Isaiah 178

Title: How Did Christ Get His Glory?

Text: Isaiah 53:12

Subject: Christ’s Connection With Sinners, The Source Of

His Glory

Date: Sunday Evening - May 1, 1994

Tape # Q-3

Introduction:

The title of my message tonight is How Did Christ Get His Glory? You know, I trust, that I am not talking about his essential, divine glory as God. His divine glory is underived. It is eternal. He who is God is infinitely, eternally, unapproachably glorious! (See I Tim. 6:14-16).

When I ask the question, How Did Christ Get His Glory? I am talking about the glory he possesses and enjoys as the God-man, our Mediator. The answer to that question is given in numerous places in the Word of God.

John 17:2, 5

Romans 14:9

Philippians 2:8-11

Hebrews 1:1-3

But the question is nowhere more fully and clearly answered than in our text - (Isaiah 53:12).

·  Our Savior’s glory is his sovereign dominion as Lord over all the universe - "Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great!"

These are the words of God the Father promising his Son a portion, a great portion of mankind, as the reward of his obedience, that he would make him higher than the Kings of the earth and give him an elect multitude to be his portion forever. Sons of God, rejoice! Christ is despised and rejected no more! He is exalted! He is glorified! He sits on the throne! He wears the crown! (Rev. 5:9-10). Not only is he the King of kings, He is a King maker, for he has made each of his people kings and priests unto God!

And what is the source of his glory? Why does the Lord Jesus Christ possess these honors? Isaiah tells us that the source of his glory is these four things: "because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many; and made intercession for the transgressors."

·  Our Savior’s glory is his dominion over all things; but it is also to be seen in the sovereign exercise of his saving grace and power - "And he shall divide the spoil with the strong"

·  He led captivity captive in his death (Ps. 68:18; Eph. 4:8; Col. 2:14-15).

·  In the exercise of his saving grace and power, the Lord Jesus Christ delivers his redeemed ones from the captivity of satan (Luke 11:22).

And why does the Son of Man have these spoils of victory, these trophies of grace? Again, Isaiah says, "because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many; and made intercession for the transgressors."

·  How did Christ get his glory? According to this text of Scripture the extraordinary glories of Christ as our Savior, as the God-man, Mediator, have all been earned and won by his connection with sinners.

Proposition: The glory of Christ as a Man, as our Savior, was won by his connection with sin and sinners in this world for the accomplishment of our redemption!

I pray that God the Holy Spirit will be our Teacher tonight, as I attempt to show you these four great works of Christ by which he obtained the glory that is his forever more.

·  "HE POURED OUT HIS SOUL UNTO DEATH."

Death is the penalty for sin (Ezek. 18:20). "The wages of sin is death." When Christ poured out his soul unto death he did so as our Substitute, bearing the just and righteous penalty of our sins. This is the constant theme of Holy Scripture. "Without shedding of blood is no remission."

Illus: The Constant Message of the O.T. Sacrifices.

When Isaiah says, "He poured out his soul unto death," he means for us to understand four things about the sacrificial death of Christ.

·  The Voluntariness of His Sacrifice (John 10:17-18).

·  The Reality of His Death.

·  The Fact that it was a Deliberate, Purposed Act.

·  The Completeness of His Sacrifice - Christ gave all!

·  "HE WAS NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS."

He was not and could never be a transgressor. Christ knew no sin, had no sin, and did no sin. Yet, "he was numbered with the transgressors."

·  By the tongue of slander.

·  In the courts of earthly justice.

·  In His constant association.

·  In courts of divine justice - Before the bar of God!

·  "HE BORE THE SIN OF MANY."

This is the reason for our Savior’s death - He was made to be sin for us! There could be no reason for his death had he not been made to bare the sins of his people. His death was not merely

·  The Result of His Humanity, but of Sin being Imputed!

·  The Exemplary Death of a Martyr, but the Penal Death of a Substitute.

·  The Exhibition of His Love, but the Exhibition of Divine Justice!

·  The Son of God did not bare the sins of all, but of many!

·  All the sins that he bore in his own body on the tree he bore away forever!

·  There is no sin abiding upon, neither can any sin be charged to those for whom the Son of God died.

"Sons of God, redeemed by blood,

Raise your songs to Zion’s God!

Made from condemnation free,

Grace triumphant sing with me!"

·  This is our Gospel!

·  This is our Confidence, Assurance, and Peace!

·  This is a Message Worth Telling!

·  "HE MADE INTERCESSION FOR THE TRANSGRESSORS."

"Not merely in a petitionary way, but by presenting himself, his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, pleading the merits of these and calling for, in a way of justice and legal demand, all the blessings which were stipulated in the everlasting covenant, between him and his Father, to be given to his people in consequence of his sufferings and death" - (John Gill).

Romans 8:33-34

Hebrews 7:25; 9:24

I John 2:1-2

·  Christ intercedes for transgressors.

He pleads the merits of his blood for the

…Preservation of His Elect.

…Forgiveness of Their Sins.

…The Justification of His People.

…The Gift of Life by His Spirit.

…The Everlasting Glory of His People.

·  The Son of God makes intercession for transgressors - He never shrinks from identifying himself with sinners. Why do you shrink from him?

·  Since Christ never shrank from sinners, surely we must not shrink from sinners.

Illus: Barnard and the Harlot

Application: How did Christ get his glory?

·  He got it by redeeming sinners.

·  He gets it by saving sinners.

·  There is only one way in this world a sinner can glorify Christ - By Faith in Him!

 

Don Fortner