Isaiah’s Suffering Servant - Part 3

All right congregation. We are continuing on in our Easter series looking at Isaiah's suffering servant and I have entitled to sermon for this morning involvement involvement. The first week was introduction. The second week was identity this week were talking about involvement and it's a weird title for a sermon but I have a reason for it. I understand that we see in these versus three parties involved we see the servant is involved. We see that Yahweh. The Lord is involved and there's this group of people involved that are referred to as we and us And the passage goes to Great Lengths to make very clear the involvement of each parties. Who does what what happens to who and it uses pronouns very specifically in vertebral repetitively to make this clear. There's there's groups involved there's parties involved and the actions and the consequences of the actions are what we need to look at to learn from this passage. You know, for example, I have been thinking a lot about the ham one of the hymns on the worship playlist that was sent out to you and can it be and one of the lines of that him was just reverberating in my mind as well. As I prepared this sermon the line the line died he for me. Who caused his pain? That's a that's a heavy powerful line and it leaves us with questions. Maybe did he die for me did the Savior the servant did price did he die for me? And did I cause his pain that's what the song says he died. He for me who caused his pain. And wasn't me that he pursued death for now. We see how this is. So important in this is exactly what these verses in Isaiah speak to and so we're going to look at the actions of we and us which I argue are our actions. We're going to look at yahweh's actions and we're going to look at the servants actions and then we're going to move from that and look at the servants consequences and our consequences. And as we look at those five things you'll see that we come up with an understanding from these versus a main idea, which is this The servant substituted himself for us that he might save us from the Lord's just Judgment of sin. Let me say that again the servants substituted himself for us that he might save us from the Lord's just Judgment of that's the main idea of this passage encourage you to open up your Bibles or turn on your devices and will read the fourth Servant Song of Isaiah, which goes from Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12 keeping in mind that our Focus today is on Verses 4 through 6.

Behold, my servant shall act wisely. He should be high and lifted up and shall be exalted. As many were astonished that you his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance and it's for beyond that of the children of mad guy. 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.

Who has believed what he has heard from us and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed 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. He was despised and rejected by Men A Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief and his one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised and we esteem him not Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet. We esteemed him stricken Smitten by God and Afflicted 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 all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 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 sheet that before it's yours is silence, so he opened not his mouth.

My oppression and judgment he was taken away and asked for his generation who consider that he was cut off out of the land of the living stricken for the transgression of my people 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. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him. He has put him to grief when his soul makes an offering for guilty shall see his off Spring he shall prolong his days the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand out of the anguish of his soul. He shall see and be satisfied. Why is knowledge shall the righteous one my servant make many to be accounted righteous and he shall bear their iniquity. Therefore. I will divide him a portion with the many and he shall revile the divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors yet. He bore the sins of many and makes intercession for the transgressors. Let me read the three versus we are going to focus on one more time surely. He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yeah. We esteemed him stricken Smitten by God and Afflicted 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. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Let's start this morning looking at our actions. I say our actions the verses in question talk about we and talk about us and I want to suggest to you that we as Believers are meant to identify with the US and the Wii of this passage particularly Believers. We should identify this you will notice that it talks about his chastisement bringing us. Peace. Well, I know we want to identify with the piece that he brought the peace with God will if we're going to identify with the piece that was brought to us. Then we need to identify with the Wii in the US of all of these worses. We esteemed him stricken Smitten by God and Afflicted. That's one of the actions that is ours in these vs. We esteem him stricken Smitten by God and Afflicted this idea of being Smitten by God and being stricken and Afflicted is I would clearly be understood and those cases to be suffering because of sin it would be suffering that someone went through because of their since suffering that was brought on them by God as a result of their sin. And so we look at this situation and we deny our responsibility for Christ's suffering. We understand this particular suffering to be the result of sin. But we assumed it must be his saying since this is where the earlier verses about Revelation being required become a parent again, we need revelation. We need to Spirit to open our eyes to the truth that pertain to the servant so that we can see them clearly and accurately and one of the things we need to see clearly and accurately in these vs. Is that it was we was us it was you who rejected the servant and esteem him as suffering not for you, but for his own son. And obviously that's problematic.

