This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

(upbeat music) - Welcome back to day two of week seven of a look through the
book of Isaiah. We're going to start a look today at Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah 53
is the clearest chapter in all the Old Testament, which prophetically looks
forward to the cross of Christ in the New Testament.

Isaiah chapter 53 is a tremendous validation of our faith. All of this that
we're going to look at in this chapter was prophesied more than 700 years before it
happened. Throughout the book of Isaiah, God again and again says, who but God
could say something before it happens?

Who but God could say these things before they happen? It would be impossible.
But God tells us what's going to happen on the cross more than 700 years before it
happens on the cross.

So we're going to look at this chapter over the next three days. Today, we're going to
take a look at all of the prophecies that are fulfilled by Jesus from this one
chapter. We're going to focus on the cross as we do that.

There's 12 specific prophecies fulfilled at the cross in the life of Jesus in
this one chapter. So we're going to have to go through them fairly quickly, but
we're just going to sort of paint a broad stroke picture of the fulfillment of
prophecy that's in Isaiah chapter 53. Prophecy one that's fulfilled is that
Jesus' message would be rejected.

Verse one of Isaiah 53, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of
the Lord been revealed? Now, many of these verses in Isaiah 52, the last part of
52, also is part of this prophecy.

Many of them are quoted in the New Testament as examples of the prophetic
fulfillment in the life of Jesus. And this is one example of them. John 12, 37
to 38.

Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they
still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the
prophet, Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord
been revealed?

So you see in the life of Jesus, even the rejection of the ministry of Jesus, a
fulfillment of prophecy, first fulfillment in this chapter. Second fulfillment
of prophecy is that Jesus would be brutally beaten. In verse 14, just as there
were many who were appalled at him, his appearance was so disfigured beyond that
of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness.

Now, this happened to Jesus Christ when he was crucified. And specifically even
before he was crucified, when he was whipped, when he was beaten with 39 lashes.
And he would have been in that beating disfigured, not even looking like a human
being in some ways and certainly not recognizable.

The Bible tells us that Jesus knew this was going to happen. He told his disciples
before it was going to happen that it would happen. In Luke 18, 31 to 33, taking
the 12 disciples aside, Jesus said, listen, we're going up to Jerusalem where
all the predictions of the prophets concerning the son of man will come true.

He will be handed over to the Romans. He will be mocked, treated shamefully and
spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him.

But on the third day, he will rise again. So Jesus knew, Jesus knew even as he
was going up to Jerusalem, not only that he would die, but that all the
fulfillment of prophecy from the Old Testament would be seen in his life. And it
was seen in the fact that he was beaten.

The third prophetic fulfillment is that Jesus would be ridiculed. In verse three
of Isaiah 53, he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar
with suffering, like one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised and we
esteemed him not.

And Jesus was despised. Even on the cross, he was ridiculed. Luke 23, 35 to 37,
the crowd watched and the leaders scoffed.

He saved others, they said. Let him save himself if he really is God's Messiah.
The chosen one.

The soldiers mocked him too by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called
out to him, if you're the king of the Jews, save yourself. So here's Jesus dying
for your sin, my sin, their sins.

And they're mocking him, they're despising him, they're ridiculing him. And
Isaiah had prophetically looked forward to this truth that this would happen
even 700 years before it occurred. A fourth prophetic fulfillment.

And now we get to one of the positive ones in Isaiah 53, that Jesus would heal
our sicknesses and sorrows. In verse four, surely he took up our infirmities and
he carried our sorrows. And yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by
him and afflicted.

This is another of those prophecies that is specifically stated in the New
Testament as being fulfilled in the book of Isaiah, Matthew 8, 16 to 17. When
evening came, many who were demon possessed were brought to him and he drove out
the spirits with the word and he healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what
was spoken through the prophet Isaiah.

He took up our infirmities and he carried our diseases. A fifth prophetic
fulfillment was that Jesus would be pierced. In verse five, he was pierced for
our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon
him and by his wounds we are healed. And this is exactly what happened to Jesus.

