Suffering and Glory of the Servant

Isaiah 53:1-12

Key Verse 53:5

Prophet Isaiah lived BC 770-760 before Christ was born 750 years ago. He vividly describes Messiah’s birth, his attributes, deity, ministry, suffering and glory in the book of Isaiah. Chapter 53 especially vividly represents the purpose of his suffering and what amazing grace we would receive through his suffering and pain. It was exactly fulfilled after 740 year later.

Let’s think three mains topics.

1. Who is the original attribute of the coming Messiah?

2. Why would he receive incredible suffering, disdaining& punishment?

3. How would he be his attitude before this suffering& what can we learn through this passage?

1. What does “our message” indicate? (1a) What does “the arm of the LORD” symbolize? (Jn12:38) What do the people think about the Messiah being the Son of God? However, What does the subject of the message? (2) What’s his true feature? (Col 1:15-17,Jn 1:1-4,14)

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

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

a) It was shocking message from God. Isaiah couldn’t even believe it after he foresaw God’s prophecy. All Jewish people would expect that the promised Messiah would come to this world with great splendor, honor, glory, power and authority like king David. He saw the promised Messiah as the humble& suffering servant. It reminds the Tabernacle. It looks as shabby and humble tent which was covered by just regular animal’s skin outside. However, all utensils were covered by gold. Moreover, Almighty God dwelled there. it was the symbol of God’s dwelling place.

-it is same of Jesus’ appearance when he came into this world.

-just ordinary baby who was born in a manger.

- had no beauty or majesty to attract us outward appearance

* We usually judge people according to their outward appearance.

b) But what is his true attribute?

He is creator and sovereign ruler.(Jn1:1-4,14) He covered with splendor, glory, honor& majesty.(Col 1:15-17) He is mighty God (Isaiah 9:6-7)

He is being in very nature God. (Phil 2:6) but didn’t consider quality with God.

All authority and power is in His hands. (Mt 28:18)

He is the eternal judge (Rev1:18,4:11)

1. How would the people think about Him and His suffering (3,4)? What grace would men receive through Messiah’s imputation of our sin (5-6,Ps 22:14, Mk 15:34,Jn19:30, Rom 5:1, 8:1-4 )?

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me.

30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (Which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

a) He was despised, rejected, mocked by mankind as much as people hided their faces because of too horrific. They thought he was punished by his infirmities.

-Was it real? – Not at all!(Mt16:21) He already knew what he would happen.

He came to die. Lk 22:42-44- He struggled to die on the Cross. He voluntarily chose his suffering and death for our iniquities and transgressions. Otherwise there is no other way of our salvation.

-He was horribly disdained and died on the cross to bear our iniquity and transgression. He was completely humiliated and crushed with incredible pain and agony to save us from eternal damnation of sin and death, and give us eternal life.

-Our transgression and iniquities- the wage of sin is death. Sin destroy the image of God within us. Sin make us as slaves of darkness. It destroys our soul, mind and even physical body. It finally leads us into eternal punishment. Broken family or most of problems in this world comes from root of sin. Sin leads us into God’s wrath.

The matter is that we cannot solve this sin matter. Our charity, good deed, anything is not enough to pay our penalty of sin. We should die for wage of sin.

We should be punished and eternally condemned due to our sin.

No one is righteous in this world. Everyone is sinner. Everyone needs God’s salvation from the power of sin. God loves us so much. So that he opened the way of our salvation from sin. He imputed all our transgression and iniquities upon Him. When anyone believes Jesus, God forgive our sins and justify us as righteousness due to Jesus’ imputation of our sin.

3. In the suffering how would his attitude be? (7-9) Why wouldn’t he open his mouth even though he didn’t sin at all?

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

a) By the intolerable weight of his sufferings, by the most bitter pain and

Sorrow,

He neither murmured against God for giving him up to suffer for other men’s sins, nor hated men for punishing him without cause, nor used apologies or endeavors to save his own life;

-but willingly and quietly accepted the punishment of our iniquity, manifesting, through the whole scene of his unbearable sufferings with the most exemplary patience and meekness, and the most ready and cheerful compliance with his heavenly Father’s will.

-He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter -as a lamb which is led to be

killed, is patient and silent, so was he. He made no resistance. He uttered

no complaint. He suffered himself to be led quietly along to be put to death. What a striking and beautiful description! How tender and how true!

1. What is the LORD’s will for Him? (10) What would the amazing grace we would enjoy through his horrible suffering? (11b,Acts 13:38,39) How did God glorify Jesus who obeyed until his death? (12,Phil 2:9-11)

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

a) The mystery of God’s treatment of the sinless Servant.

-he was himself innocent, and that he gave up his soul or life in order to

make an expiation (wage of sin) for sin

The Servant was of absolute sinlessness, and yet the Divine Hand crushed and bruised Him. By oppression and judgment He was taken away or drawn on Him by His own sacrificial act for offering of sin.

‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?’ The bruises inflicted by the God, who made to meet on Him the iniquities of us all, were infinitely more severe than the weales of the soldiers’ rods, or the wounds of the nails that pierced His hands and feet.

II. The Servant’s work in His sufferings.

The trespass offering was distinguished from other offerings.

a. The representation that Christ’s death is a sacrifice.

b. His voluntary surrender.

the true meaning of His sufferings is only reached when we contemplate the effects that have flowed from them.