Who Has Believed Our Report First B Jackson 2018-12-16 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- Good morning, everybody. It's very, very good to see you. How are you this morning? Good. Alright. Well, what do you say we sing everybody in? With oh come all ye faithful. I have a few announcements for us this morning. Is the mic on? Can you hear me? Okay. Good. Announcements this morning. We are still meeting. We are still eating this week, Monday night. Yep. Tomorrow is we're having like authentic Jamaican food. Woo hoo. Yeah. Amen. It's multicultural place in here. Don't know if you knew that. You haven't met Eulily, Eulily is gonna be heading up a crew of Jamaican Yep. Ladies to make food tomorrow night. Yeah. So if you see Carl and six Jamaican women shopping at the grocery store tomorrow. Yeah. And and we're in Luke one about Mary's the the angel visiting Mary telling that she's gonna be the mother of Jesus. Amen. Alright. So, that's Monday nights at first B. Meal music and a message, 06:00 tomorrow evening. Same time as Awana is happening in this room. So, Awana is going on. We're pouring scripture into the minds of kids to reach their hearts and it's a great program. Tons of volunteers, tons of students. How many on average, Dan do we have? 50 to 60 kids, lots of volunteers going with that. We've reached as many as like 100 different people that come. So, it's pretty awesome. I want to time. Congregational meeting is happening. So, if you're a member of this church and you'd like to kind of know what's going on, if even if you want to sit in, you can vote. If you're a member, you can't vote if you're not a member but congregational meeting will be happening Sunday, January 13 at 10:15. So, between services, congregational meeting and I'm going to invite Matt if you would come up. I might need to grab a microphone from back there for you. Oh, here it is. So, Matt Litzelman is our moderator right now for the church. Now, on. Now, on. Thank you. Good morning, church church B family. It's always a little nerve racking to get up here at a moment's notice, but amen. I got one amen. I just wanna give a brief update of the happenings, what's going on, board of trustees perspective of church. Last time I think the last time I gave a quarterly announcement, we were slightly behind, but thanks to your generosity and God's provision, we are ahead again. So God's blessing us. Amen. Also wanted to make you aware, we've been planning and to get started on our deck on the West Side of the fellowship hall for some time and winter has overtaken us as you're aware. So we will not be pursuing that until the spring. Also, we're gonna be working on the handicapper ramp on the east side of the church as well. And there's a ton of projects that we have in mind and general maintenance that we wanna do. We're gonna make a list and put that out in the foyer for you all to see what's happening. If you have some interest in any of those, please let us know and we'll connect you one way or another. Also thanks again for helping us take care of our gorgeous kitchen and all the ministry that goes through there is absolutely amazing. If any of you have interest in serving, I know this body is known throughout the community for service, we touch people everywhere, it's amazing what you all do. But if you have any interest in serving on the board of trustees, please let me know or Karl Ray or one of the staff so we can plug you in in that area as well. Lastly, it's been a long standing tradition at First B that we give a love offering at the end of the year to bless our pastors and staff and we'd like to encourage you to do that. I did send out a letter twice earlier. If you did not receive that by email, please let me know or write your email down and put it in the offering so we can connect you that way so you can receive those emails. But I'd encourage you to give financially it's like a Christmas bonus for the folks that we love and serve us. Please do that. We're hoping to distribute that before Christmas. So as the Lord leads. I think that's all I have for BOT moderator, but we have one other announcement I'd like to share. We are beginning a new program with men's ministry called Fight Club, And I don't want to for it to be misunderstood, but what we're fighting for is is for Christ. We're fighting for and standing for Christ in word and action. And what it's about? It's about fighting for family. It's about fighting for honor and integrity and courage. And it's about rejecting passivity, accepting responsibility. It's about it's about holding one another accountable to be Godly men. And I'd like to invite Dan up to kind of help share the details of flesh that out a little bit. We will be meeting briefly. Yeah. So, we're just finishing up an eight week study called the resolution that was teaching men what's expected of husbands, fathers, community members, and and so we've all learned a lot of that, and now we're gonna be putting it into action. We're standing on the shoulders of better men that have gone before us to adopt a discipleship program called Fight Club, and it's based on Nehemiah four fourteen, which says, after Nehemiah had stood up and and surveyed the landscape around him, he said, do not be afraid of them, but remember the Lord who is awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes and so we're gonna be forming small groups, three to five