Welcome again, good morning, especially good morning and welcome to our missional justice partners and all our guests.
My name is Oscar, if you don't know me, and I serve as one of the elders here at Watermark.
Please join me in prayer as we dive into God's Word.
Father, we humbly come before you as we look at this incredible passage from Isaiah.
I pray, Lord, that our hearts and minds will be open to receive your Word today.
Thank you for your Word, which is real and true and powerful, that penetrates deep into every facet of our body, our heart, and our mind.
I pray, Lord, that as we consider your Word today, that we would see the beauty of the suffering of Jesus and the beauty of his glorious resurrection.
Be with us, Lord, in this time.
In your name we pray. Amen.
I'm going to invite Jaya in a moment to read the Scripture, but before then, a question.
The question is, how do you know that someone loves you?
Once in a while, I'll ask one of my kids, I'll be a bit cheeky, and I'll ask one of them,
how do you know that Daddy loves you?
And usually, their response is, because you make me cheeseburgers.
Or, because you read me bedtime stories.
How do you know that Jesus loves you?
I mean, we all know that he loves us.
We read it in the Bible all the time.
But how do you know that he loves you personally?
How do you experience his love?
Are you secure in his love?
Let's park that thought for a moment.
Over the past two weeks, we've been going through an Easter sermon series,
looking at Old Testament Scriptures and how they point to or foreshadow the cross of Jesus.
Two weeks ago, Kevin shared from Exodus 32 to 34, where, after being rescued by God from slavery in Egypt,
the people of Israel sinned terribly against God by worshipping an idol made out of gold.
And Kevin, he addressed this seeming paradox, which was,
How can a holy God who absolutely cannot stand sin somehow forgive sinners?
And we learn that God indeed pardoned Israel because of one man, Moses,
who stood in the gap between God and man.
Because of the righteousness and the goodness of this man, Moses, God pardoned Israel.
This is a picture of the gospel, is it not?
But Jesus is our perfect mediator, who, on the cross, stood in the gap.
And all of us who love and trust him, God will pardon us and forgive us as well.
Last week, Niels continued on our series, and he opened up Leviticus 16,
where God gave Moses specific instructions on the Day of Atonement,
where one day a year, the people of Israel, through the high priest,
would conduct a complicated but necessary animal sacrifice to appease the wrath of God.
But as Niels shared, we learned that this sacrifice of bulls and goats,
although it would appease God's wrath for a year, it wasn't enough.
For us here today, through that animal sacrifice thousands of years ago,
we still could not see God or know God or be with him.
We need something more.
And today, I'm excited, because we're looking at this incredible passage in Isaiah,
which is the picture, which is a picture of the perfect and permanent Savior, Jesus Christ.
God sent his Son into the world, our Lord Jesus, to be the true mediator and the true sacrifice.
Now, by way of background, the prophet Isaiah's ministry was primarily to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah.
Recall that in about 900 BC, Israel was split between the northern kingdom called Israel and the southern kingdom called Judah.
And Isaiah's ministry began about 200 years later.
And throughout his book, Isaiah warns Judah to repent from sin or otherwise face the wrath of God.
Isaiah also gives Judah hope that God would deliver her from her enemies.
And he also provides his promise that God would bring a servant Savior who would rescue God's people.
Chapter 7 of Isaiah, he would be born of a virgin and be called Emmanuel or God with us.
Chapter 11, he would come from the root of Jesse.
He would be a descendant of King David.
And chapter 9, he would sit on David's throne, ruling with justice and righteousness.
These are all pictures of Jesus.
And today, today's passage paints this very, very detailed picture of this servant Savior who would be despised and rejected by man.
He would face unspeakable suffering.
In fact, nowhere in the Old Testament is the suffering of Jesus depicted at such length and in such graphic detail as in this passage from Isaiah 52 and 53.
It's incredibly sobering to read and we'll hear in just a moment.
But what we'll also see today, I hope, is that the servant's suffering will lead to his glory.
And the glory for all of us who love and trust him.
Can I invite Jaya to lead us in the passage today?
Good morning, church.
Our scripture this morning comes from Isaiah 52 and 53.
Feel free to follow along in your bulletin or on the screen behind me.
Starting in Isaiah 52, 13, we read,
Behold, my servant shall act wisely.
He shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted.
As many were astonished at you, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance and is formed beyond that of the children of mankind,
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 him.
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.
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.
Like a sheep that before its shearers is silent.
So he opened not his mouth.
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?
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with the 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 guilt,
he shall see his offspring.
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.
By his knowledge shall the righteous one,
my servants,
make many to be accounted righteous.
