Sermon # 173 Series: Isaiah
Title: What Do You See In The Death of Christ?
Text: Isaiah
53:7-9
Subject: The
Death of Christ
Date: Sunday
Evening – February 6, 1994
Introduction:
What Do You See
In The Death of Christ? That is what I want to talk
about tonight. What do you see in the
death of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Most everyone sees these things in the death of
Christ. Some see all of these things,
some only one or two, but all men see these things in the death of Jesus two
thousand years ago. The believer, the child of God sees something else. HE sees what no one can see, except by
Divine Revelation. The believer sees
the glory of God in the face of his crucified Substitute (II Cor. 4:6).
Proposition: The believer sees the glory of God in the death of
Christ because he sees in the cross what nobody else can see.
“The work of Christ I sing,
And glory in His name;
Immortal life to bring,
The Lord of glory come!
He gave himself for wretched
me,
And sets my soul at liberty!
He magnified the law
And made an end of sin;
Without a single flow,
A righteousness brought in.
Come, mourning souls, in Jesus
trust;
His righteousness makes sinners
just!”
Because we see in the cross what no one else can, We glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14).
TRUST IT! PREACH IT!
LIVE BY IT! DIE BY IT!
Now, let’s look at Isaiah 53:
7-9. Here the prophet of God shows us five things about the death of Christ, five things that cause us to
glory in the cross. What Do You See In The Death of Christ? Taking Isaiah’s words for my own and speaking for the
saints of God, I answer…
I. First, I
see A Vindicated Sovereign – “He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted.”
Our Lord Jesus certainly was oppressed by men. In body and in mind the Jews
abused, oppressed, and tormented him.
With the blows of their fists and the jeers of their reproachful taunts,
by their false accusations and their slanderous words, the Son of God was
oppressed and afflicted.
But the words
are really stronger than our translation implies. Gill suggested that they should be translated, “It was exacted (required or
demanded) of him, and he answered.”
Translate that way, the text reveals the necessary vindication of God’s
holy law and justice. In other words,
as Bro. Scott Richardson says, “Before God could do
anything for us he had to do something for himself.” He had to satisfy his own justice, magnify his own law, and honor
himself. This he did by the sacrifice
of his darling Son! “Why did Jesus have
to die?”
This is the meaning
of Isaiah’s words – When God found the sins of his elect upon his Son (v.
6), laid upon him by imputation, and voluntarily assumed by him, justice demanded satisfaction from him. Christ, being the Surety of
his people, was totally responsible for them and thus answered the demands of justice for
us. He satisfied the justice of God as our
Substitute. The debt was owed was required, payment
was called for demanded. Accordingly, our Kinsman Redeemer paid the whole of our debt, unto the
uttermost forthing, and cancelled the bond.
The punishment of our sins was exacted of him. He submitted to it. He volunteered to bear it, and did bear it
all in his own body on the tree.
This opening
line of verse 7 – “He was oppressed and afflicted,” expresses the doctrine of Christ’s
satisfaction, the satisfaction of Divine justice by the death of our sin
atoning substitute- There was and is no other way possible for the holy Lord
God to justify guilty sinners (Rom 3: 24-26; I Pet.
3:18). Before God could save us…
II. Secondly,
when studying and meditating upon the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. We see A Voluntary
Suffer – (v.
7).
The Son of God suffered and died in the room and
stead of his chosen people as a voluntary Substitute. He Volunteered
A. “He was oppressed,
and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.”
When he suffered as our Substitute our Savior spoke not a word against…
The Son of God owned his obligation as our Surety and
owned the righteous demands of Divine Justice when he was made to be sin for us
– “Thy will be done!” “Father, glorify thy name!”
B. “He is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so
he openeth not his mouth.” These figurative phrases express our Redeemer’s Humility,
Meekness, Innocence, Harmlessness, and Voluntariness As Our Substitute.
The Son of God want to the cross without any reluctance at all. He was ready, willing, yea, even anxious to be sacrificed in the room and stead of his people.
1. Christ
went willingly to the place of sacrifice, just as a lamb
goes to the slaughter house without resistance.
2. Like a sheep in the hands of her shearers is willing to be stripped and
shern of her wool, so the Son of God was willingly stripped for us.
III. Thirdly,
verse 8 describes A Violent Slaughter.
According to the types and prophecies of the Old
Testament Scriptures the death of Christ had to be a violent slaughter that
involved the shedding of blood.
A. “He was taken from the grave and from judgment.”
Those words mean either of these two things, maybe both.
1. After he
had satisfied divine justice our Lord was raised from the dead, being released
from the hold of divine justice – (Rom. 5: 25).
He was delivered from the prison of the grave where
he lay, and “from the state of condemnation into which he was brought, and was
acquitted, justified, and declared righteous, and his people were (were
declared righteous) in him” (J. Gill).
2. Perhaps
the words might be better translated, “He was taken
away by distress and judgment.” (Margin).
Our Lord was taken away violently, in distressing
circumstances, under the pretense of justice!
B. “And who shall declare his generation?”
Those words express astonishment! None will ever be able to declare his generation –
C. “He was cut off out of the land of the living.” (See – Dan. 8:)
IV. Fourthly,
the last line of verse 8 describes A Vicarious Sacrifice.
“For the transgression of my people was he stricken.”
The word “stricken” means slain. The Lord Jesus was slain as the Substitute and
Representative of God’s elect. He was
sacrificed and slain…
The death of
Christ is a full, but limited atonement; limited not in power, merit, and efficacy, but
limited in scope and design.
This
doctrine of limited atonement is the doctrine of the Bible –(Matt. 1:21; Heb.
2:17; John 10: 11, 15; Eph. 5:25).
John Owen was exactly right when he
wrote, other Christ died for:
V. A
Vindicated Sovereign – (v. 7).
A
Voluntary Sufferer – (v. 7).
A
Violent Slaughter – (v. 8).
A
Vicarious Sacrifice – (v. 8).
Now, in verse 9, the Prophet shows us A Virtuous Substitute.
Isaiah never lets up in pressing and preaching the
message of substitution.
A. Our Savior
made His Brave with The Wicked – Crucified Between Two Thieves!
B. He was “With The Rich in His Death” – Buried in the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea.
C. “Because” that is Though he was Perfectly
Innocent! Our Substitute is and had to
be…
Application: What do you see in the death of Christ?
1. A
Vindicated Sovereign
2. A
Voluntary Sufferer
3. A Violent
Slaughter
4. A
Vicarious Sacrifice
5. A Virtuous
Substitute.
I will Glory in the Cross (Gal. 6:14).
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