guys. We're gonna be committing to a ten week discipleship program. Each group will have a leader and gonna be doing things. We're taking action. We're gonna be challenging each other to actually go out in the community and and do things. It's open to all men. So, if you can't come on Wednesday mornings, doesn't mean you can't take part in it. We're gonna form groups that meet at other times But to get the full details and and more of it, this Wednesday morning at 06:00 here at first b, we're gonna we're gonna do a more a fuller disclosure of the details of the program. Thanks, Dan. I needed him to to give all the details as I I stagger a little bit in that area at times. But first and then thank you all so much. Thank you all so much for your generosity and for your service and and just being part of the family here. Love you guys. If you'd like to stand up and greet one another, we'll bring it back with a song. Does that work, pastor? Hey, everybody. If you can hear me right now. So we got a few more announcements, but one of them is this. There are a lot of folks sitting in the back. And if you would squeeze in and towards the front, that'd be great. There's always seats up front for those of you who are in the back. I know that's by choice, but there's there are seats up front if you wanna come in. And also, we've got a couple other things. For one, there's a discovery class that's happening today between services, and some of y'all have been into a discovery class in the last two and a half months. I am not administrative in any way whatsoever. I I confess that before you right now. So, those of you who have been in for the in the last two and a half months or so that have been to a discovery class and we've gone through it and we were amen and an amen and all the way through the book. Y'all are in the process. We just haven't done a covenant ceremony in a while and we'll be doing one of those in the next few weeks. Yeah, the thirtieth is the plan but we've got a probably a couple of em that need to come up. We got a couple of baptisms that we need to schedule but I just want to say, if you feel like, you know what? I want to be a part more official part of First Bee then come down to my office between services discovery class today at 10:10 o'clock ish like right after this service. Youth group's having a Christmas party, December 18, six to eight and it's a white elephant gift. Mike insist that you buy not. Do not buy anything. Bring some interesting piece of novelty, junk to the to this party and there will be cookies for a cookie contest too. So, bring cookies that you made and we'll have a cookie contest and a white elephant but don't buy anything. Israel 2019. So, we're planning a trip to Israel, March 23 through April 3 and next week, in between services, probably in between services, 10:00, we'll we will meet probably and also in my office even if it's standing room only. We're trying to get everybody together at one time to talk about details and possibly pray through the whole situation. So, that's happening next week but the trip has happened in March 23 through April 3. Angel Tree, y'all know what to do with that and that's going amazingly well and I'm amazed by every year. Prayer request and any other announcement should be in your bulletin and this is the third Sunday of Advent. So, I'm going to invite you forward. You know who you are. The Daltons, fantastic. Melanie and Graham and Ian and Tim. Let's do the third Sunday of Advent. Luke two eight through 11 says, and there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shown around them and they were terrified but the angel said to them, do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today, in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. What do you say? We stand up. We'll sing of it. Alright. Heart to Hero. Christ by highest. Christ by highest. Amen. Let's pray on that. God, thank you that you came as light and life with healing in your wings. God, we do just sing your praises this morning because you're worthy of it. Thank you, God, for the peace that you are, the peace that you bring, that you broke into human history. God, we look back to your at your your first coming. We look forward to your second. Thank you God for the the right here, the right now, though. We ask God for you to fill this place and fill us in Jesus name. Amen. Alright. Good Christian friends. Good Christian friends rejoice Jesus Christ Let me read this from Isaiah. I think Ray's going here today. Isaiah 53. But let me give you a heads up of what of what he says here, what he prophesied. That Jesus speaking of Jesus, he was despised and rejected. A man of sorrow is acquainted with the deepest grief. By the way, if you're going through grief right now, know that Christ has experienced that grief and understands that grief and is a healing balm to your grief. Let me say that. And because of his experience because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous for he will bear all of our sins. What is the message of Christmas? Is that Christ entered in humans in human history that he would grow into a man, that he would take our sins on himself, that he would be the righteousness for us so that we could have so that heaven's door would be open to us as we've sung. Amen. Alright. Man of sorrows. You can have a seat and we'll invite the frontline team to come forward and Ray, would you