And he shall bear their iniquities.
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.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks, Jaya.
Oh, sorry.
My lovely wife told me that my mic was too far from my mouth.
So I moved it closer.
Can you guys hear me okay now?
All right.
Let's start.
Let's start in Isaiah chapter 53, verse 2.
A root out of dry ground.
That phrase seems to refer to
the relatively obscure place
of the Lord Jesus' upbringing
in the north, in Nazareth.
Nazareth was about 100 kilometers
from Jerusalem, the capital.
And it was a dry desert
where nothing good was ever really expected to emerge.
And Jesus himself,
there was nothing noteworthy
about his family background
or his parents.
Mary and Joseph.
He wasn't born to a rich or prominent family.
His parents weren't part of the religious elite.
He wasn't naturally handsome or attractive.
When we think of the physical qualities
of an attractive person,
we think of a celebrity or an athlete,
someone who was tall or strong,
handsome or pretty.
He had none of these things.
In fact, he had no beauty
that we should desire him.
And so although Jesus is called
the radiance of the glory of God
and the exact imprint of his nature,
Hebrews chapter 1,
he had no beauty that we should desire him.
Jesus, God in flesh,
God incarnate,
God who waited thousands of years
to be born into the world.
And when he did,
he was entirely unremarkable.
If we saw him on the street,
we wouldn't turn to look at him twice.
In fact, we do the opposite.
He was a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief
and also one from whom men hide their faces.
He was despised
and we esteemed him not.
He was called a man of sorrows.
What a sobering description
of someone, is it not?
But such an accurate one.
Everything about his life
speaks to the burden that he carried.
He was born in a small, insignificant town.
He grew up poor.
His own people rejected him.
His disciple, Peter,
denied him.
His other disciple,
Judas Iscariot,
betrayed him.
The religious leaders
persecuted him.
He had no place to settle
or call home.
Our Lord Jesus, this is him.
His cousin John the Baptist
was executed.
His dear friend Lazarus
passed away.
The Bible never says
that Jesus laughed,
but we often read
that he wept.
But perhaps,
more than any other reason,
Jesus was called
a man of sorrows
because he always knew
in his heart
that he was born
to suffer and die.
He was born to be both
the mediator,
standing in the gap
on behalf of man to God,
and the sacrifice,
the true mediator
and the true sacrifice.
Only one person
who has ever lived
has known the exact time
and the circumstance
of how he would die.
What a burden to carry.
And so, dear friends,
what this means for us today
is that although life
is uncertain,
and we're all going to face
some sort of hardship,
Jesus has experienced
all of the messiness
and all the ugliness
that we'll ever experience.
Your best friend
stabbed you in the back.
Jesus has been there.
Someone has broken your heart.
Jesus has been there.
Someone you love is sick.
Jesus has been there.
He's been there,
and he doesn't just understand
or empathize,
but he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows.
He takes our sorrows
upon himself.
All the pain
that we experience
from broken relationships,
all the suffering
we experience
from abuse,
all the stress
of having to perform,
all of it,
he takes it upon himself.
He made himself
humble and lowly
in order to carry
this burden for us.
He doesn't just cry with us.
His tears mean
that our sorrow
can turn to joy.
Jesus said,
come to me,
all who labor
and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me,
for I am gentle
and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest
for your souls.
For my yoke is easy
and my burden
is light.
Matthew chapter 11.
Jesus,
the man of sorrows.
So we've just seen
how Jesus suffered
in life,
but even more,
he suffered
in death.
Let's look at
52 verse 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.
Perhaps when we
think about Jesus
and his suffering,
our mind goes right
to the cross.
The nails that pierced
his wrists
and his feet,
the thorns
that were gnawing
at his head.
Jesus,
hanging there naked,
battered and bruised,
alone and abandoned.
A brutal and horrible
depiction,
the crucifixion of Christ.
But his suffering
began well before
the cross,
as his passage
in Isaiah
shows us.
Jesus suffered
in the Garden of Gethsemane
where he was
in such anguish
and in utter exhaustion.
Imagine the emotional
stress and anxiety
he was under
in anticipation
of the cross.
I remember when I was a kid,
I took piano exams
and I remember sitting
in the waiting room
waiting for my exam.
I still had PTSD
thinking about
that waiting room.
The waiting was worse
than the actual exam.
But imagine Jesus
in the garden
visualizing the road
to the cross
and the suffering
that he would endure.
After he was arrested,
he was brought in front
of the Jewish authorities
who mocked Jesus
and beat him.
They put a blindfold
over Jesus' eyes
and they would beat him
and say,
tell us, tell us,
prophesy,
tell us who is beating you.
