1 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:15,640 Well, good morning, church morning. 2 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,520 So good to be here this morning. It's it's quite an adventure to 3 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:27,520 get to Karawachi this morning, privilege to preach God's word 4 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:31,520 for us this morning and a day as a significant as this one. 5 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:38,560 Growing up in church, I never really stopped to think about 6 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:48,000 the name Good Friday. In Indonesia we call it Jumat 7 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:54,120 Agung, and when I grew up, I simply accepted that name 8 00:00:54,120 --> 00:01:00,720 without much thought, just as I accepted Napal and Bhaskar and 9 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:04,319 all the other names. It wasn't until I first went to 10 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:10,640 the United States and I heard it called Good Friday that I begin 11 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:16,080 to wonder at its meaning. It's how simple that word good 12 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:18,960 means. I was like, why good? 13 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:29,160 What was so good about it? Because in my unconverted mind, 14 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:35,440 the crucifixion of Jesus Christ felt to me like the saddest part 15 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:40,320 of Christianity. It's not something good. 16 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:46,040 You know, when you watch every portrayal of the crucifixion, 17 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:51,120 every scene from movies about the crucifixion, they felt dark 18 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:57,800 and awful and sorrowful. Here we have Jesus, who seem 19 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:02,320 untouchable, who work mighty miracles, heal the sick, feed 20 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:08,800 the crowds, raise the dead, was now suffering brutal torture and 21 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,640 humiliation at the hands of his enemies, the disciples, 22 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:17,560 devastated Peter, supposed to be his guy, denied him. 23 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,120 And I used to think, you know, in the end it all worked out. 24 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:25,960 Three days later, he rose again triumphantly. 25 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:33,160 But, but perhaps the crucifixion itself, maybe it was just this 26 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:40,880 terrible interruption, A tragic detour that was not supposed to 27 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:45,240 happen, which Jesus, because he was God, then overcame in the 28 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:49,720 end. So why is it called good? 29 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,080 Well, as believers, I hope we all know the answer, even the 30 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:00,160 children who are here as you're doing your your papers. 31 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,360 If I asked you, I hope you know the answer. 32 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:08,120 Good Friday is called good, not because the day itself was 33 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:13,800 pleasant, but because what Christ accomplished on that day 34 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:21,280 was profoundly and unimaginably good. 35 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:28,280 On the cross, Jesus suffered to save sinners. 36 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:34,360 Through His death, He bore our sins, satisfied the justice of 37 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,840 God, and opened the way for our sins to be forgiven and for us 38 00:03:37,840 --> 00:05:27,000 to be reconciled to God. And among all the books and the 39 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:35,600 chapters of the Bible, there is none, none as clear and as 40 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:43,800 powerful as Isaiah 53 when it comes to the person and the work 41 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,000 of Jesus Christ. This chapter has often been 42 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:53,920 called the 5th Gospel because no other place, few places in all 43 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,320 of Scripture, explain more clearly why Jesus have to come 44 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:01,240 into the world and why he had to die. 45 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,800 It is one of the fullest presentation of the gospel in 46 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,080 the entire Bible, not just in the Old Testament. 47 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,080 But first, let's set the stage for us. 48 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,320 Yeah, the book of Isaiah is. It's a big book. 49 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:20,080 In fact, it's coincidentally or not sure if it's coincidental, 50 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:25,080 66 chapters long. It's about the holiness of God, 51 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:32,520 the sin of man, the certainty of judgement, the hope of 52 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:35,640 salvation. Isaiah was preaching to 53 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:40,040 rebellious and idolatrous people who still had the outward 54 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:45,400 appearance of religion, but whose hearts were very much far 55 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:50,240 from the Lord. And because God is the Holy One 56 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,320 of Israel, he said, judgement must come. 57 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:58,600 And yet, and yet judgement is not the final word in Isaiah. 58 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,200 Because running through the entire book is this threat, this 59 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:08,440 promise, hope that God says, I am going to save you, I will 60 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:13,360 redeem you, I will establish my Kingdom, I will send the 61 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:17,120 promised king, and I will bring salvation not just to you, 62 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:22,520 Israel, but to the nations. And as the book goes on, Isaiah 63 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:27,600 began to focus our attention on one particular figure, the 64 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:32,040 servant of the Lord. Just fascinating. 65 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,400 He's saying the servant of the Lord. 66 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:43,400 These passages became collectively known as what we 67 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:47,960 call the Servant Songs. There are four of them in the 68 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,120 entire book and give a quick summary. 