pray this morning for us? God almighty, we thank you for this beautiful day, this beautiful season, and lord, we come before you humbled before the the story, before the text of scripture, lord, that you stepped out of the glories of heaven and took on the nature of a servant, a humble servant and you humbled yourself, lord, literally, you humbled yourself to death and death on the cross. So, lord, I pray that we would sense the gravity of that message and the the capacity it has to transform and change our life, lord. I also pray that those of us who have sensed that that lord, we would be driven to help others to see it as well in the way that we live our lives primarily lord but being ready with the defense for the reason we live our lives the the way that we do. So, God I pray that our words and our deeds would do that and one of those being in obedience lord giving to see your kingdom advance. Lord, would you use all of these funds that are placed in these plates to help people? Temporarily or lord, eternally. I pray that you would draw them into a good and peaceful, merciful relationship with you. I pray that you do it through what you say you'll do. You'll build your church. In Jesus name, lord, would you advance your kingdom here in Jackson and to the uttermost parts through us. Amen. They always had the sun's light on their face. Perfect in glory, broken by the story of on toll reigns. Come that day. Of Majesty come down. Glory, it's a come down of flesh and bone. Born. They all fell silent with a cry of an end then the voice of God. It was dividing history, but those with us to see the songs would shine from earth by night. Alright, they know. Children's time is starting. Children's are dismissed to go down to kids church, Peak Children's Church is downstairs right now and with that, we'll leave some pour space in here. They're open up some holes in the Swiss cheese. Would y'all, if you want to come forward, there is space forward, alright? If you want to and I understand that. If you don't. I promise. I won't yell. Yeah. Or call you up to do an announcement. We have this week Isaiah 50 and Isaiah 53. That's a lot. I know it's a lot but we have been going for the past two weeks over the suffering servant passage. So, we've been through Isaiah 42, the song of the servant and we've been through Isaiah 49, a continuing song of the servant of God and now we're hitting 50 verses four through eleven and five thousand two hundred thirteen to fifty three twelve. We're just going to roll with it, okay? It's continuing that. Lord, help us understand. Isaiah 54 starts off like this. The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned or the tongue of the disciple and the me there, some versions capitalize and some don't. It's an editorial choice when they do. Somebody called me and asked me about that. He said, you were talking a lot about capitalization. This is the father. This is the son. Last week and I should say that the New American Standard and the New King James and the King James all capitalize the NIV does not always capitalize deity especially in pronouns. So, they do for names but not for pronouns. This is the Lord has given me, that's Jesus. The Lord is the father in this case. The Lord, father God, has given me, Jesus, the tongue of the learned or the disciple. Now, was Jesus formally educated? As far as we know, he did hang out in the temple when he was 12. We have that little vignette where he was teaching the teachers. So, the Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned. They were astounded by his wisdom as a 12 year old. So, this is Isaiah writing this, seven hundred years before Christ, seven twelve years, let's say, before Christ, it's not literally exactly seven hundred but somewhere in there. The Lord has given me the tongue and the learning that I should know how to speak and that I should be able to give a word in season to him who is weary. Oh, that reminds me of one of the verses from a couple weeks ago. This idea that a bruised reed, he will not break. Jesus is careful with the broken. Does that make sense? A bruised reed, he will not break and a smoking flax, he will not quench and he will bring forth justice for truth. Amen. He awakens me morning by morning and he awakens my ear to hear as the learneth. So, Jesus is saying that God wakes him up every morning to hear anew and I actually how many of y'all know this book, Jesus Calling? How many of y'all know of it? A lot of ladies that I know have used this for their devotional and it's great. I I have like I just grabbed a stack em off the shelf of a gentle spirit, devotional journal, utmost for his highest Oswald Chamber, Jesus Calling, God Calling, Morning by Morning, Daily Light for the Daily Path, all those different things. It's a good idea when you get up in the morning to take a few minutes and center yourself on God's word. Now, Jesus is Isaiah is saying about Jesus that God awakens him. Jesus says, he, the Lord, awakens me morning by morning and he awakens my ear to hear as the learned. It is within our grasp to understand. Does that make sense? Not everything but it's within our grasp to understand more than we are. I like that. Diane keeps copies. If you want one of those copies for our devotional, go right ahead. I actually have been using this one lately and this is Amy, Matt's wife, Amy, Lane Litzelman. She doesn't know I'm going to do this but