New Life Bible Fellowship Church
10/26/25

      • Psalm 37:16–17KJV1900

  • Jesus Your Name
  • I'd Rather Have Jesus

      • Proverbs 1:8–19KJV1900

  • Introduction:

    We began three weeks ago with a new series that we’ve entitled, Christ in the Old Testament, a series that will explore nine key passages from the Old Testament, revealing how God's plan of redemption through Jesus Christ was woven into the fabric of salvation history from the very beginning.
    Since much of the Old Testament revelation of Christ is progressive in nature, our series has attempted to followed this progressive track. So let’s see where we are. We began with three sermons related to foundational typology,
    The first promise made to Adam and Eve at their point of sin of one who would crush the serpents head and be bruised in the process, in Genesis 3:15.
    Then we saw the need for a substitute, one that would die in the place of the one chosen, in the ultimate sacrifice, in Genesis 22:1-19.
    Then last week, we saw the type of the passover lamb whose blood would save God’s people from God’s wrath of death in Exodus 12:1-13.
    Now this week and next, we will move from the foundational typologies and allow scripture to show us The Work of Atonement itself, its Suffering, Agony, and Death. What does atonement look like, what does it involve, and how does that relate to Christ? These we will begin to answer as we look at a very familiar passage frojm Isaiah 53, and see Jesus, The Suffering Servant.

    Text: Isaiah 53:1-6

    Isaiah 53 ESV
    1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 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. 3 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. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 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. 6 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. 7 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 sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 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? 9 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. 10 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. 11 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 accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 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.

    Main Idea: Because God’s atonement required substitution and the shedding of blood, Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering servant paints a detailed picture of Christ's atoning death.

    Background:

    Let’s trace the key events from Exodus 12 to Isaiah 53
    The span between Exodus 12 (the institution of the Passover and the departure from Egypt) and Isaiah 53 (the prophecy of the Suffering Servant) covers a large portion of Israel's Old Testament history.
    The major events in this period are:
    The Wilderness Wanderings (Exodus - Numbers): The Israelites, led by Moses, received the Law at Mount Sinai (including the Ten Commandments) and spent 40 years in the wilderness due to their disobedience, receiving God's provision and judgment.
    The Conquest of Canaan (Joshua): Under the leadership of Joshua, the new generation of Israelites entered and conquered the Promised Land of Canaan.
    The Period of the Judges (Judges - 1 Samuel): After Joshua, Israel was ruled by a series of regional leaders, or Judges, during a time characterized by cycles of apostasy, oppression by foreign enemies, repentance, and deliverance.
    The United Kingdom (1 & 2 Samuel, 1 Kings): Israel transitioned to a monarchy with the anointing of its first king, Saul, followed by David, who established Jerusalem as the capital, and then Solomon, who built the First Temple.
    The Divided Kingdom (1 & 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles): Following Solomon's death, the kingdom split into two: the northern kingdom of Israel (which had 10 tribes) and the southern kingdom of Judah (containing the tribes of Judah and Benjamin).
    The Fall of Israel: The northern kingdom of Israel was conquered and exiled by the Assyrian Empire around 722 BC due to its widespread idolatry.
    The Prophets and The Approaching Exile: During this time, prophets like Isaiah (who prophesied around 740–680 BC), Jeremiah, and others warned Judah about their sins and prophesied of future judgment and restoration. It is within the prophecies of Isaiah that the Suffering Servant of chapter 53 is described, foretelling a redemptive figure.
    This entire period traces the history of the nation, from its birth through divine deliverance (Exodus), covenant relationship (Sinai), settlement, and subsequent moral decline, culminating in the prophetic anticipation of both judgment (Exile) and a unique, suffering redeemer (Isaiah 53). Through it all, God’splan is never thwarted, it continues to be carried out no matter how deep and tragic is the failure of man, since these failed human beings need atoning for, and thus we begin with…

    I. A Humble and Rejected Servant (53:1-3)

    The prophet describes one who is despised and rejected by men, full of sorrow.
    1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? - Isaiah begins by asking an important question…
    Who has believed what he has heard from us. Will God’s own people receive the gospel proclaimed by the believing remnant? Initially at least, the answer is no. Many nations hear and understand but “we” (the Jewish nation) do not esteem (respect and admire) Him (v. 3).
    The arm of the LORD is the power of God in action (cf. Isa. 40:10; 51:9; 62:8). This is not some manmade redemption, this is God at work with his great might.
    2 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.
    root out of dry ground. His origins are not promising (Zech. 4:10; John 1:46). He comes without pomp or honor, like a root in the parched soil—though He is the promised root from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1 “1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” ).
    no form or majesty. Unlike Saul, or even David (1 Sam. 9:2; 16:12). Unbelief in the servant was natural because he was an obscure, outwardly unimpressive person in a failed culture. “His generation” was blind (v. 8).
    3 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.
    despised and rejected. Is 49:7. Cf. Ps. 22:6; Lam. 1:1–3; 2:15, 16.
    Isaiah 49:7 ESV
    7 Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
    Rejection of the servant reveals how misguided the human mind is.
    a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. The word for “grief” here is more often translated “sickness.” Human beings flee from suffering and weakness, yet the Servant deliberately embraces both. Jesus experienced sorrow and grief of various sorts throughout his whole life. “Acquainted” could also be rendered “knowing”.
    But why would the Servant embrace suffering and weakness, it is because He is…

