Sermon
# 169 Series: Isaiah
Title: “Who Hath Believed Our
Report?”
Text: Isaiah 53:1-3
Subject: The Humiliation of Christ
and the Unbelief of Man
Date: Sunday Evening – December 19, 1993
Introduction:
Peter tells us that the two things constantly spoken of by the Holy Spirit in the writings of the Old Testament prophets were “The sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow” (I Pet. 1:11). Our Lord Jesus himself, when he expounded Moses and the prophets to his disciples, showed them that the message of the inspired writers of Old Testament Scripture was the fact that Christ must suffer and then enter into his glory (Lk. 24:26-27).
These
two things are certainly spoken of in Isaiah 53, and spoken of here more fully
and clearly than in any other single chapter of the Old Testament. This chapter is quoted repeatedly in the New
Testament and constantly applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry wrote, “This chapter is so
replenished with the unsearchable riches of Christ that it may be called the
gospel of the evangelist Isaiah rather than the prophecy of the prophet
Isaiah.”
Tonight,
I want us to look at the first three verses of this blessed and glorious
chapter. I take the opening words of
the chapter as the title for my message – “Who Hath
Believed Our Report? Just hold your Bibles open on
your laps. My outline will be taken
directly from our text.
Proposition: In these verses the prophet of God describes with
astonishment the unbelief of man, the lowliness of our Savior’s appearance, the
greatness of his grief, the reproach of his sufferings, and the sin and folly
of unbelief.
I. Meditate with me for a moment or two on the
first line of our text. Here Isaiah
foretells with wonder and astonishment the unbelief of man – “Who Hath Believed Our Report?”
The
contempt of men, both Jews and Gentiles, for Christ is here spoken of with
amazement (Jews – John 12:38; Gentiles – Rom. 10:16).
Unbelief is something more than neglect, lack of concern, and
carelessness. It is abhorrent contempt
for the Lord God – (I John 5:10).
A. Though many hear the report of
the gospel, there are relatively few in every generation who believe it. (Matt. 22:14).
The
report Isaiah is talking about is the doctrine of Christ, the gospel of the
free grace of God in him, the message of Christ crucified, the report of free
and full salvation in and by the Lord Jesus Christ, through the doing and dying
of the Son of God as the sinner’s Substitute.
The
message we preach we preach publicly and openly. It is not whispered in a corner, but shouted from the
housetops. It is a faithful saying,
worthy of all acceptation (I Tim. 1:15).
One would think this message would be universally believed; but it is
not, never has been and never will be commonly believed by men. True believers are always in the minority!
“To
this day, of the many that profess to believe this report, there are few that
cordially embrace it and submit to the power of it.” - (M. Henry).
B. Though few believe it, the
gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ is a good, good report.
The
gospel is not good advice, but a good report.
It is the report of a work done, not advice on how to get a work
done. It is the report
of…
1. Eternal Love (Jer. 31:3).
2. Unconditional Election (Deut. 7:7-9).
3. Accomplished Redemption (Heb. 9:12; Gal. 3:13).
4. Almighty, Saving Grace (Ps. 65:4; Eph. 2:8-9).
Illus: Lazarus!
Dry Bones!
5. Immutable Mercy (Mal. 3:6).
6. Free Forgiveness (I John 1:9).
7. Free Salvation (Isa. 45:22; 55:1).
C. The fact that many do not believe this
report is never to be looked upon as a matter of indifference.
We recognize and bow to God’s sovereign purpose. But our God is not a stone and his servants are not stoics. It is to us an astonishing matter of grief that you do not believe the gospel!
1. The Lord God is not indifferent to your unbelief (Isa. 48:18).
2. The Son of God is not indifferent to man’s unbelief (Mt. 23:37-38; Mk. 6:34).
3. The servant of God is not indifferent to your unbelief (Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1).
What a pathetic cry – “Who hath believed our report?” Now look at the next line.
II. “And to whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed?”
This is the exact same question viewed from another angle. The first question viewed man’s unbelief from the standpoint of every man’s responsibility to believe the gospel. Here the prophet of God addresses the issue of God’s absolute sovereignty in the free exercise of his saving grace.