Too quick applications from that understand something about yourself if you are like me. Anyways, you do a great job. of attributing sin of other people But you don't do such a great job of seeing your own said let's be experts people of seeing our own sin and taking responsibility for that's a quick application from your second one is particularly when there's so much suffering we see in the world and and so much more maybe in the last couple weeks because we've been fixated on it. Let's not assume people suffering is due to their own said sometimes it is But we need to inquire and deliberate and pray for wisdom in regards to these things and and not jump to the conclusion that someone suffering is because of their own sin to Quick applications. Let's move on though. We have more actions to look at in regards to this. We see that in verse 5. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. We have actions and their referred to as transgressions as iniquities and it brings to our mind that the principal action that we contribute to this. The whole story of Salvation is sin. That's our action. Jonathan Edwards said you contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary along the same lines Martin Luther was asked what we contribute to our Salvation and he said sin and resistance and I think we need to come to terms with that word transgression points to willful rebellion, and the word iniquity refers to a perverseness a deviancy a twisted this Those are the actions that we bring to this scenario. We got don't value the servant and we sin. What's interesting about the sin is it's crucial to this whole story. We read number 6 all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. The lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all this these pronouns emphasize this use of the word. We and us and everyone it emphasizes that there's a common culpability. We are all to blame for what we're going to read about here for the consequences that we're going to see a boat or going to see in a moment and it's not just generally we're all to blame but we had individual responsibility. It says we have turned everyone and really this emphasizes the extent of the problem all of us are to blame and each individual is responsible. Call me this very clear and Romans chapter 3 verse 23 when he wrote for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And so this picture of sheep going astray of turning of going their own way as a depiction of of sin and misery and disunity and danger. We everyone us all we need to recognize. The Sinister significance of our sin and we need to take ownership of that, you know send really if you think about it is the inciting incident of the Salvation story that I talked about that phrase before inciting incident. It's it's from my days as a teacher. The inciting incident was whatever happened that sets the story in motion other some incident at the start of a story at the start of a novel at the start of a play which gets the story moving if you think of the Epic tolking story Lord of the Rings the inciting incident was Bilbo giving the one ring to Frodo. That's what got the story started. If you think about the Shakespeare play Macbeth the prophecy of the three witches the three weird sisters that Macbeth would be king. That was the inciting incident that got that whole tragedy into motion. Well sin is the inciting moment for the story of Salvation. Listen to these words by Theologian d a Carson talking about the significance of sin Carson says send establishes the plot line of the Bible whether one considers the theme of God's Wrath or the particular objects of his saving love with her God Thunders from Sinai or weeps over Jerusalem, whether we focus on individual Believers or on the Covenant elide entity of the people of God, whether one stands aghast of the temporal judgment support out on Jerusalem or stands and wrapped anticipation of the glories of the new Heaven and the new Earth the substratum that holds the entire account together is sin and how God rich in Mercy deals with sins and sinners for his own glory and for his people's good.

This leads us to another application.

Believer and unbeliever alike and I hope we have some unbelievers watching some people who have tuned in around the Easter season and and lie to maybe what's going on our lives. This is for both of those of you who believe and those who don't Let me encourage you to allow a serious survey of your sin. The shock you out of a spurious sense of security. Let me say that again allow is Siri a serious survey of your sin to shock you out of a spurious sense of security. You know, this coronavirus pandemic has shocked many of us. It has shocked us out of a sense of security hearing announce when I made about our brother Derek being significantly ill as a result. This this shocks us. It shocks me a incorrect or imbalanced sense of security and an even brings that shocked into other areas of our life, you know, I was thinking I came to the church a little bit early when we were picking up the kids from Peru. We're picking them up. I think it's real and and I was just struggling to stay awake at about 2:30. So I said I'm going to get in the vehicle and I drove her to church and sat in the parking lot. You know what her to me? We were we were concerned about the security and safety of these kids. And had become very relieved that they had got back from Peru. I'd landed and we're in Toronto and you know it occurred to me. most likely statistically the most danger they were in the entire time. They were gone were the two hours. They spent driving to Toronto and the two hours they spend driving back. And this this whole situation that were in is undermining our maybe false sense of security and and I don't think that's a bad thing. And I think is survey a virus in the action that we contributed to this story of redemption. Shocks us out of our sense of security and I think that's a good thing. Listen. I do not want our people to be going through life fearful and without a sense of security. What I don't want you to have is a fallacious sense of security. To think that our kids are safe because they've landed in Toronto is really as is really false. They're not safe because they're in Cannon and driving in the 4-1. They may have been in more danger driving back from the airport. But I understand I don't want you to be living in fear. I don't want you to be walking.