I don't know. Pray forward has been really good for me lately. That's the one that I'm reading. It's not every day. I'm reading it and meditating on it for a couple weeks but it's really really good and to be awakened in the morning. If it's the home screen on your computer to go to one, that's fantastic. I just sideline note. He awakens me morning by morning. That's a a great old devotional of morning by morning. That's where it takes this. The Lord has given me the tongue of the learner that I should speak and a word in season to him who is weary awakens me morning by morning. He awakens my ear to hear as the learned. This is the servant of God. The Lord God has opened my ear and I was not rebellious. How many of us can say that? Nor did I turn away That reminds me of first Peter. We just went through for to this you were called Christians because Christ also suffered for us leaving an example that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin nor was any deceit found in his mouth. I gave my back to those who struck me. Can you read this seven hundred year ahead of time prophecy without thinking of the passion of Christ where he is being scourged with the cat of nine tails by the Roman soldiers. I gave voluntarily my back to those who struck me and my cheeks to those who plucked out the beard. Caiaphas, oh, high priest at the time. We see a picture of Jesus painted seven hundred years in advance and we know that in '42, he had said, I tell you these things ahead of time so that they, when they happen, you will see them. Now, we've also got a lot of different places in Isaiah and other prophets that say, and seeing, they will not see and hearing, they will not understand but if somebody were to call you and say, hey, man. I got the lottery numbers for next week. Mega millions and you said, no, I don't play that game. That's stupid. Tax on people are bad at math. They gave you the numbers anyway. You didn't play em. And then they hit. Would you feel foolish? I wouldn't feel foolish because it's stupid to play the lottery. That's what I think. But I'd be poor continuing. I would continue to be in the state I am. I would say poor. But this is seven hundred years in advance and it is something that has been forecast and it's something that has been fulfilled and there are a lot of people that are still going, I'll take my chances. Whatever. What did that have to do with me? This is very very clear. It's very clear to me. I did not hide my face from shame and spitting. Oh, the soldiers as they put the crown of thorns on its head, put a purple coat, cloak over him, shamed him and spitting him, pretending to bow down to him. For the Lord God will help me and therefore, I will not be disgraced. He's saying that he will be proven to be right in the end. No matter what it feels like. Now, last week was a lot about the feeling that Christ felt in his humanity. He felt like all had been in vain and my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Yet, I will trust the Lord. The Lord God will help me. Therefore, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I've set my face like flint. For those of you who are New Testament folks and you read a lot of the New Testament, some of the things that you see here should point forward like Luke nine fifty one. If you look up a commentary and it's a two volume set on Luke, it'll be before 09:51 and after nine fifty one and this is it. It's the turning point in the book and it came to pass when the time was come that he should be received up. He steadfastly set his face. It's a callback to that Isaiah. He set his face to what was before him. He set his face like flint to go to Jerusalem where he knew that he would be crucified. Therefore, I have set my face like Clint. The Lord God will help me. Therefore, I will not be disgraced. I've set my face like Clint. Unpleasant as it is, I'm going into it. I'm leaning into this and I know that I will not be ashamed. Humbled, yes. But ashamed, no. He is near who justifies me. God is near. The one who justifies is near. Who will contend with me? Let us let us stand together. Who who is my adversary? Let him come near me. He's leaning into that too. We have an adversary. We talked about that a couple weeks ago in first Peter two where this the devil, your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Jesus says, bring it on. Let him come near to me. Surely, the Lord God will help me. Who is he that will condemn me? If God is on our side, then who can be against us, right? Paul brings that idea. Surely, the Lord God will help me. Who is he who will condemn me indeed? They all will grow old like a garment and the moth will eat them up. They, he's saying that opposition to the righteous cause of God will be destroyed. You get that? Opposition in the end will be totally destroyed. Now, for right now, that's all I'm going to go through actually. The callback like I mentioned, who, when he was reviled, he did not revile in return and when he suffered, he did not threaten but he committed himself to him who judges righteously. He entrusted himself to God who judges rightly, who will condemn me. He himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we haven't died to sins might live for righteousness. So, ten and eleven, the verses that kind of close out this servant song in 50, I'm going to wait on, okay? I'm going come back to those at the very end. Read em if you want to there in your bulletin but fifty two thirteen to fifteen fifteen fifty fifty three to three twelve is about the passion of Christ and it's like I said, written nearly seven hundred years before. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently. He won't break a bruised reed and he won't snuff out a smoldering wick. He shall deal prudently and he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high just as many were astonished at you. So, visit was marred more than any man. This is talking about the physical beating that Jesus took in the passion, okay? His visage was marred more than any man and today, I'm using New King James. It's just because. Yeah. And his form more than the sons of men It was a gruesome, gruesome picture that happened but also that Isaiah is painting ahead of time. The word of the Lord, Holy Spirit speaking through his prophet Isaiah. So shall he sprinkle many nations. Wow. Nations being families. It's not nation states, geopolitical stuff that we're thinking about these days but kind of every tribe, tongue, and nation. It's a family of people. Those folks, maybe some folks would call em people groups. So shall he sprinkle many groups of people, families. Kings shall shut their mouths at him for what had not been told them, they shall see and what they had not heard, they shall have to consider. This is a question that everyone has to deal with. It doesn't matter if you are the lowly or the king. Everyone will have to deal with this particular question. Fifty three one, who has believed our report? Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? So, Isaiah speaking authoritatively for God. He's God's man to deliver this message and he has been already saying, there is coming this servant. There is coming this servant 42, 49, fifty, fifty three. He's saying, there is coming this servant and it's going to be this way and he's broadcast it. Now, at the time of Jesus's birth in Bethlehem, what were they expecting of the Messiah? The suffering servant passages is not what they were looking to. The victorious passages of a military leader is what they were looking forward to. They were in an oppressive regime. They were under an oppressive regime, the Roman government. Although the Roman peace, the Pax Romana was being kept. It was being kept at the tip of the sword and so they had all of these peoples subjugated under them and the people of Israel, God's chosen people were under that. What they were expecting is a military coup that would overthrow the Roman government and establish David's throne and that they would rule and that's what they wanted and that's what they're looking forward to and as they're leaning in that direction, these servant songs are kind of lost or reinterpreted. They had been interpreted to be the nation of Israel because obviously, we are trying to do God's work and obviously, we are being beaten down. That that they took the singular references to some guy future. Messiah, servant. They took that to mean the nation of Israel, God's chosen people and they continued to hoard that blessing. Unfortunately, but when Isaiah says, who has believed our report? This is a question for everybody. Do you believe? Do you believe the report? Whether it's the report from seven hundred years before, a thousand years before in the time of David, three hundred years before in the time of captivity, three eighty something years before. It wherever you are, who has believed our report? I think that's a good question for us to consider today because it matters. Who's believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? I was reading a kind of a summary or a commentary on Isaiah 53 this week and they said, the son of God, the son of the one most exalted, speaks in these servant passages to the deity of Christ and when he's going back and forth, he's perfect man, perfect God. He's both and so when he feels this awful feeling of the humiliation of having to go through it and he also says, I will not be ashamed. All of these verses we just hit. My God will strengthen me and he'll honor me and it will come out. In the end, he has faith that that's true but he's feeling everything that we've all felt, right? We felt like we were persecuted not to the level of Jesus most of us. Not any of us. Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? The arm of the Lord being a reference to Jesus and his humanity. Who is it that has listened? To the report. Who is it? It's been revealed. For he shall grow up before him. He, Jesus, shall grow up before him. God, as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. Now, I've never been in a class with any professor that didn't see a pun right there. Netzer is a root or a tender shoot. Netzer and Nazareth is the land of these tender shoots. So, when Jesus of Nazareth, it's a pun that was included in biblical prophecy seven hundred years before. All you dads out there that like a good pun. Biblical backing right there. He has no form. It makes sense in Hebrew. He has no form or comeliness and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire and he said, there's nothing really special about what he looks like. All of the songs that we have now about seeking the face of Jesus. Isaiah saying, really, he looks like a guy, just a normal guy. He has no form or comeliness and when we see him, there's no beauty that we should desire him. It's not rock star