In John 19, verses 33 to 37, Jesus is on the cross and he has died, but the
soldiers aren't sure yet. So in verse 33, when they came to Jesus and found that
he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers
pierced Jesus's side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

A sixth prophetic fulfillment is that Jesus would be silent in suffering. In
verse seven of Isaiah 53, he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open
his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her
shears is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Peter, who was watching during the trials of Jesus when Jesus was silent, when
he did not open his mouth, Peter wrote about this in 1 Peter 2, 21 and 23. To
this you were called because Christ suffered for you, Peter wrote, leaving you
an example that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin and no
deceit was found in his mouth.

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. When he suffered,
he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.

Seventh prophetic fulfillment in Isaiah 53 was that Jesus would be unjustly
tried. In verse eight, by oppression and judgment, he was taken away and Jesus
was tried and all those trials were unjust. He was illegally held at night.

He was tried using false witnesses who couldn't agree with each other. They
changed the charge in the trial, which was unjust. They rushed the verdict.

By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. Isaiah prophesied 700 years
before it happened that it would happen. Eighth prophetic fulfillment is that
Jesus would die with the wicked.

In verse nine of Isaiah 53, he was assigned a grave with the wicked. Jesus was
crucified with thieves on either side of him. He should have been buried as a
criminal.

But in an amazing fulfillment of prophecy, the ninth fulfillment is that Jesus
would be buried in a rich man's tomb. Isaiah 53 says he was assigned a grave
with the wicked and with the rich and his death. What did that mean?

Well, we know in the life of Jesus what that meant and how that happened. In
Matthew 27, 57, beginning in verse 57, as evening approached, there came a rich
man from Arimathea named Joseph who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.
Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body and Pilate ordered that it be given to
him.

Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and placed it in his own
new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the
entrance to the tomb and he went away. Jesus was buried in a rich man's tomb.

Tenth prophetic fulfillment on Isaiah 53 is that Jesus would live a perfect
life. Though he had done no violence nor was there any deceit in his mouth.
Peter just quoted those same verses earlier.

Well, the scripture tells us very clearly that Jesus died the only perfect
person who's ever walked this earth, God and man in human flesh. 2 Corinthians
5, 21 says, "For God made Christ who never sinned "to be an offering for our sin
"so that we could be made right with God through Christ. " Then there's the 11th
prophetic fulfillment on Isaiah 53.

The prophecy that Jesus would come to life after death. In verse 11, after the
suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. This is
amazing.

He is said to die. He's said to be in this experience of the total loss of life.
And yet now after the suffering of his soul, he's going to see the light of life.

He's going to be delivered into resurrection. He's going to see that. And by seeing
that, Isaiah reminds us he's going to justify many as he bears their iniquities.

Romans 4, 25 reflects this truth when it says, "He was delivered over to death
for our sins "and was raised to life for our justification. " Justification is
being made right in our relationship with God. The servant, the righteous
servant will justify the many in his resurrection.

And then there's a 12th, a final prophetic fulfillment on Isaiah 53. Jesus would
be glorified with the Father. In the last couple of verses, verse 12, "Therefore
I will give him a portion among the great.

"He will divide the spoils with the strong "because he poured out his life unto
death. "And he was numbered with the transgressors "for he bore the sin of many
"and he made intercession for the transgressors. " Philippians 2, 9, "Therefore
God highly exalted him "to the highest place and he gave him the name "that is
above every name.

" Philippians chapter 2, 9, you might remember, comes right after talking about
what Jesus did for us on the cross. Let's take a moment to just pray together,
thanking God together for the truth of what he did for us. Jesus, we've walked
through this so quickly.

There's so much fulfillment in this chapter. I pray that the number of
fulfillments would impact our souls, would let us know that you'd always
intended to die on the cross for us. You'd always intended to offer us this
justification, salvation, righteousness, relationship with you.

So right now speak to our hearts and let us know that in the cross, we see the
love of Christ, always plan. In the cross, we see the love of Christ spread out
before us so that we can live the life that you've given to us. Thank you for
the life that you've given us in the cross of Christ and the resurrection of
Christ.

In your name we praise you, amen. Join us tomorrow. We're going to start a look at
what Isaiah 53 has to teach us about how the deepest longings of our lives are
met at the cross.