Through these times through this pandemic with a sense of fear by no means but neither do I want you to find your security and something that's not truly secure Rider. Let's let all of this cause us to cast ourselves at God's feet who the is the one who can keep us safe and secure. I want us to find true security from God through Jesus Christ, and I want that in regards to your sin as much and more than I want in regards to the current situation. We're living through In many regards were not a safe and secure as we think we are but in many regards we are more safe and more secure than we can understand if we passed our cells at God's feet. And we allowed him to be our safety in our security through Jesus Christ. Let's move on hear the Lord's action. I talked about our actions were both the Lord's action. The Lord Yaweh is involved in this passage in one key action. He judges send we read again, but she meaning the servant was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities upon him was the Heisman that brought us. Peace. We see that the sin that we contributed results in God's judgment transgressions result in Pearson. Iniquity results in crushing chastisement is required punishments required and that's where God comes into play in these verses. One of the commentaries I found have been finding very helpful on Isaiah says this this a fact that is the piercing the crushing the cast eismont in the servant is the measure of how seriously God takes our rebellion and crookedness we typically wish to make light of our shortcomings and explain away our mistakes, but God will have none of it the refusal of humanity to bow to the Creator's Rule and our insistence on drawing up. Our own moral codes that Pander to our laws are not shortcomings or mistakes. They are the stuff of death and Corruption and unless someone can be found to stand in our place. They will see us impaled on the swords of her own making and broken on the racks of our own design. but someone has been found someone has taken on himself the results of our rebellious this you see we read the lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all send must be dealt with adjust. God cannot Overlook sin. God imputed our sin to Christ God considered our sin as belonging to Christ and because God considered it so Arson did belong to Christ and does belong to him and therefore God punished the sin, which means he punished Christ. This is a Divine Act of gathering into one place on to one substitutionary victim the sins of all the Sinners whom the Lord has purpose to save. God will be satisfied. We've we've talked about satisfy satisfaction. If you go back on our websites the last two Easters last three sisters, there has been teaching on satisfaction Johnston and his excellent book on the atonement entitled The Cross of Christ, which I have mentioned many times. Do you says this scripture has several ways of drawing attention to God self-consistency and in particular of emphasizing that when he is obliged to judge Sinners, he doesn't because he must if he is to remain true to himself to say that he must satisfy himself means that he must be himself and act according to the Perfection of his nature or name. The necessity of satisfaction for God. Therefore is not found in anything outside himself, but within himself In his own immutable character. It is an inherent or intrinsic necessity the lot which he must conform which he must satisfy is the law of old his own being one of the things this verse teaches us is that God will be satisfied in regards to send and he must seek satisfaction because God law demands Justice and God's holiness must be Vindicated and God must be faithful to perform what he has promised to do regarding his response response to sin. And so the Lord's action is to pursue satisfaction for sin and to judge you What about the servants actions? Words for surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows the servant we see here is clearly the doer of deeds in regards to Salvation when it comes to Salvation. It is the servant the arm of the Lord who is doing the deed that need to be done. Now this phrase our griefs and our sorrows is a bit difficult to decipher. You'll recognize that if you if you read other translations the NIV cause them pain and suffering the Christian Standard Bible calls in sickness and pain other versions call them infirmities and Soros, we need to understand that these grease and Soros that is talking about your represent all of the negative consequences of sin. all suffering all pain all sickness. All Sorel. All of it is summed up in these phrases grief and sorrow sickness of the body sickness of the Soul sickness and creation sickness in our culture sickness and each individual physical sickness and sickness of the Soul nice phrases indicate that in the $0.01 these actions were done to the servant ultimately this servant is the one who does the deeds in regards to Salvation. We read in John's gospel chapter 10 verses 16 through 18. Jesus is talking about his sheep. He says I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice so there will be one flock and one Shepherd for this reason the father loves me because I lay down my life that I I take it up again. No one takes it from me. But I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again this charge I have received from my father. And so when we read that that he has borne and he has carried a we understand that he is doing the deed. These are his actions those words born and carried point back at two very important things in the Old Testament. They point back to Leviticus in the sacrificial system as well as to an understanding of Salvation in regards to sin and the sacrificial system. Let's look at Leviticus chapter 16 verses 20 through 22 where this word a bearing or to have borne. We see in a very significant way. Talking about making atonement for the holy place in for Israel reread starting at verse 20 and when he has made an end of atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar he shall present the live goat and Aaron Chalet both his hand on the head of the live goat and confessed over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel and all their transgressions all their sins and he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away Into the Wilderness by the hand of a man who is in Readiness and then we read in verse 22 the goat. Shall Bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area and he shall let it go free in the wilderness. You see in the goat bearing it. It doesn't just mean that it's carried, but it's also carried away. Taking away. Imagine if there was a young couple with newborn toddler a newborn or a toddler a young child and imagine the mother is carrying the young child and all of a sudden they mother. Smells that something is wrong and I can recall this happening and she brings the toddler clothes to the face and takes in a deep Sniff and realizes that this baby now has a dirty diaper now imagine she takes that baby and she hands it to her husband. Guess what husband? She's not handing you the baby just so you will carry the baby. She's handing you the baby. So you will take it away and deal with it. Just I just want you to carry it. She can do that. The picture here is just not carrying the sin but taking the sin away and dealing with it. That's what that word bearing. Send me. And so we also see these words in regards to Salvation. We see them earlier on and Isaiah chapter 46 verse 3 and 4 Listen to the word bear and carry and born and carried in these verses. Is verse 3 and 4 of Isaiah 46? Listen to me or his house of Jacob all the remnant of the House of Israel who have been born by me from before your birth carried from the womb even to your old age. I am he into gray hairs. I will carry you I have made and I will bear I will carry and will save so we see the action of the servant in these verses we see that he has borne our griefs and he has carried our sorrows in these words point us back to his dealing with sin even as a scapegoat did for Israel and his bringing about salvation even as we just read and Isaiah 46, what are the actions of the servant Indies versus the burying and caring of all the pain suffering sickness Sorel all the results on the consequences are the repercussions and punishments and aftermath of our sin.