status because of how beautiful he was. He is despised and rejected by men. Is that still true? Verb tense there is is pretty important. So, it's it's all the way back then and all the way forward till now, the idea that the conqueror, Christus Victor, the victorious Messiah would be a servant and come to serve and not be served. Whoo. That's an idea that people don't like very much. He's despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. I love that song. And we hid as it were our faces from him He was despised and we did not esteem him. Surely, he has born our griefs and carried our sorrows. Now, speaking to the covenant people of God, the chosen people of God, Isaiah is speaking and he's saying, we did not esteem him. We did. Whoo. That's hard because there is a remnant that has always looked forward to the Messiah and has always humbled themselves and trusted in God and there is still a continuing forward remnant of people that put their faith in whatever God's plan was. He was despised and we did not esteem him and then, surely, he has born our griefs and he has carried our sorrows. He's a man of sorrows. He's acquainted with grief. He knows what it's like. All of our sin placed upon him at the cross. And yet we esteemed him as stricken as smitten by God and afflicted on the cross. The leaders the council high priest and the leaders were saying, you saved others, save yourself, right? And they were mocking him and saying, no. Remember when they said, if this is an axe, this is after the crucifixion. If this is of God, it'll go forward but if not, it'll die out. It hasn't died out. It's been two thousand years, right? Yet, we esteemed him, stricken, and smitten by God and afflicted. I don't I don't mean to if it sounds like I'm painting this all on Israel or on the Jewish people. I'm not. Every single one of us has experienced this. Some of us have hit a change in mind and realize that this passage and others are pointing towards a Messiah and he's exactly the Messiah. That would be the only one. Yet, we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. Why would God let him die? Why would that make any sense? Surely, God would save him. We think that about missionaries sometimes, right? When they're missionaries that are killed by tribes, I heard of one a couple weeks ago and it's just horrible immediately. Oh, and do we think those people immediately smitten by God and afflicted? I think, I think we still do. Even if they were going out of their calling but he, Jesus, was wounded for our transgressions. Having no sin himself, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. That's substitutionary atonement. If you're a theologically minded person, substitutionary atonement. Christ in our stead made. At onement. Actually, they had to come up with that word. It wasn't even a word till Wickliffe was translating the Bible and said, we need a word for that. What is something that puts us at one with God? At onement is atonement, the atonement. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon him and by his stripes, we are healed. The suffering of Christ all through first Peter, it points back to the suffering of Christ, the suffering of Christ, and the exaltation and the two are tied together and our sanctification is tied to Christ. Persecution, suffering, and his exaltation resurrection. Who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we having died to sins might live for righteousness by whose stripes you are healed. All these are quotes from Isaiah that Peter's using, right? All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone of us to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Does this, is this amazing to y'all? The seven hundred year before thing? Like, lottery numbers were pretty amazing. I heard, I heard your response to that. This is eternal. Riches in Christ Jesus. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've 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. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before it shears a silence open not his mouth. Oh, at Pilate, when Pilate says, don't you know I have the authority to kill you? And Jesus says, you would have no authority except that God had given it to you and he didn't answer the charges with a defense. He took it. Led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its shearers of silence so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgement and who will declare his generation. He was cut off from the land of the living. You know, they crucified him outside of Jerusalem's wall, outside Israel trip, I guess, get to see kind of how that goes. He was cut off from the land of the living and for the transgressions of my people, God's people. Capital M there. He was stricken. He was stricken for the sins of all of God's chosen people. And they made his grave with the wicked. But with the rich at his death. Remember, Jesus borrowed a tomb and he borrowed it from Joseph of Arimathea who was a rich man. He asked that he might help and Nicodemus asked that he might help and they laid him in this tomb that had been prepared for this rich man. Seven hundred years before, he's written this and and there are some scholars that say, well, really it was 386. 