin from me and send them away. And Jesus says - be gone you wages of death and don’t you come back again! Behold the mystery explained of your reconciliation and total acceptance by God - your sprinkling and new life: Isaiah 53:10
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.
Oh I can’t wait till Sunday to explain not only the mercy, forgiveness here at the Cross, but the new life the resurrection life that you and I can be part of. But for today, see this unheard of mercy- Israel couldn’t pay for her sin, you and I certainly never could, So here is your offering for guilt. Do you see it, only if own Christ as Your Passover Lamb to deal with your sin to be your sin offering, only as you and I receive and trust in this sacrifice of Christ as our atonement - can we get to Jesus work of of acting wisely to to prosper our life in his kingdom. Amen.