Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• In the West we have a weak concept of justice
• Examples
• Young people understand compassion, mercy and kindness because tolerance and non-discrimination is sounded forth
• Contrast to Arabic states where it is often the other way around
• Thinking about God
• He is totally just
• He is a God of loving kindness
• How do we reconcile this? How can He forgive sinners? How can He show mercy and compassion?
• The answers is in v 4
• Overview:
• The truth about man
• The truth about God
• The truth about you and I

The Truth about Man

• Isaiah
• Written 700 years before the birth, life and death of Christ
• Yet it is as if he was there at the foot of the cross
• Written in the present tense but more often in the past tense
• As if it has already happen, as if he is lamenting
• We didn't consider Him, but we came to understand that He was bruised for our sin and iniquity
• Man is blind
• We did not recognise the beauty of Jesus (v2)
• No outer beauty but an inner beauty
• We scorned Him, mocked Him, despised Him, crucified Him
• We were unbelieving (v1)
• He stood up to the religious hypocrites
• He spoke difficult truths
• He called us and we did not believe
• We can be so callous and so cruel
• We do not know the depths of our own hearts
• We wounded Him and put Him on the cross - but we do not lament and mourn our sins

The Truth about God

• That God would send the Suffering Servant into the world for us (v4)
• He carried the sickness of our sin
• Some call Isaiah 53 the fifth gospel, the Holy of Holies, the greatest vision ever seen
• A suffering Servant - it was astonishing to think the Messiah would suffer so much
• A scorned Servant
• A smitten Servant
• A substitute Servant
• A submissive Servant - He is silent and submissive to the will of God
• What love is this?
• A satisfied Servant - a tremendous victory 'It is finished'
• He would see the travail of His soul
• God so loved the world that He gave His only Son
• Justice and mercy come together at the cross
• Peace and righteousness come together at the cross
• God detests sin
• It spoils, defiles, hurts
• It brings corruption, decay and death
• He sees envy, bitterness, war, starvation
• He opposes sin in all shapes and forms
• What is Sin?
• The breaking of God's law
• We are born in sin
• Evil desires come from our hearts - examples
• God cannot be indifferent to sin
• Judas handed over Jesus for the love of money
• The Jews handed Jesus over to the Romans for envy
• Pilate handed Jesus over to the people's will for fear
• Sin is rebellion and treason
• How can a just God be true to justice and forgiveness?
• The answer is found in the person of Jesus Christ (v5)
• It pleased God not to punish His Son, but that Jesus was offering a fragrant sacrifice to this Father
• It pleased God about all that Jesus had done for us
• It pleased God that Jesus was the perfect sacrificial lamb
• It was the determined purpose of God
• Jesus voluntarily went to the cross
• He has come not just for the righteous but for sinners
• He has substituted Himself for us
• God will not punish sin twice
• If we have trusted in Jesus then we the guilty will go free
• God for love surrendered His son

The Truth about You and I

• How will we respond?
• Do we believe we are sinners?
• Have we confessed and repented of our sin?
• If you have not confessed then you are still in your sins
• You will suffer for your sins
• Jesus was forsaken on the cross - awful spiritual darkness (to take away our sins)
• If we do not confess our sins, we will be forsaken for all our sins
• Propitiation - Jesus turned away God's anger towards us
• Have you believed in Jesus?
• Quote from convert from Islam
• Do you know that your sins are forgiven?
• Challenge

Closing Remarks