69 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:54,680 In Isaiah 42, the Servant is introduced as God's chosen 70 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:58,000 servant. The one that is upheld by God, 71 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:01,960 filled with the Spirit, will faithfully bring justice to the 72 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:05,400 nation's. Isaiah 49 The Servant is called 73 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:10,520 from the womb and is given a mission not only to restore 74 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:15,840 Israel, but to be a light to the Gentiles so that the salvation 75 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:17,960 of God would reach the ends of the earth. 76 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,880 In Isaiah 50, the Servant is shown to be the obedient one, 77 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,520 faithful one, the one who does not draw back even when he is 78 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:35,720 struck and shame and suffers. And then when we come to this 79 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:40,840 passage, Isaiah 53, we come to the climax of these servants 80 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,720 Psalms. So with that, let's read our 81 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,200 passage together. Isaiah chapter 53. 82 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:47,920 Follow along with me if you have your Bible. 83 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:53,080 Isaiah 53, chapter One. Who has believed what he has 84 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:57,800 heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been 85 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:01,600 revealed? For he grew up before him like a 86 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,760 young plant, like a root out of a dry ground. 87 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,280 He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no 88 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:10,880 beauty that we should desire him. 89 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,280 He was despised and rejected by men. 90 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,600 A man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs. 91 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,400 And as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised. 92 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:30,520 And we esteem him not surely as borne our griefs, and carry our 93 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,880 sorrows. And yet we steam him stricken, 94 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:39,280 smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was Spears for our 95 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:42,240 transgressions. He was crushed for our 96 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,680 iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement 97 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:49,720 that brought us peace. We are healed all. 98 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:51,320 We, like sheep, have gone astray. 99 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:55,080 We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid 100 00:09:55,080 --> 00:10:00,560 on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was 101 00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:05,680 afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth like a lamb that is led to 102 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:09,320 the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers his 103 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:14,040 silent, He opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment He 104 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,400 was taken away. And As for his generation, who 105 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,920 considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, 106 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:26,600 stricken for the transgression of my people, and they have made 107 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:30,840 his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, 108 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,480 although he had done no violence, and there was no 109 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:39,400 deceit in his mouth, yet it was the will of the Lord to crush 110 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:40,600 him. He was. 111 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:44,440 He has put him to grieve when his soul makes an offering for 112 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:48,600 guilt. He shall see his offspring, He 113 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:51,960 shall flow on his days. The will of the Lord shall 114 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:55,800 prosper in his hand out of the anguish of his soul. 115 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,720 He shall see and be satisfied by his knowledge. 116 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,560 Shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be 117 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:06,520 accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities? 118 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,360 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he 119 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,080 shall divide the spoil with the strong. 120 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:17,000 Because He poured out his soul to death and was numbered with 121 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,920 the transgressors, yet he bore the sin of many and makes 122 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:24,840 intercession for the transgressors. 123 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:31,240 This is God's word. Now, trying to do this entire 124 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:36,760 passage justice in A1 sermon is probably impossible. 125 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:42,240 But let's trust the Holy Spirit to guide our hearts and our 126 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:44,200 thoughts this morning. And we'll look at this passage 127 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:48,520 in three simple parts. 3 simple parts if you're taking notes #1 128 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:53,800 is the servant that we rejected #2 is a substitute who bore our 129 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,440 sin. Verse 4 to 9, point number one 130 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:01,400 is verse one to three, and #3 the Saviour got vindicated. 