Now these actions our actions the Lord's actions the servants actions. He's lead to consequences. I'm going to start this morning looking at the servants consequences. Now as we read these we can appreciate that the consequences. That fell upon the servant. Are making reference and pertain to the suffering that he injured. The grease the Soros and being stricken and smitten and Afflicted him being pierced and crush him receiving the chastisement of the Lord and him receiving wounds wounds these all picture the consequences that he endure. That word pierced means a death blow like from Isaiah 51 verse 9 awake awake put on strength alarm of the Lord awake as in days of old the generations of long ago was it not you who cut Rahab and pieces who pierced the Dragon? The word Rahab is a nickname for Egypt. This is prophecy in Isaiah harkening back to when God brought his people out of Egypt. And we read was it not you who cut Rahab and pieces who pierced the dragon that deathblow to the dragon called Egypt. That's what he means. We often think when we read those verses of the nails piercing his hands and I think there is a connection there but that word means to deliver a deathblow and the word crushed that word means cruel Agony ending in death. We see him Psalm 89:10 speaking again about Rahab about Egypt and what God Did In The Exodus we read you crushed Rahab like a carcass you scatter your enemies with your Mighty are specifically pointing to the Red Sea when God crushed Egyptian Army scattering resulting in their death. You see the servants consequences? Are a punishment that consists of cruel suffering ending in a death blow? And this consequence was not for his own actions. It was due to our actions. She took responsibility for that which we were guilty of and the consequence was his suffering and death.

What about us? What about are consequences? Let's start off by understanding if he didn't suffer we would have we were the ones who sin God will have satisfaction in regards to send and so if Christ didn't suffer we would have surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows upon him was the chastisement that brought us. Peace. What are the consequences that fell in us or the first consequence is that our grief and sorrow is removed remembering the grief and sorrow talks about the full gamut of consequences of sin. All of the consequences and repercussions of sin all the pain and suffering and sorrow and sickness in this life and the one to come all of it should have fallen on it was arson not his what are Consequence the consequence we receive as we see in these versus is the removal of the consequences that were doing because he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. What's the other consequence we read about here? The other consequence we read about is peace.