    II. Bearing Our Sins (53:4−6)

    Why must this suffering servant bear of sins? Why can’t God just pardon us, wipe the slate clean and give us a new lease on life?. Ezekiel tells us why:
    Ezekiel 18:20 ESV
    20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
    4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
    he has borne our griefs. The central stanza of the passage draws attention to the reason for this suffering of the Servant. It is vicarious (done for another) suffering in our place—that is, on behalf of His wandering people. The prophet includes himself in this redemptive experience, just as he included himself in the condemnation for sin in Isaiah 6:5.
    Isaiah 6:5 ESV
    5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
    we esteemed him stricken - That is, we esteemed him as nothing; we set no value on him. It’s like Isaiah is saying, “We, the Jews, the nation to whom he was sent, did not esteem him as the Messiah, or as worthy of our affection or regard.” This is what makes the action of God even more incredible…God was not bringing atonement for those who want it or even think they need it.
    smitten by God. They believe this about the Servant because the law said, “a hanged man is cursed by God” (Deut. 21:23; cf. Gal. 3:13). The onlookers thought Christ was suffering only what He deserved, but His experience of pain and anguish was for His people (1 Pet. 2:24). He did not merely suffer physical pain and human abandonment; on the cross, He was even abandoned by God, receiving the hellish fate that all people deserve. The extremity of Jesus’ suffering shows that His compassion is real and not theoretical (Heb. 2:17-18).
    Hebrews 2:17–18 ESV
    17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
    1 Peter 2:24 ESV
    24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
    5 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.
    But contrasts with “our” incomprehension, or in spite of our not estemiing him. The servant’s anguish was “our” fault, not his own. our transgressions, our iniquities. His sufferings went to the root of all human woe (cf. Matt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24). wounded, crushed, chastisement (the state of being punished for wrongdoing), stripes. Isaiah emphasizes how severely God punished the rejected servant for the sins of mankind.
    And what was our response, what were we doing?
    6 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.
    All we. Even as we sinned, so He died for us (2 Cor. 5:14-15).
    2 Corinthians 5:14–15 ESV
    14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
    sheep ... astray. See 1 Pet. 2:25.
    1 Peter 2:25 ESV
    25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
    laid. The guilt of our sins was transferred to Jesus, and He offered Himself as a sacrifice in our place. As Paul wrote, God “made him to be sin who knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21).
    2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
    21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
    The servant, who alone was sinless, was uniquely qualified to bear the sins of others, and all people contributed to his pain…like sheep…stupid and helpless…the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. See Lev. 16:21–22; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:25.
    But that’s not all, for the Servant, who was humble and rejected, bore our sins, in order that…

    III. Through His Wounds We Are Healed (53:5b)

    His suffering is not for His own sake, but for ours, bringing us peace and healing (53:5).
    5b …and with his wounds we are healed.
    we are healed. literally, it is healed to us; or healing has happened to us. The healing here referred to, is spiritual healing, or healing from sin. Pardon of sin, and restoration to the favor of God, are represented as an act of healing.
    The figure is derived from the fact that awakened and convicted sinners are often represented as crushed, broken, bruised by the weight of their transgressions, and the removal of the load of sin is represented as an act of healing.
    Psalm 6:2 ESV
    2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
    Psalm 41:4 ESV
    4 As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”
    Psalm 103:3 ESV
    3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
    The idea here is, that the Messiah would be scourged; and that it would be by that scourging that health would be imparted to our souls. It would be in our place, and in our stead; and it would be designed to have the same effect in recovering us, as though it had been inflicted on ourselves. This is how scripture defines atonement!
    Jesus's qualification as sin bearer rests on several essential characteristics:
    His sinlessness - Only someone without sin could bear the sins of others. The New Testament repeatedly emphasizes that Jesus was "without sin" (Hebrews 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:22). A sinful person would need atonement for their own sins first.
    1 Peter 2:22 ESV
    22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
    His full humanity - As a human, Jesus could represent humanity and die in our place. Hebrews 2:14-17 explains that he had to be "made like his brothers in every way" to serve as a merciful and faithful high priest making atonement for sins.
    Hebrews 2:14–17 ESV
    14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
    His divinity - His divine nature gave his sacrifice infinite value, sufficient to cover all humanity's sins. A merely human sacrifice wouldn't have been adequate for such a purpose.
    His voluntary submission - Jesus willingly laid down his life (John 10:18). The atonement required a voluntary loving sacrifice, not a victim. His obedience "to the point of death" (Philippians 2:8) was crucial.
    John 10:18 ESV
    18 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.”
    His role as the fulfillment of Old Testament types - He embodied what the sacrificial system pointed toward - the ultimate Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), the scapegoat bearing away sins (Leviticus 16), and the suffering servant prophesied in Isaiah 53.
    The scriptures see these qualities as making Jesus uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity, accomplishing what no one else could.

    So What?

    Do we realize that God’s atonement must include substitution, blood, and suffering?
    Do we understand that God could not forget our sins, but it is only through the bearing of our sins that we are saved?
    Do we understand that only through the wounds of Jesus Christ, are we eternally healed?

      • Isaiah 53ESV

      • Isaiah 53:1–3ESV

      • Isaiah 49:7ESV

      • Ezekiel 18:20ESV

      • Isaiah 53:4ESV

      • Isaiah 6:5ESV

      • Hebrews 2:17–18ESV

      • 1 Peter 2:24ESV

      • Isaiah 53:5–6ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:14–15ESV

      • 1 Peter 2:25ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:21ESV

      • Isaiah 53:5ESV

      • Psalm 6:2ESV

      • Psalm 41:4ESV

      • Psalm 103:3ESV

  • I Will Serve Thee
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
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