131 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:09,680 Verse 10 to 12, the Saviour got vindicated one, the servant we 132 00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:13,880 rejected. So when we talk about the 133 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,120 servant songs in this one, particularly the last one, it 134 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,760 really began. It really ought to begin 3 135 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:21,520 verses prior. You got to remember that the 136 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:27,880 Bible was not written with chapters and verses, but the 137 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:30,960 introduction of this servant in this last song collectively, 138 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:35,760 they actually begin in verse 13 of the previous chapter, whereas 139 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:39,960 the God just announced again the servant, right? 140 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:46,080 But in 53, after calling the world to behold a servant, 141 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:51,040 Isaiah 53 opens with two questions. 142 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:55,480 Who has believed what he has heard from us? 143 00:12:56,160 --> 00:13:00,120 And second one, he says to whom has the arm of the Lord been 144 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,520 revealed? Isaiah is telling us from 145 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:07,720 beginning here, this good news about a Servant will not be 146 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:15,240 believed by most who hear it. That's the hard thing to accept. 147 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:20,040 Why is it so hard? Well, Isaiah begins to answer 148 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:22,880 that in verse 2. He says, for he grew up before 149 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:25,880 him like a young plant, like a root out of a dry ground. 150 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:30,960 He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, no beauty 151 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:35,280 that we should desire Him. This servant comes up like a 152 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:40,760 young plant. How many of you here are experts 153 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:44,200 in in gardening or planting things? 154 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:52,240 A young plant is the opposite image of strength and power. 155 00:13:53,920 --> 00:14:00,120 It's fragile, it's meek, it's ordinary. 156 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:02,680 Sometimes you mistake it for a weed. 157 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,920 Even more, he's like a root out of dry ground. 158 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:13,680 A paradox because dry ground shouldn't allow things to grow 159 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:16,440 out of. It's a place of barren and 160 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,800 hopelessness where nothing should grow. 161 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:22,280 So he does not arrive in the way people expect. 162 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:26,640 He's not outwardly impressive. There is no visible splendor, no 163 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:31,200 no obvious majesty, nothing about his appearance that make 164 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:36,800 kids these days would look at him and say hey you, him, That 165 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:40,720 was not how he was. In fact, I would argue that 166 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:44,680 every depiction of Jesus Christ in every modern movies have been 167 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:50,200 far too good looking. He's probably as ordinary as it 168 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:53,840 gets. And that is part of why man 169 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:56,600 rejected him. Because fallen human hearts, we 170 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:01,200 are drawn to what things that looks awesome, powerful, 171 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:06,080 beautiful. Remember when Israel first 172 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:08,280 rebelled and says we want a king? 173 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:13,240 We want a king? The man they chose, Saul. 174 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,680 The scripture spent quite a bit of time describing his physical 175 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:22,160 appearance. It was handsome, taller than any 176 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,880 other man, striking no one more handsome than than him. 177 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:29,600 That is how we normally as humans think. 178 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:33,480 How greatness would come, clothed and visible glory as the 179 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,920 world defines it. But the servant here comes in 180 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:44,680 lowliness, and in Good Friday at the cross, his lowliness goes 181 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:51,160 even deeper. Crown of thorns, thorn, flesh 182 00:15:52,040 --> 00:16:00,160 beaten up, mocked blood, shame, death of a criminal. 183 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,760 If you judge just by sight and you walk upon the cross, you 184 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:09,680 would never say there it is the savior of the world. 185 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:16,400 Instead you would say that's a defeated man, cursed by God, 186 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:22,040 abandoned by men and and church. Brother, sister, that is still 187 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:25,960 our problem today. We judge superficially. 188 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:30,120 We still ask what looks strong, what looks attractive. 189 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:35,680 We look for a different kind of Christ than the one that is 190 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:40,520 promised here in Isaiah 53. And because Jesus come to us in 191 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:46,720 humility, weakness, crucified, many today still turn away. 192 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:51,520 But Isaiah goes even further than that. 193 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:56,240 He says not only is his servant unimpressive, but he's also 194 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:02,160 despised and rejected. And we esteem him. 195 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:04,119 Now. It's one thing to ignore 196 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:07,920 someone, it's another thing to despise that person. 197 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:12,760 It's not just misunderstood, but rejected. 198 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:18,119 And that is the natural posture of the human heart toward 199 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:23,200 Christ, apart from grace. And notice again who Isaiah 200 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,560 includes in that rejection. He says, woo, who's rejecting 201 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:30,400 we? He's talking to his readers, we 202 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:37,480 Israelites and us on our own. We do not naturally treasure 203 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:41,200 Christ, honor Christ, submit to Christ, we reject him. 204 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:47,240 And Good Friday reveals this with horrifying clarity because 205 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:50,600 what does mankind do when Son of God stands before them? 206 00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:56,800 They strike him, they mock him, they nail him to the cross. 