The chastisement the punishment that was upon Him brought us peace. Peace meaning not just freedom from conflict, but all blessedness all happiness complete flourishing all-encompassing salvation. That's a consequence that we received healing of our bodies healing of her healing of a relationship with our creator forgiveness of sense. They're removed from us reconciliation with the father. We are adopted into his family. That's what peace means and that's the consequence we receive.

So let's let's take a summary here. We've been through our actions. Yahweh's actions the servants actions the consequences the servants faces and the consequences that we Face. Let's let's take a summary. Let's review everything that we just talked about and let this

fall on you in this Easter season Leonard way on you in a very good way.

our action is sin and transgression and iniquity rebellion and deviancy. Yahweh's action was to judge those very things was to judge our actions. The servants action was the bear and carrying all the suffering and all the punishment of our actions keyboard them. And so his consequence was suffering and Death on account of our sin, but I are consequence is not facing the consequences of our sin and having peace with God. Our consequence is salvation. That brothers and sisters is mind-blowing when we really stop and lay out these verses on what we have done and what God has done what the servant has done and the results. It results in the servant suffering and dying and the Sinners receiving salvation. This is amazing. I hope you hear that and that penetrates in your mind and the heart and the fact that you heard it before. Doesn't doll its impact on you this morning because that is incredible incredibly good moves. I want to finish this morning making two applications the first application. I want to direct to unbelievers to those of you who don't consider yourself Christians who wouldn't say you have faith who haven't entrusted your life to Christ who haven't availed yourself of his work on the cross. I want to speak to you you need to understand that these three verses are the very marrow the very heart of the Gospel. Because they lay out what this whole book the Bible is about all the words in the works of God are all some. In these three verses. Because they answer significant questions for a lives. What are you you know what you are you are a sinner facing the just punishment of your sins by God. Which ultimately will be Eternal suffering?

How can I get judgement against your life be removed? Well, the judgements removed of God's justice and God's holiness and his faithfulness is satisfied. Well who can satisfy God assuredly neither man nor angel can satisfy God but a God man the Son of God God himself the servant of the Lord the arm of the Lord Jesus Christ can satisfy God. How does Jesus satisfy God he does so by substituting himself for his people he does so by receiving the penalty that their sins deserved. He's satisfied God by dying on the cross in our place. Well, what benefits come to those for whom Christ is a substitute. Only forgiveness of sins only peace with God only eternal life only complete and everlasting healing of every aspect of our existence. That's all. But who will receive those benefits those who turn from their sin and Trust in the person and work of God servant Jesus Christ the son of God, let me encourage you if you're an unbeliever in your listening this morning or listening later. Entrust yourself to the suffering servant who substituted himself for those who would trust in him that their punishment for sins might fall on that forgiveness might be one for them and Reconciliation to God. Could take place to put your faith in your hole in the suffering servant. And finally for all of us this morning to finish a last application point one that I have. Ask you to apply every sermon through this Easter Series so far. Let's be in Wonder and awe at the grace of God in all of this. Let us as the song I suggested in the worship set that was sent out. Let us dive deeper into the glories of Calvary. This is amazing. Good news good Harley is a half of it.

James Durham in his book that has the 72 sermons on Isaiah 53 said this he says every expression that the prophet uses to set forth and grace of God in Jesus Christ as Sinners is more wonderful than another because indeed everything. He expresses is more wonderful than another and there is so much grace and infinite love in the way of the Gospel that it is hard to know where there is the most of it weather in its rise or in at execution weather in the decree of God or increase satisfaction weather in the benefits that we enjoy or in the way by which we are brought to enjoy a Shirley all together make a Wonder passing great a most wonderful wonder even a world of Wonders. That's what the Easter story is. It's a world of Wonders The Salvation wrought by the suffering service a servant to satisfy God and to save us from sin is nothing short of a world of Wonders. So let's be in our and let's be in Wonder at the grace that is presented to us in these three verses which lay out the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. My prayer for you is that this Easter season, you will dive deeply into the glories of Calvary Into The Wonder of the grace of this suffering servant Jesus Christ. He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows and whose chastisement brought us. Peace. The Lord be with you.