1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,100 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,100 –> 00:00:15,320 To contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN365 or visit our website OpenTheBible.org. 3 00:00:15,320 –> 00:00:19,760 Let’s get to the message, here is Pastor Colin. 4 00:00:19,760 –> 00:00:23,459 Well please open your bible at Isaiah 53. 5 00:00:23,459 –> 00:00:28,260 We are resuming the series The Gospel According to Isaiah. 6 00:00:28,340 –> 00:00:34,060 Now this whole chapter is really a wonderful invitation to look at the Lord Jesus Christ. 7 00:00:34,060 –> 00:00:40,840 Who He is, what He has accomplished, and what He is able to do for each and every one of us 8 00:00:40,840 –> 00:00:42,459 who believes in Him. 9 00:00:42,459 –> 00:00:49,160 And we know that this chapter is all about Jesus because in the New Testament in the book of Acts 10 00:00:49,160 –> 00:00:53,680 there is a story about a very distinguished man who was reading this book, 11 00:00:53,680 –> 00:00:59,520 this very chapter, Isaiah 53, as he was travelling in the desert in his chariot. 12 00:00:59,520 –> 00:01:05,879 And God sent a believer by the name of Philip to help this man, and the man asked Phillip, 13 00:01:05,879 –> 00:01:08,919 Now, who is the prophet writing about? 14 00:01:08,919 –> 00:01:12,320 He’s reading this chapter and he wants to know who it’s about. 15 00:01:12,320 –> 00:01:17,559 And the scripture tells us that beginning with this chapter, that’s Isaiah 53, 16 00:01:17,559 –> 00:01:21,059 Philip explained the good news about Jesus. 17 00:01:21,400 –> 00:01:23,040 Good news. 18 00:01:23,040 –> 00:01:31,180 The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest good news 19 00:01:31,180 –> 00:01:34,760 for every person on the planet. 20 00:01:34,760 –> 00:01:38,339 And yet, around the world, in every culture, 21 00:01:38,339 –> 00:01:43,980 and this has been true in every generation since the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, 22 00:01:43,980 –> 00:01:49,239 the good news has been met overwhelmingly by unbelief. 23 00:01:49,300 –> 00:01:52,199 And that’s where Isaiah begins in this chapter. 24 00:02:00,199 –> 00:02:07,040 So, the first thing that we need saving from is actually our own unbelief. 25 00:02:07,040 –> 00:02:10,220 That’s where this remarkable chapter begins. 26 00:02:10,220 –> 00:02:15,619 And we saw earlier what lies behind unbelief. 27 00:02:15,820 –> 00:02:19,500 We’re distracted by the wrong considerations. 28 00:02:19,500 –> 00:02:22,220 We’re drawn by the wrong priorities. 29 00:02:22,220 –> 00:02:25,759 We’re driven by the wrong desires. 30 00:02:25,759 –> 00:02:32,259 And we saw that unbelief is a decision, and it’s actually a decision in which the mind 31 00:02:32,259 –> 00:02:36,320 and the heart and the will are all actively engaged. 32 00:02:36,320 –> 00:02:43,919 The mind makes a calculation, the heart gives direction, and the will decides. 33 00:02:43,960 –> 00:02:52,059 And Isaiah tells us that the result of all this is overwhelming belief around the world. 34 00:02:52,059 –> 00:02:58,679 Verse three, he was despised and we esteemed him not. 35 00:02:58,679 –> 00:03:03,679 There’s the world’s verdict on Jesus. 36 00:03:03,679 –> 00:03:11,020 Now, we take it up today in verse four, and I have to tell you that I come to the verses 37 00:03:11,139 –> 00:03:18,800 that are before us in these coming weeks with a sense of awe, and the sense of trepidation. 38 00:03:18,800 –> 00:03:26,179 These are some of the best known and best loved words in all of the Bible. 39 00:03:26,179 –> 00:03:32,820 They take us to the heart of the greatest good news this world has ever heard. 40 00:03:32,820 –> 00:03:39,199 They give us the clearest statement of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. 41 00:03:39,500 –> 00:03:43,419 They show us what he’s able to do for us today, 42 00:03:43,419 –> 00:03:51,039 and they point to the glorious future that lies ahead of everyone who belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. 43 00:03:51,039 –> 00:04:03,539 You know, for all eternity, we’re going to be lost in wonder, love, and praise over what is described in these verses. 44 00:04:03,600 –> 00:04:08,960 So let me try and give to you a quick overview of what we’ll be looking at 45 00:04:09,039 –> 00:04:10,960 over these next weeks. 46 00:04:11,639 –> 00:04:19,119 In verse four, where we begin today, we learn that Jesus bore the effects of sin. 47 00:04:19,119 –> 00:04:25,119 Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. 48 00:04:25,119 –> 00:04:30,640 Now, griefs and sorrows very obviously are the effects of sin. 49 00:04:31,399 –> 00:04:36,559 Isaiah begins here because he wants to paint the big picture 50 00:04:36,559 –> 00:04:40,000 of what Jesus would accomplish at the cross. 51 00:04:40,679 –> 00:04:49,200 Through his death and resurrection, one day, all grief and all sorrow will be taken away. 52 00:04:50,200 –> 00:04:57,200 And so this verse really describes and points to a great restoration. 