207 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,560 And that's again why first one says, who has belief? 208 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,160 Who has belief? Who has to whom has the arm of 209 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:06,800 the Lord been revealed? The arm of the Lord? 210 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:11,120 We could go so deep into this is speaks of God's saving power. 211 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:15,680 Isaiah is showing us that it's it is the act of God for 212 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:19,280 somebody to even believe. To whom has the arm of the Lord 213 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:22,160 been revealed? Belief must be revealed and 214 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,600 given by God himself. The fundamental problem of the 215 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,640 human heart, the fundamental problem, just get this. 216 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,320 The fundamental problem of the human heart is not that we don't 217 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:38,000 have information, It is that we don't have faith. 218 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:45,080 The message has been proclaimed clearly, yet our hearts do not 219 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:48,280 receive it. The truth's been announced, yet 220 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:53,680 we don't bow down. God reveals his saving power, 221 00:18:53,680 --> 00:19:01,560 yet blind dead hearts don't see. So this is not an intellectual 222 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:04,120 problem, it's a spiritual moral problem. 223 00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:08,440 We do not naturally welcome the suffering servant because we 224 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:10,640 don't naturally want to be saved in this way. 225 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,440 We want strength without repentance. 226 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,320 We want the glory without the cross. 227 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:21,720 We want help without surrender. And when you come to Good Friday 228 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:24,840 and look at the scene on Golgotha, it's the same thing 229 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:29,800 everywhere. The crowds, the chief priests 230 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:36,440 pilot, none of them believe. The soldiers, the disciples, the 231 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:41,680 scatter. So how about us Church? 232 00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:45,640 It's one thing to understand what it's all about Good Friday 233 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:53,280 in here, but it's that understanding change what's in 234 00:19:53,280 --> 00:20:00,840 here. Do we believe this message, or 235 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:05,320 do we reject A servant just the same way? 236 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,520 We live out our lives. Do we deny him like Peter? 237 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:13,120 Did you know we often say here at church at the end of our 238 00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:17,560 sermons, if you truly believe this message, how would your 239 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:22,560 life be different? That question is ever more true 240 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:29,120 today when it comes to who Jesus is and what he did. 241 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:32,520 So first we see the servant that we rejected. 242 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,360 Second, let's see the substitute who bore our sin. 243 00:20:37,360 --> 00:20:43,240 The substitute who bore our sin. If there were ever any doubt 244 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:49,000 that this passage was pointing to the cross, the next verses 245 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:55,720 removed it completely because Isaiah says in verse 5 he was 246 00:20:55,720 --> 00:21:02,600 pierced for our transgressions. Here's the very heart of Good 247 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:06,800 Friday, because these verses tell us not only what happened 248 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:12,000 visibly as a cross, how Jesus was pierced his hands and his 249 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:18,520 feet, but he also is telling us what was happening beneath what 250 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:21,640 we can see. Because Jesus, He didn't just 251 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:29,080 suffer to suffer, but He was suffering as our substitute. 252 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:32,520 Listen to the language Isaiah used here. 253 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:37,920 Pay attention. He bore our griefs. 254 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:50,760 He carried our sorrows. He was pierced for our 255 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:55,000 transgressions. He was crushed for our 256 00:21:55,840 --> 00:22:01,520 iniquities upon Him. Was it just chastisement that 257 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:09,720 brought us peace? By His wounds we are healed. 258 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:13,240 If you get nothing else this morning, get this. 259 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,200 This is the meaning of the cross, the heart of the Gospel. 260 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:20,440 He did not suffer just to suffer. 261 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:24,920 He bare the punishment that you and I deserve. 262 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:28,560 This is what we call in church circles, the penal 263 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:36,800 substitutionary atonement. And yet, after all that, notice 264 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:40,440 the contrast. We what do we do? 265 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:48,760 We esteem him stricken, smitten by God, afflicted. 266 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:56,640 We see the cross and we says that guy is punished by God. 267 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:01,400 We thought one thing while God was doing entirely a different 268 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:05,480 thing. Men look at Jesus and says 269 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,000 that's what you got for blaspheming God. 270 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:17,160 Isaiah says no, his suffering was not for his sins, it was 271 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:20,240 ours. He took up what belonged to us. 272 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:22,440 He bore the consequences of our rebellion. 