386 before. I don't care. Somebody gave me the lottery numbers a week ahead or two days ahead, would it matter? If they're right? No. They made his grave with the wicked but they're with the rich at his death because he had done no violence nor was any deceit in his mouth. There it is again. Committed no sin nor was any deceit found in his mouth. He kept on entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. Yet, it pleased the Lord to bruise him. That's hard. That hard for you? When somebody is suffering and you think, what kind of a sadistic megalomaniac? Excuse me, please don't think I'm blaspheming. Would receive pleasure out of Christ bruising all of us. All of us who admit our sin and ask him for forgiveness. We should appreciate the fact that it pleased God to take the only innocent lamb and place on him the iniquity of all of us who would put our trust in him. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. When your sacrifice, when you're going through grief and suffering, if you're suffering with the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ, not because you're a murderer, a thief, or an evil doer, a troublesome meddler but because you're suffering with the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ, it can be redemptive. How you deal with it can be redemptive for someone else. It's by his blood. It's not by your blood. You can't take the beating because you deserve the beating quite honestly. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief And when you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed and he shall prolong his days. Resurrection, point towards resurrection right there and the birth of the church right there. And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. The pleasure of God will prosper in the hands of Christ and Christ said he would build his church, okay? Are you with me? I know I'm doing a string of pearls today. Everything I'm saying is in scripture. I'm trying to make sure it's back. Everything I'm saying but he shall see the labor of his soul and he shall be satisfied. Praise God that Jesus gets to see that. After having suffered for the time that he did, he gets to now see victory. He shall see the labor of his soul and he shall be satisfied by his knowledge, my righteous servant shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities. The only way that he justifies anyone is if he has born their iniquities. Does that make any sense? They have to accept it. So, therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great. We're joint heirs with Jesus. I will divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul unto death. Jesus being in bound as a man did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped. This is Philippians two but he took on the nature of a servant. He humbled himself. He humbled himself even to obedience and the obedience of a death on the cross and therefore, God has highly exalted him. He he poured out his soul unto death voluntarily and he was numbered with the transgressors. That one, Mark 15. With him, they also crucified two robbers, one on his left and one on his right. So, the scripture was fulfilled and says and he was numbered with the transgressors. All of the New Testament authors were aware of Isaiah and it's one of the strongest cases from the Old Testament that we can make about Jesus. He was numbered with the transgressors and he bore the sin of many and he made intercession for the very transgressors. Oh, I love that. I love that. As he's being nailed to the cross, he's praying for forgiveness for the guys who are holding the hammer. So, we'll drop back here at Isaiah fifty, ten, and 11. So, this was the end of the chapter that I was mentioning before. So, two servant songs here, 50. We've already been through four through nine but fifty, ten, and 11 is this, who among you fears the Lord? And who obeys the voice of his servant? Who among you fears the Lord and who obeys the voice of his servant? I think if we're completely honest, we all fall short in this area, right? Romans three would agree. Sorry, that's so tiny for y'all but I can read it. What shall we conclude then? Do we have an advantage? No, not at all. For we already have made charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written, this is from Psalms. There is no one righteous. No, not even one. This was written about a thousand BC. There's no one who understands. There's no one who seeks after God. All have turned away and they have together become worthless. There is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves and their tongues practice deceit. Poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin, and misery mark their ways and the way of peace, they do not know. It does that sound current to y'all? For three thousand years ago, they're writing. Pretty much like the newspaper. There's no fear of God before their eyes. Now, we know that whatever the law says, it says that to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be silenced in the whole world may be held accountable to God. Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by works of the law rather through the law we become conscious of our sins. So, what shall we? Oh, sorry. I had it written bigger. Great. That's forethought on my part. Who walks in darkness and has no light? How many times have I stood up here and said, he has removed us from the kingdom of darkness and placed us into his kingdom of marvelous light. Who walks in darkness and has no light? If we're honest, we all start out that way. All of us do. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So, who walks in darkness and has no light? I think all of us start out that way, everyone of us. So, the response then is, let him, whoever that is, who walks in darkness and has no light. Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God. Capital G, almighty God, okay? So, this is option number one. Option number one is that. So, Isaiah fifty eleven says, look, all of y'all, who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with sparks, who walk in the light of your own fire, and in the sparks that you yourself have kindled. You're trying to do it your way. Frank Sinatra, I did it my way. No. You're trying to do it your way. Look, all of you who kindle a fire, are we all seeking for peace? Have y'all talked to anybody crazy this week? I've talked to a few crazy people this week that are seeking for peace and through the weirdest means possible. They've rejected all religion completely out of hand and the Bible foremost, usually because of a bad experience with church people, I have to tell you. They're trying to do it themselves and I think left to our own devices, we would all try to do it ourselves. Look, all of you have kindled fire who encircle yourself with those sparks, who walk in the light of your own fire and in the sparks that you have kindled. Option two is this, this you shall have from my capital M, God's hand. You shall lie down in torment. The end of the servant song has option one and option two. Option one, trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon God or do it yourself and lie down in torment. Isn't that hard? Merry Christmas. No, sorry. Merry Christmas because there is a way out. If there were not for Christ, there would be no way out. Does that make sense? It would be absolutely hopeless, nihilistic stuff that is the way that a lot of people feel today. It comes down to the message of the cross and the message of the cross is this, it's foolishness to those who are actually perishing, taking option number two but to those who are being saved, it's the very power of God. Trusting in Christ removes you from the kingdom of darkness and places you into the kingdom of light and gives you access to the same power that raised Jesus from the grave so that you might walk out a sanctified life. You might daily by submitting your will to his, grow in sanctification. And this saying is trustworthy. It's deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And honestly people there are no other kind. We all start out as sinners. Our walking out his righteousness and goodness is possible. We will fail. But when we fail, we are his wounds are what have healed us. His stripes. His redemptive suffering has made the way for us to get back up and go on forward. And then I'll go back to fifty three one. Who has believed this report? That makes all the difference in the world. Who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? The arm of the Lord is the strength of God. It is Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death that makes atonement for us. Anybody Have anything to add to that? Amen? Carl, would you come on up? Would y'all stand as we sing and I think we're going to sing Isaiah 53 basically. If you feel like you need to come forward and pray, please do that. If you want to talk to me, stop me. I'll turn off the microphone and put down the base, alright? But whether it's now or after, Listen to the words of the song. Think about it. Alright. He was pierced. Let's sing this. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our sins. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. By his wounds, by his wounds we are healed. Let's sing that again, Chuck. He was bruised for our transgressions. He was crushed for our sins. The punishment that brought us peace was upon by his wounds we are healed and we are healed by his sacrifice we are healed by a grace we are saved we are saved. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our sins. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. By his and the life that you gave. We are here for you faith and price. By your grace, we are saved. We are saved. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our sins. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. And by his wounds, by his wounds, and what can't? What can wash Amen. I've got a couple of verses for you up there. Jude twenty four twenty five said this, now to him who's able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ, our lord, be glory and majesty and dominion and authority before all time now and forevermore. He's the author of all history, right? He knows it. He's outside of time. He doesn't have to suffer through past, present, future the same way that we do except in Christ. Do you get that? He chose to do it. He chose to walk in this way. Imma read one more for you. Romans eight one through four says this, therefore, now, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus, the law of the spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did. By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be that sin offering and so he condemned it in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of law might be met fully in us, who do not live according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. God, would you allow us the strength, lord, to walk in the spirit and draw many to you this week. Amen.