The Fruit of the Suffering Servant

Read

Galatians 4:27–5:1 (ESV)

27 For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.” 28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. 1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Opening Prayer

Last Week

Last week we didn’t have enough time to get into v.27...

Which is a direct quote from Isaiah 54:1...

In which Paul shows the fulfillment of it taking place in the time of the gospel church.

So, I want to start off in v.27 this morning...

The Jerusalem Above

Isaiah 54:1 (ESV)

1 “Sing (for joy), O barren one, who did not bear;

break forth into singing and cry aloud,

you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate one will be more

than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.

Now, turn with me to the previous chapter in Isaiah 53...

Now let me give you the context of these verses in Isaiah...

Isaiah 54:1 is in the beginning/middle of the fourth servant songs of Isaiah.

All four servant songs are quoted and explained in the NT as being fulfilled in Jesus.

In Matthew 12, the point is made that Jesus’ ministry fulfills song one.

All the gospels point to Jesus as the fulfillment of song two, with Jesus being the true spokesman of God’s Word to the people.

The gospels also speak of Jesus being the fulfillment of song three, which is of perfect obedience and being despised & tortured.

Song four is what the Ethiopian Eunuch asked Philip about in Acts 8...

And Philip started with the fourth song and taught him all about Jesus.

This Spirit-filled, prophet...

Who would be perfectly obedient...

Persecuted to the point of death for His obedience.

Who would be a substitutionary atonement for His people.

Would come after God brought the nation back from exile.

He would be all that Israel was not.

He would fulfill all the types and shadows given in the OT covenants

One of the things we see in this fourth servant song is kind of a layered sandwich.

There are five stanzas...

1st – Is. 52:13-15…Vindication

2nd – Is. 53:1-3…Suffering

3rd – Is. 53:4-6…Substitute

4th – Is. 53:7-9…Suffering

5th – Is. 53:10-12…Vindication

The apex of the song is in the middle, the 3rd stanza of 5...

It’s the meat of the sandwich...

And clearly teaches us that the Servant of the Lord will be a substitute.

The song teaches that salvation will come through the substitutionary suffering/sacrifice of the Servant, Himself.

So, as we read this servant song in Isaiah 52-53, try to...

Think about the layers of the sandwich…the stanzas...

Think of the NT’s interpretation of it and Jesus’ fulfillment of it as we move towards Isaiah 54:1.

Isaiah 52:13–15 (ESV)

13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. 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— 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. (vindication)

Isaiah 53 (ESV)

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

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 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 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. (substitution)

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, stricken for the transgression of my people? 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. (suffering)

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. 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. (vindication)

This whole chapter is fulfilled, as all the servant songs of Isaiah...

Are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Do you hear the cause for rejoicing?

The servant of the Lord...

The Messiah...

The true Son of God...

The true Israel...

The true promised Seed/Offspring is coming in the prophecy...

After the exile and after God brings the people back...

He will provide a servant that will do what the nation of Israel could not do...

What Adam did not do...

What the Gentiles cannot do...

And, that servant will redeem a people for God.

He will bring blessings to the nations in a new covenant...

And will redeem, establish, and create a Kingdom of Priests unto God.

And, He did come and accomplish it all...

His name is Jesus...

And, His name is above every other name...

And, one day all will bow at His name.

So, Paul says...

Galatians 4:27 (ESV)

27 ...“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”

Paul is making the point, as does the NT...

That the Kingdom of Christ is all the doing of God.

It is not a result of works, human efforts, human achievement...

It is all a work of Christ.

We receive:

The fruit of Christ’s achievements by grace.

We receive redemption/reconciliation by His blood.

We receive a perfect record by His life.

Isaiah 55:1 (ESV)

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

That is the beauty of the gospel...

We get what we do not have.

We are given what we could not afford.

We are freely given the riches of God in Christ.

We get achieve without working.

We are born from above as a gift.

That’s what Paul is saying...

It’s all God’s work.

All by His grace and mercy.

And, the people of Christ’s kingdom will explode and it will be more numerous than the Kingdom of Israel.

And, we see that don’t we...

The Kingdom of Christ is not just in Israel...

It is visibly expressed throughout the world...

In local churches...

Not one nation, but of every nation, tribe and tongue.

This is a kingdom being built and prepared and one day will come down...

And, everyone who is in the Kingdom of Christ...

Is in it, not by achievement...

Not by human lineage...

But, by grace because of a person’s being born from above...

A person’s spiritual birth…

A person being regenerated by the HS.

What produces the true children of God is the gospel...

Not the Law.

Federal Headship

So, think with me about how Abraham’s true offspring consists of all true believers...

Here’s why...

It is because of His Promised Offspring (singular) and our connection with Him.

We are connected to Abraham through our connection to Christ...

With that connection being faith.

Abraham believed the gospel...

He put in His faith in the Promised Offspring...

And the blessings He (Christ) would bring in the covenant He would bring.

That’s why Hebrews 11:9-10 can say...

Hebrews 11:9–10 (ESV)

9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Abraham wasn’t hoping, ultimately for an eternal stake in the Land of Canaan...

He was looking beyond it to a new Jerusalem...

A new kingdom...

One that was designed and built by God.

One who’s foundations were built upon righteousness.

We have all of that in Jesus Christ.

And, Abraham believed that...

John 8:56 (ESV)

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

He saw Christ and rejoiced.

And, we, true believers, believe what Abraham believed...

So, a true child of God is marked by their connection to the Federal Head of the New Covenant...

And that Head is Jesus Christ.

And we are connected to Him by faith alone...

And that faith is by grace alone...

And, no one in the Kingdom of Christ will ever boast in self...

But, only glory in Christ and His gospel.

Closing

So, Paul concludes this section of his argument...

With Chapter 5:1 and also transitions us to the next section by saying...

Galatians 5:1 (ESV)

1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

In Christ, we are freed from the punishment of the Law.

We are freed from the justice of the Law.

Christ has already met those demands for His people.

If you accept circumcision and Judaism...

You are rejecting Christ...

And, therefore, the freedom found in Him.

By rejecting the gospel and Christ...

You are expressing preference to slavery...

And bondage to sin.

Don’t go back!

And, dear Christian we face the same battle every day.

Don’t treat yourself or others as if our value comes from self.

Don’t work, live, play like we need value in self...

When we have perfect righteousness and value in Jesus.

Don’t make others think that their value should be found in your own cultural, familial, ceremonial customs.

Through the gospel, we know our only hope for value, for righteousness, for salvation...

Is in Jesus Christ and what He gives us by faith alone.

Closing Prayer

New Member Recognition after the last song.

Song #1 – Is. 42:1-9.

Song #2 – Is. 49:1-7.

Song #3 – Is. 50:1-11.

Song #4 – Is. 52:13-53:12.