273 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:26,640 He stood in place of ruin, sinners and and these words, 274 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:30,160 grief, sorrows. It's not don't reduce those 275 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:35,000 words to something that's trivial because Isaiah explains 276 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,360 what he means transgressions, iniquities, chastisement, 277 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:41,280 wounds, guilt. These are miseries brought about 278 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:45,800 by our sins against a holy God at the cross. 279 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,080 You know, some of the progressive Christian believes 280 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:55,040 that creeps up these days says at the cross what Jesus did he 281 00:23:55,040 --> 00:24:00,040 just empathize? He empathize with sinners like 282 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,000 us. That's what people say. 283 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,240 No, he didn't. He did not brothers and sisters, 284 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:13,480 He did not empathize. He he substitutes for us and 285 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:18,040 this chastisement punishment brought us peace. 286 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,720 Shalom. It's not just what you get when 287 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:23,720 you go on vacation. That first day you get into your 288 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,680 hotel room, you lay down and you're like, no, that's not the 289 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:30,800 peace we're talking about. It's reconciliation with God, 290 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:35,200 the end of enmity, removal of guilt, restoration of 291 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:40,800 fellowship, the healing of what sin had stolen and broken by his 292 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:43,920 wounds. We are healed. 293 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:49,600 The next question then why do we even need substitution? 294 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:56,200 Because sin must be atoned for. A Sinner can have peace with a 295 00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:00,560 holy God only if the punishment due to that Sinner is borne by 296 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:03,160 another. Verse 6 tells us two things. 297 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:11,080 Number one, we're all sinners. All we, like sheep, have gone 298 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:14,680 astray. Some of you kids probably have 299 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:17,040 seen the meme of the ship that keeps running into the same 300 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:21,480 ditch over and over and over. That's just how they do. 301 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,800 None of us are like that. We keep running over and over 302 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:33,440 and over into the same ditch. None of us are righteous. 303 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,480 All of us have turned away from the path of God. 304 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,560 And so secondly, because God is holy, sin must be judged. 305 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:44,280 The penalty of sin is death. And Isaiah says all of our 306 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:51,480 iniquity, all get this church, all of our iniquity was laid on 307 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:54,320 him. The Lord has laid on him the 308 00:25:54,320 --> 00:26:00,560 iniquity of us all. Now that does not mean Christ 309 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:05,120 becomes sinful in his character, but it means our guilt was this 310 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:12,120 is another word imputed on him means what it counted on him 311 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:17,880 like when you go to Saddam Malam right and then you eat those 312 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:22,520 really delicious Nashi Uduk and as you live as you as you leave 313 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:26,480 the really generous church member in front of you says put 314 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:31,240 it on my bill. Count it on my bill, imputed, 315 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:37,280 placed upon him as our representative substitute. 316 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:41,120 He stood where we should have stood, bore what we should have, 317 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:44,000 what we should have borne, received what we deserved. 318 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:51,680 That's why when Jesus cried, my God, my God, why have you 319 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:55,720 forsaken me? That's what was happening when 320 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,560 he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 321 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:04,360 That's what's happening. The Lord has laid on him to 322 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:13,200 iniquity of us all, and we see in the next verse how he did it. 323 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:24,000 He submitted willingly, He was oppressed, He was afflicted, yet 324 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:29,760 he opened up his mouth like a lamb that has led to the 325 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:31,320 slaughter. He went silently. 326 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:35,400 Think about that. The voice that calmed the storm, 327 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:40,920 raised Lazarus from the death, spoke with absolute authority 328 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:46,880 his entire life now remained silent before Pilate and Herod, 329 00:27:47,240 --> 00:28:02,240 much to their frustration. One more detail, verse 9 talk 330 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:06,200 about his burial, because now it says even though he was treated 331 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:15,280 as guilty, he was with a rich man in his death, anticipating 332 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:23,560 the actions of one of Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man who 333 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:31,440 provided a grave for the Savior. And by this verse, that's the 334 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:34,960 end of Good Friday sermon could end here. 335 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:39,560 Servant who came in humility, who despised and rejected, who 336 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:42,480 was unjustly condemned and killed as a substitute. 337 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:47,280 Here is the cross in all this horror. 338 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:52,720 Here is the gospel in all of its glory. 