And after the Jewish authorities
passed Jesus over
to the Roman authorities,
the Romans
also mocked him
by putting a purple robe
on Jesus
and gave him a staff
as a pretend king scepter.
The Romans then grabbed
that staff
out of Jesus' hands
and they beat him
over the head with it.
But perhaps the worst
physical torture
or physical suffering
that he experienced
before the cross
was the scourging.
In verse 5 of 53,
we read,
upon him was the chastisement
that brought us peace
and with his wounds
we are healed.
Some Bible versions say
by his stripes
we are healed
or by his scourging
we are healed.
The New Testament
describes
the scourging
of Jesus.
And Bible commentators
define scourging
as a Roman judicial penalty
consisting of a severe beating
with a multi-lash whip
containing embedded pieces
of bone and metal.
Picture right here.
So perhaps this
is why Isaiah writes,
his appearance
was so marred
beyond human semblance
and his form
beyond that
of the children
of mankind.
Our Lord was beaten
and flogged so badly
that he was unrecognizable
when the Romans
were done with him.
Those who witnessed
this horrific punishment,
they were astonished,
they were appalled,
they were horrified
at the appearance
of Jesus.
And this was all
before Jesus
carried the cross
and then he went up
to his own crucifixion.
After the Romans
had fastened
that crown of thorns
on his head,
Jesus somehow
stumbled up
to Golgotha
where he was nailed to
and hung on a cross
for perhaps
three to six hours.
and in the last moments
before his death,
he prayed,
Father,
why have you forsaken me?
For on the cross,
Father God
did not just simply
turn his back on Jesus
and abandon him.
Father God
wasn't passive.
It's not as if
his hands were tied
and he could not help
but let the Roman authorities
do unspeakable evils
to his son.
Isaiah tells us
it was Father God's will
and intent
to crush
his own son,
Jesus.
Jesus was smitten
by God
and afflicted
as the Lord
has laid on him
the iniquity
of us all.
Father God
intentionally put our sin
on Jesus
on the cross
and watched
both our sin
and Jesus
perish.
But shouldn't that
be us
on the cross
to experience
and receive
the wrath
of God?
But instead,
Jesus was made
an enemy
of his own
Father
for our sake.
Do we understand this?
In the Watermark
Bible reading plan
this year,
we looked at
the account
in Genesis
of God
instructing Abraham
to sacrifice
his own son Isaac.
Abraham,
he agreed
to do what God
instructed him to do.
And so he tied
a bunch of wood
on Isaac's back
and as they
climb Mount
Moriah,
Isaac,
understandably confused,
he turns to his father
and he says,
Father,
where is the lamb
for the burnt offering?
Can you imagine
being Abraham
in that moment
having to
respond to your son?
About to sacrifice
your own son?
The son he loves,
his beloved son,
the son he waited
a hundred years
to have,
his promised son?
Can you imagine?
And so when we
think about Abraham
potentially sacrificing
his own son,
perhaps,
perhaps we have
a glimpse
of the heart
of God the Father
when his own
terrible wrath
bore down
on his own son,
Jesus Christ,
who is perfect,
holy,
and righteous.
As Jesus said,
Father,
why have you
forsaken me?
So how do you know
that God loves you?
How do you know
the breadth
and the length
and the depth
of the love of God
to you?
Look at Jesus.
Look at the cross.
But now the question is,
why did Jesus
have to suffer
so terribly?
I mean,
we learned last week
from Leviticus
that the people of Israel
needed to sacrifice
an animal
in order to atone
for their sins.
And this,
of course,
foreshadowed Jesus
being the true
and permanent sacrifice
as his soul
makes an offering
for guilt.
But the animals
that were sacrificed
back in the day
of Moses,
they seemed to be
treated quite mercifully.
The necessity of death
was illustrated,
but not the suffering.
But here in this passage
in Isaiah,
Isaiah now adds
this very graphic detail
of the suffering
of Jesus
leading up to
the crucifixion
and also on the cross.
Why?
Why did Jesus
have to suffer
so terribly?
Well,
it's because
in his suffering
and in his death,
God wanted to show us
just how much
he loves us,
just how much
he hates sin.
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.
In the Garden
of Eden,
we were supposed
to be living
in purity
and righteousness
with God
as we were made
in his image.
But sin came
into our hearts
and our hearts
are now prone
to wander.
Our heart compass
is out of whack.
I mean,
my heart compass
is out of whack.
I realized
something recently.
I have a portfolio
of investments,
stocks and bonds.
And I realized
recently that I've
been checking
the prices
a bit too often.