Actually, Isaiah is answering his own question. He asked, “Who hath believed our report?” Then he answers, “All of those and none but those to whom the arm of the Lord is revealed.
A. “The arm of the Lord” is the saving power and goodness of God in Christ.
B. The arm of the Lord is revealed to all men externally things the preaching of the gospel, but only to God’s elect internally and effectually by the power of God the Holy Spirit (I Thess. 1:5; Ps. 65:4).
C. No man by nature can or will believe the gospel of Christ (John 5:40).
Note: Dead Men cannot believe!
Sinful, Self-righteous men will not believe (John 6:8).
D. All to whom the arm of the Lord is revealed in saving, effectual power do believe.
· All the Chosen!
· All the Redeemed!
· All the Called!
III. “For he shall grow up before him as a
tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.”
This refers, of course, to our Savior’s incarnation, low up entrance into this world, and his meek life of obedience to God the Father as he grew from infancy to manhood before him. Our Savior’s lowliness and humility is here described as one reason for man’s unbelief.
· It was expected that he would make a public entry and appear before men with pomp and pageantry. Instead, he quiet grew up before God.
· It was expected that his descendency would be from a very great and noble line. Instead, he was the carpenter’s son!
· It was expected that he would be of uncommon beauty and strikingly handsome manliness. Instead, there was nothing extraordinary about him in appearance. He had no form, comliness, or beauty!
· It was expected that he would live with great prosperity and peace. Instead, he was “the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”
A. A Tender Plant is a little sucker. It springs out of the earth with little
notice. It is liable to be crushed
without regard. Nothing is expected
from it.
B. A Root out of Dry Ground is the sprout of a withering
plant, a dying tree. This refers to the
fallen, withering house of David.
IV. “He hath no form nor
comliness.”
· Moses was a beautiful child (Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23).
A. That refers to his physical appearance.
B. It also refers to his appearance in the
gospel.
V. Now, look at the last part of verse 2 – “And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we
should desire him.”
· Nothing Majestic!
IV. Verse 3 – “He is despised
and rejected of men!”
Despised as a lowly man – Rejected as a licentious man – Reckoned to be a madman – Maligned as a Demonce Man – Looked upon as a worm and no man!
· Despised because of His Chosen Companions!
VII. Then Isaiah describes our Savior as “A Man of Sorrows and Acquainted with Grief.”
It was not only in his death that he was such, but the whole period of his thirty-three years on this earth was one continued series of miseries and sorrows, labors and pains. So worn and weary was he with grief that when he was just 30 years old men thought he was 50 – (John 8:57). Grief was his constant companion. Sorrow was his constant experience. Our Lord, we are told, wept often. Not once do we read, “Jesus laughed!”
He
who came to be made sin for us experienced all that sin had brought upon our
cursed race. In sorrow he ate his bread
all the days of his life (Gen. 3:17).
“His life was one continued series of sorrows, from the cradle to the
cross” – (John Gill).
A. Herod’s slaying of the infants!
B. The hardness and unbelief of men!
C. The Temptations of satan!
D. Gethsamane!
E. The Betrayal of Judas!
F. The Denial of Peter!
G. Forsaken of God!
H. Made to be Sin!
I. The Death of the Cross!
NOTE: Read the sorrows of Christ and
cease to feel sorry for yourself!
VIII. Next the prophet says, “And we hid as it were our faces from him.”
A. We hid our faces from him as one who was loathsome and adherent to look upon!
B. He hid his face from us (margin) as one conscious of his own deformity.
Illus: Ps. 22:6 – “Thou worm Jacob!”
“ I am a worm and no man!”
“A Crimson Grubb!”
IX. Now, look at
the last line – “He was despised, and we
esteemed him not.
· Repeated for emphasis!
· All men turned thumbs down upon him!
· All this disgrace and dishonor was endured by our Savior as our Surety to repair the loss of honor the Lord God sustained in his creation by our sin, to magnify the name of God and make it honorable and to save us who sought to rob God of his honor as God!
Application:
· I Cor. 9:15
· II Cor. 8:9