339 00:28:56,320 --> 00:29:00,040 But church. There are three more verses. 340 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:06,960 There's three more verses. And that's brings us to our 341 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,800 final point, the Savior vindicated by God. 342 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:16,000 Savior Vindicated by God 1st 10 Read with me. 343 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,480 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him. 344 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,360 He has put him to grieve when his soul makes an offering for 345 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:24,840 guilt. We He shall see his offspring. 346 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:29,720 He shall prolong his days. The will of the Lord shall 347 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:36,080 prosper in his hand. Now stop and consider that for a 348 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:42,200 moment. How can someone who died as a 349 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:47,840 guilt offering all of a sudden then say that we can see his 350 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:54,200 offspring and prolong his days? How can the crushed servant 351 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:59,280 prosper? How can the slain one see the 352 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:06,280 fruit of his work? There's only one answer. 353 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:14,440 Because Sunday is coming. Because he will live again. 354 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:18,840 Isaiah 53, It does not end on Good Friday. 355 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:22,680 It reaches beyond the cross, the tomb, and it grows stretch 356 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:28,520 forward toward Easter Sunday. The suffering servant is also 357 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,640 the risen servant. He is crushed. 358 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:34,800 Yes, he's made an offering for guilt. 359 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:36,840 Another thing that we could spend so much time talking 360 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:38,760 about. The whole idea of guilt 361 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:45,720 offering, Yes, he he truly dies, but death could not hold him. 362 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:52,280 He he lives, he sees, he prospers, he is satisfied, he 363 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:55,520 says 1st 11 out of the anguish of his soul. 364 00:30:55,800 --> 00:31:01,880 Again, hearkening back to that, imagine having to bear the sin 365 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:05,760 of the entire world, even for the Son of God. 366 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:08,360 It says you're the anguish of his soul. 367 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:10,320 Eat out of the anguish of his soul. 368 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:14,840 He shall see and be satisfied by his knowledge. 369 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:19,960 Shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be 370 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:26,880 accounted righteous, and ye shall bear their iniquities 371 00:31:29,640 --> 00:31:30,600 satisfied. Why? 372 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:36,040 What satisfy that redemption has been accomplished? 373 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:39,960 That His suffering was not in vain, That the ransom has been 374 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:42,560 paid? That sinners are not justified 375 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:44,480 and free? And that's the glory of the 376 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:47,240 gospel church. Because He bore our iniquities, 377 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:52,560 we are counted righteous. Our sin was laid on Him. 378 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:56,720 His righteousness is given to us. 379 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:01,640 The chapter ends with the triumph of the servant that 380 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:04,840 says, Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many. 381 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:09,200 He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured 382 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,880 out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressor, 383 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:16,360 Yet he bore the sin of many and make intercession. 384 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:22,320 Yeah, looking ahead to the role of the Holy Spirit, how He makes 385 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:25,120 intercession for us, for the transgressors. 386 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:31,160 God exalts his servant, not because he conquered worldly 387 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:36,720 power, but because he had poured out his soul to death and bore 388 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:40,840 the sins of many. He's exalted through sacrifice. 389 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:44,680 He his crown because he suffered. 390 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:49,200 And the beauty of it is this. We see this because to those, 391 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:53,360 those whom he has saved, the many, what does it say? 392 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:59,320 Now we belong to him. God is a sign. 393 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:03,000 Those whom He saved to him we are his. 394 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:08,880 The crucified servant is now the risen and exalted Lord, and we 395 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:15,400 bow before him and call him my Saviour and my God. 396 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:20,800 If you remember, one of the most familiar passage we we read 397 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:26,520 here, Philippians 2 says Therefore God has highly exalted 398 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:29,640 him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name, 399 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:34,520 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven 400 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:36,240 and on earth and under the earth. 401 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,840 And every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord to the 402 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:48,840 glory of God the Father. So Isaiah 53 does not leave us 403 00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:54,280 at the cross alone. It leads us through the cross 404 00:33:55,320 --> 00:34:01,160 beyond the grave, and into the triumph of the risen Christ, the 405 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:05,480 suffering Servant. Yes, he suffered, He died, but 406 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:13,600 he rose and He reigns. As we close here, I have just 407 00:34:13,639 --> 00:34:25,040 two questions for all of us, as by way of applications. 