It's one of the
first things I do
when I wake up
and one of the
last things I do
before I go to bed.
And I think about
the prices
and my profits
and my losses
throughout the day.
I do the mental math
on it.
And I'm not saying
that having investments
is a sin.
Don't get me wrong.
But what I am saying
about myself
and what I have been
convicted about
is that I am adoring
my investments.
I'm adoring
the profits
a bit too much.
I'm thinking about it
too much.
I'm putting too much
heart share
and mind share
into it.
My heart's prone
to wander.
I'm a sinner.
I had to repent.
Perhaps something
has caught your heart.
Maybe it's money.
Maybe it's a relationship.
Maybe it's food
or alcohol.
Maybe it's vanity.
All we like sheep
have gone astray.
Everyone
each to his own way.
But because of the
eternal holiness
and perfection
sin is appalling
to God.
And the result
is that every single sin
must be accounted for
and must be punished.
So every lash
on the body of Jesus
as he was scourged
every time he was beat
he was beaten
in his head
such that
no one could recognize
him afterwards.
All the blood
that spilled
from his body.
Every amount
of suffering
that he experienced
the nails
that cut deep
into his wrists
and feet
his blood
that was poured out
all of this
every aspect
of his punishment
accounts for
our sin
and deals with
our punishment.
And so how do you know
the depth
the length
the breadth
of the love of God
for you?
Look at the cross.
Greater love
is no one
than this
that someone
laid down his life
for his friends.
John 15 13
So now
what does Isaiah
say happens
after Jesus' death?
He writes
in 53 verse 10
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.
Isaiah wrote
that Jesus would die
for the sin of man
but be raised
to life
again
he shall prolong
his days
and so where
is Jesus
now?
Let's go back
to the very first
verse of this passage
from 52 13
Behold
my servant
shall act wisely
he shall be high
and lifted up
and shall be
exalted
our Lord
was raised
to life
and is now
exalted
into the highest
place in heaven
next to
Father God
for all time
Now this phrase
high and lifted up
was used by Isaiah
in chapter 6
when he was first
commissioned as a
prophet of God
Isaiah sees
this vision
I saw the Lord
sitting upon a throne
high and lifted up
and the train
of his robe
filled the temple
above him
stood the seraphim
each had six wings
with two he covered
his face
and with two he covered
his feet
and with two
he flew
and one called
to another
and said
holy holy holy
is the Lord
of hosts
the whole earth
is full
of his glory
this
is where Jesus
is seated now
24-7
into eternity
the angels
who are in his presence
cannot help
but adore
and praise
and glorify
the risen Jesus
and if we here
love and trust him
one day
we too
will join the angels
in his glorious
assembly
but
now if Jesus
had suffered
and died on the cross
and remained buried
in the grave
until today
well
he would be remembered
as one of the greatest
human beings
that ever lived
no question about that
but if he remained buried
in the grave
until today
well
those of us
that call us Christians
we would be in a
sorry state
Paul writes in
1 Corinthians
if Christ has not been raised
your faith is futile
and you are still
in your sins
we would have no hope
there would be no
glorious eternity
in heaven
there would be no power
of God
to transform us
today
but Jesus did indeed
rise
from the grave
and the resurrection
is proof
that God is real
and his hope
is true
it's
the resurrection
is proof
that Jesus
is who the prophet
said he is
the world's
promised Messiah
and Savior
it confirms
God's promise
to us
and Jesus
is
alive
and so therefore
now the question is
what does the resurrection
mean
for us here today
here at Watermark
well let's look
let's look at these
last few verses
from our passage today
from 53 verses
11 and 12
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
counted righteous
and he shall bear
their inequities
therefore I will
divide him a portion
with the many
and he shall divide
the spoil
with the strong
Christ's resurrection
means
for those of us
here today
who love and trust him
our standing
in front of the
holy God
is righteous
is perfect
and not only that
but we also have
the privilege
of partaking
in Christ's glory
as being a part
of his family
and of course
it's hard to grasp
that day to day
but we have to remember
this week
because this week
we're going to go back
to work or school
or families
or wherever
and we're going to get
bombarded by the religion
of this world
someone is going to
annoy us
and frustrate us
as Irene pray
we're going to be
grumbling
sometime this week
we have to go back
to what we learned today
and so this week
when all these things
happen to us
let us refocus
our hearts
and our minds
on the risen Christ
and remember the implications
of his resurrection
I'll mention just
four implications
number one
our righteous standing
is confirmed
the death
and the resurrection
of Jesus
means that our sin
isn't just forgiven
and accounted for
it's been wiped
it's been buried
into the deepest ocean
it has been put
as far as the east
is from the west