1st When 408 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:34,199 was the last time you truly felt that what Christ did he did for 409 00:34:34,199 --> 00:34:40,239 you? Not that you know what he did, 410 00:34:41,480 --> 00:34:51,770 not that not just know it in here, but like feels it in your 411 00:34:51,770 --> 00:34:59,200 heart, because it was your sins that put him there, your 412 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:04,360 transgression, your iniquities. He was wounded so that you might 413 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:10,360 be healed. One of the great dangers of 414 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:14,680 being a lifelong Christian, which I was, is that the things 415 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:19,760 of God can become so familiar that it stops becoming precious. 416 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:26,320 RC Sprole, one of my favorite preachers of all time, give this 417 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:28,760 wonderful, wonderful story I won't repeat because it's so 418 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:36,440 long, about how when he was a professor, he had this one class 419 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:39,320 in which he said he'd give three term papers. 420 00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:45,200 And on the 1st paper it's 250 students or something like that, 421 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:49,120 and 1st, and he says this paper's due On this date. 422 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:51,840 It's like at the end of the month of the next three months 423 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:57,560 or whatever, and on the 1st, 125 students did not have their 424 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:00,840 paper. And they all came shaking and 425 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:05,800 crying and so holy hell. And he says, OK, you got three 426 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:09,600 more days to work on your paper. And everybody rejoice. 427 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:11,520 And there's like a running joke about how they call them the 428 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:14,480 whatever. And then and the second month 429 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:20,200 comes and now 50 people did not have their papers ready on time. 430 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:24,360 And he says well you guys didn't have your papers. 431 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:30,560 And then and then they all beg and ask and to give him another 432 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:32,200 three day extension and that was it. 433 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:37,640 And then by the 3rd paper more than half the class did not have 434 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:45,680 their papers ready and they came in expecting him to give him the 435 00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:50,280 extension like he always did and was mad when he didn't. 436 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:53,880 And he said something I will never forget when I watch that 437 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:58,720 video. I think we so easily mistake 438 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:10,440 justice with grace and mercy. We expect to be forgiven the 439 00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:13,160 longer we walk this road as a Christian. 440 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:23,360 We expect that God would just forgive us when that is the 441 00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:31,480 whole opposite of what graces unmerited favor. 442 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:42,280 Perhaps you have become so consumed with the pressures and 443 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:47,160 distraction of this world, money issues, your relationship 444 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:51,080 struggles, the kids and the things they need to do in their 445 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:55,200 and your ambitions, your goals, your hobbies, your possessions 446 00:37:55,200 --> 00:38:01,240 that grown so large in your eyes that this eternal reality is so 447 00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:11,080 distant in your heart. Perhaps it's so easy to go to 448 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:14,080 church week after week and sit under the preaching of God's 449 00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:19,040 Word and it just is mechanical. It's a routine. 450 00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:25,160 The habits are there, but the heart is far. 451 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:29,720 And when you hear again this morning that Isaiah foretold 452 00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:36,400 these things 700 years amazing before the crucifixion, that 453 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:40,960 Christ fulfill each of those with astonishing precision, that 454 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:44,880 the whole sacrificial system, the the guilt offering, the 455 00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:49,000 entire idea of sin bearing substitute, all of that finds 456 00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:52,000 its fulfillment in Christ. Does that do something in your 457 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:56,600 heart or it merely fills your head with more information? 458 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:08,160 Do you simply shrug so you can sit here, read Isaiah 53, hear 459 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:12,800 again of Christ crucified, and walk out completely unchanged? 460 00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:17,600 Your mind goes back to the temporary things that whatever 461 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:23,280 it is that bothers you or drags you or consumes you or brings 462 00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:28,760 out most fun in you, while the most important reality of your 463 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:32,680 life is forgotten. That you and I, all of us, need 464 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:39,760 to be reconciled with God, to know Him and to enjoy Him 465 00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:42,800 forever. And church, if that is you this 466 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:48,800 morning, run to the cross, run to the Savior, run to the 467 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:52,000 suffering servant who was promised long, who was promised 468 00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:58,320 long ago and is given for your transgression, Turn back to him, 469 00:39:58,320 --> 00:40:02,000 repent, renew your devotion to him. 470 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:08,080 Pray and ask God. Renew the right spirit within 471 00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:10,080 me. It's never too late. 472 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:17,520 That's question number one. Question #2 Do you preach the 473 00:40:17,520 --> 00:40:20,560 truth of Good Friday to yourself? 474 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:24,720 Do you preach the truth of Good Friday to yourself? 475 00:40:24,720 --> 00:40:31,440 Do you remind yourself day after day that your salvation is by 476 00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:37,040 grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone? 477 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:39,280 Because if we do not keep preaching the cross to 478 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:44,680 ourselves, very quickly, oh church, very quickly, you will 479 00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:50,680 drift back into thinking that your salvation rest on other 480 00:40:50,680 --> 00:40:55,440 things, on faith plus works. You begin to act as if Christ is 481 00:40:55,440 --> 00:41:00,040 not enough, as though you must somehow add to your own goodness 482 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:03,920 and effort and worthiness to what he has done. 483 00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:09,440 You ever met somebody who heard the gospel or the life pretty 484 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:14,160 much and still hesitates to become a Christian because they 485 00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:15,920 tell you, I'm just not good enough yet. 486 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:22,840 I'm just not good enough yet. Isn't that exactly the point? 487 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:26,760 We will never be good enough. We do not come to Christ because 488 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:30,480 we are worthy. We come to Christ because He 489 00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:35,200 already He saves the unworthy. That's why we must keep 490 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:39,080 reminding ourselves every day, returning to the cross, I guess 491 00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:43,160 the same as the first point, that our only hope before God is 492 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:47,560 not our performance, but the finished work of Jesus Christ. 493 00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:55,080 Alistair Begg gives a sermon illustration that many of us 494 00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:59,120 have probably heard before. It's a bit long, so I will 495 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:02,000 paraphrase, shorten it down, but I encourage you to look it up 496 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:05,480 after this if you have not heard the full thing, and I will end 497 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:10,320 with this. He says this If you were to die 498 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:13,840 tonight and you were getting entry into heaven, what would 499 00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:21,800 you say if you if you answer that in the first person, we've 500 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:26,240 immediately gone wrong. If you say because I because 501 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:30,600 because I believe, because I have faith, because I'm this, 502 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:34,000 because I'm continuing. He said loved ones. 503 00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:42,120 The only proper answer is in the third person because he, because 504 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:47,000 he then he says, think of the thief on the cross. 505 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:49,920 What a remarkable turn around for that guy. 506 00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:54,520 He was never baptized, never attended a Bible study, didn't 507 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:58,320 know a thing about church membership, and yet he made it. 508 00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:04,960 And when he entered heaven and he just, I'm assuming the Angel 509 00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:07,240 stops him and asked him, what are you doing here? 510 00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:12,560 He says, I don't know. And it's like, what do you mean 511 00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:15,560 you don't know? What are you doing here? 512 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:20,120 And he says, I, I don't know. And the angel's confused. 513 00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:23,760 And he calls the other supervisor Angel and says, and 514 00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:26,200 then the supervisor Angel asks him the questions like, excuse 515 00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:29,400 me, Sir, are you clear on the doctrine of justification by 516 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:31,400 faith? And he's like, I've never heard 517 00:43:31,400 --> 00:43:35,040 about that. And finally after so many of 518 00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:38,520 these questions, finally get frustrated and asked me, Sir, 519 00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:43,080 just tell me on what basis are you here? 520 00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:48,360 He says, well that's easy. The man in the middle cross said 521 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:53,440 I can come Church. That's the only answer. 522 00:43:54,520 --> 00:44:00,320 That is the only answer because the sinless Saviour died. 523 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:08,240 My sinful soul is counted free for the God the just. 524 00:44:08,360 --> 00:44:16,120 For God the just is satisfied to look on him and pardon me. 525 00:44:18,240 --> 00:44:23,160 And that is why we call Good Friday good. 526 00:44:25,240 --> 00:44:48,430 Amen. As we remain seated, let's take 527 00:44:48,430 --> 00:44:51,830 a moment to personally reflect upon the truth of God that was 528 00:44:51,830 --> 00:44:58,120 preached to us. Consider what you learn about 529 00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:06,960 yourself as a Sinner in need of forgiveness and at what cost 530 00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:08,880 that forgiveness has come to you. 531 00:45:11,240 --> 00:45:14,560 As we consider that, let's also consider for ourselves. 532 00:45:14,960 --> 00:45:22,280 Consider who God is and what He has done as we heard from Isaiah 533 00:45:22,280 --> 00:45:27,000 chapter 53. And as you consider those 534 00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:30,840 truths, if you truly believed in the Word of God and the truths 535 00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:34,280 of God, how would your life be different today? 536 00:45:36,040 --> 00:45:39,640 Would you finally believe and put your faith in Jesus Christ 537 00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:44,720 as Lord and Savior? Would you repent of those sins 538 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:50,280 that you have justified? Would you cherish more deeply 539 00:45:50,760 --> 00:45:58,320 the cross of Christ which you presumed and overlooked all this 540 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:02,360 time? Consider these truths as you 541 00:46:02,360 --> 00:46:06,360 personally reflect before we go to the table of the Lord's 542 00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:06,720 Supper.