it's been erased
from all hard drives
and backup servers
we are justified
in front of the holy God
his resurrection means
that instead of guilt
and shame
we are righteous
and pure
in the eyes of God
number two
we are part
of God's family
but we aren't merely
forgiven
and justified
incredibly
we are also part
of God's family
we are like the orphan
who steals
the king's crown jewels
but instead of a prison sentence
the king adopts us
into his own family
we live in his palace
we dine at his table
and our new title
is now prince
or princess
and so when
earthy relationships
let us down
we can be comforted
and run into the arms
of our loving father
in heaven
and three
death has been defeated
Jesus did come back
from the dead
an unbelievable event
that has never happened
in the history
of the world
Jesus went face to face
head on
with the thing
that we cannot defeat
death
and he defeated death
and what that means
for us
is that for all of us
who love and trust Jesus
he has defeated death
for us as well
and so all the ways
that we face suffering
and hardship
we have hope
that one day
all pain
and anxiety
all the depravity
of our own heart
all the ugliness
of the world politics
and the horrors
of war
all of that
will be gone
and will be replaced
with being face to face
with Jesus
in person
for all time
death
has been defeated
and fourth
and final
the power of God
is at work
within us
the resurrection
means that we are forgiven
we are justified
and part of God's
eternal family
but it also means
that even today
through prayer
and the power
of God's spirit
we have access
to the same power
which raised Christ
from the dead
Paul prays this
in Ephesians
that you may know
what is the immeasurable
greatness
of his power
toward us who believe
according to the works
of his great might
that he worked in Christ
when he raised him
from the dead
and seated him
at the right hand
in the heavenly places
today the Holy Spirit
is transforming us
Christ followers
are becoming
a little less selfish
a little more generous
we are becoming
a little less anxious
a little more content
dying to ourselves
bit by bit
a little more everyday
becoming more
like Christ
through the power of God
the same power
which raised Christ
from the dead
and let me close now
by looking at the book
of Acts
chapter 8
in this chapter
Philip
one of the early
Christian leaders
he meets this
Ethiopian court official
who is on his way
back from Jerusalem
and Philip overhears
this court official
reading from Isaiah
and he asks him
do you understand
what you are reading
to which the official
responds and says
how can I
unless somebody
guides me
and what was
the Ethiopian
court official
reading
like a sheep
he was led
to the slaughter
and like a lamb
before its shearer
is silent
so he opens
not his mouth
in his humiliation
justice
was denied him
who can describe
the generation
for his life
is taken away
from the earth
he was reading
from Isaiah
53
the court official
then asks Philip
about whom I ask you
does the prophet
say this
about him
or about
someone else
and of course
Philip reveals
to the court official
that Isaiah
is speaking
about Jesus Christ
the promised Messiah
the savior
of the world
and shortly thereafter
as the two men
pass by
a body of water
the Ethiopian
court official
asks Philip
to baptize him
what's happening here
the official
he hears
God's word
from Isaiah
as we have
been today
he receives it
deep into his heart
and he responds
by moving towards
Jesus
and his gospel
and so today
as Isaiah
reminds us
here
at Watermark
that Jesus
the man of sorrows
Jesus is
the suffering servant
Jesus
is the glorified
king
and as we see
the depth
and we realize
the depth
and the breadth
and the length
and the height
of the love of God
towards us
let us also
move towards him
respond to him
and move towards him
our mission here
at Watermark
is to make mature
disciples
of Jesus Christ
but that doesn't
just mean
knowing the text
intellectually
it doesn't just mean
coming to church
it doesn't just mean
going to religious
type events
it means
that in our hearts
you come to know
how much Christ
loves you
you become
secure
in his love
and your love
with him
becomes deep
rooted
and it's real
it's intimate
it's personal
it's alive
it's powerful
and it's life changing
and so how do you know
God loves you
how do you know
Jesus loves you
look to the cross
look to the resurrection
let's pray
Father thank you
for all of these
Old Testament scriptures
which paint such
beautiful pictures
of Jesus
they were written
and talked about
thousands of years ago
hundreds and thousands
of years ago
Lord
and yet are true
and real
and encouraging to us
today
I pray Lord
that as we have
received your word
today from Isaiah
that we would not
just leave here
and think it's interesting
and intellectual
Lord
but your word
would be rooted
deep in our hearts
and that we would
come away from here
God
being more secure
than ever
in your love
for us
and we would know
the depth
the breadth
and the height
and the length
and the deep
profoundness
of your love
for us
thank you
in Jesus name
Amen
mercy
John
verse
לי
verse
in dir
S