53 00:04:58,119 –> 00:05:03,440 Then in verse five, we’re going to see that Jesus bore the punishment of sin. 54 00:05:03,440 –> 00:05:07,880 He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. 55 00:05:07,880 –> 00:05:15,079 Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his wounds, we are healed. 56 00:05:15,799 –> 00:05:19,040 So, Jesus will bring about a great restoration, 57 00:05:19,040 –> 00:05:23,679 and the way in which he’s going to do this is through substitution. 58 00:05:24,359 –> 00:05:28,279 Jesus stood in our place. That’s the heart of this verse. 59 00:05:28,279 –> 00:05:35,480 He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. 60 00:05:35,480 –> 00:05:41,320 He bore the punishment, the chastisement that was due to us. 61 00:05:42,200 –> 00:05:47,559 So, Jesus bore the effects of sin, Jesus bore the punishment of sin, 62 00:05:47,559 –> 00:05:52,200 and then in verse six, we see that Jesus bore sin itself. 63 00:05:52,600 –> 00:05:57,720 All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. 64 00:05:57,720 –> 00:06:04,399 And the Lord has laid on him, the iniquity of us all. 65 00:06:05,320 –> 00:06:09,959 Now, the word we’re going to learn when we come to verse six is the word, 66 00:06:09,959 –> 00:06:16,600 imputation, which very simply means to credit or to charge a person 67 00:06:17,160 –> 00:06:20,679 with something that really does not belong to him or to her. 68 00:06:21,399 –> 00:06:27,480 So, for example, if someone imputes a bad motive to you, 69 00:06:27,480 –> 00:06:32,119 well, that means that they are charging you with a motive that you did not have. 70 00:06:32,119 –> 00:06:33,640 They’re putting this on you. 71 00:06:34,600 –> 00:06:39,559 They’re counting this against you, even although the bad motive was not yours. 72 00:06:41,239 –> 00:06:46,119 Now, putting these three remarkable verses of scripture together, 73 00:06:46,839 –> 00:06:56,760 we learn that Jesus purchased our restoration by substitution and imputation. 74 00:06:57,799 –> 00:07:03,000 And that is the heart of what Jesus accomplished at the cross. 75 00:07:03,799 –> 00:07:07,799 So, there’s an overview of where we’re going over these next weeks. 76 00:07:07,799 –> 00:07:10,440 We’re going to look at this marvelous restoration. 77 00:07:11,399 –> 00:07:16,679 We’re going to see how it was accomplished through an amazing substitution, 78 00:07:17,480 –> 00:07:23,640 and we’re going to see that in that substitution there was an unfathomable imputation. 79 00:07:24,760 –> 00:07:35,239 So that sin and all its effects were dealt with for us by God in Jesus Christ at the cross. 80 00:07:35,799 –> 00:07:42,040 Now we begin today, then, at verse four, where we see that Jesus bore the effects of sin. 81 00:07:42,040 –> 00:07:44,600 Let’s focus in on these remarkable words. 82 00:07:44,600 –> 00:07:51,640 Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. 83 00:07:53,079 –> 00:08:00,040 Now again, griefs and sorrows are the effects of sin in this world. 84 00:08:00,760 –> 00:08:01,720 Think about it. 85 00:08:01,959 –> 00:08:02,679 Think about it. 86 00:08:03,480 –> 00:08:10,040 If Adam had not sinned, no one would ever grieve a loss. 87 00:08:11,880 –> 00:08:19,320 If Eve had not sinned, no one would ever have shed a tear. 88 00:08:19,880 –> 00:08:25,959 But the reality is, that Adam and Eve did sin and that changed the world for them, 89 00:08:27,079 –> 00:08:28,760 and it has changed the world for us. 90 00:08:28,760 –> 00:08:37,320 Sin cannot live in God’s presence, so God drove our first parents 91 00:08:37,320 –> 00:08:42,659 out of the Garden of Eden, out of the paradise that they enjoyed, 92 00:08:42,659 –> 00:08:49,080 and once they were outside there was no way for them to get back in. 93 00:08:49,080 –> 00:08:53,159 Our first parents found themselves in a harsher world. 94 00:08:53,960 –> 00:08:57,340 Adam experienced frustration in his work. 95 00:08:57,340 –> 00:09:00,479 Eve experienced pain in childbirth. 96 00:09:00,479 –> 00:09:12,760 Both of them grieved the loss of their son in a horrible act of violence. 97 00:09:12,760 –> 00:09:17,260 So I want us to see first from this remarkable verse of Scripture 98 00:09:17,260 –> 00:09:20,979 that speaks so clearly into our world today 99 00:09:20,979 –> 00:09:26,280 —that our world is filled with sorrow 100 00:09:26,280 –> 00:09:31,260 and the Scripture speaks to this, speaks right to us today. 101 00:09:31,260 –> 00:09:38,859 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. 102 00:09:38,859 –> 00:09:45,440 And when Isaiah speaks about our griefs, our sorrows, 103 00:09:45,440 –> 00:09:50,739 he’s describing the realities of life in our world. 104 00:09:51,159 –> 00:09:54,340 Our griefs, our sorrows, 105 00:09:54,340 –> 00:10:01,080 well, they involve all of the pain and the disappointment of life. 106 00:10:01,080 –> 00:10:05,559 Alak Mateer, who has written so helpfully on the book of Isaiah, puts it this way, 107 00:10:05,559 –> 00:10:10,119 we wish for more than we are able to achieve 108 00:10:10,119 –> 00:10:14,640 so that the good life is always eluding us. 109 00:10:14,640 –> 00:10:19,500 Do you know that feeling that you hope to get to a place 110 00:10:19,500 –> 00:10:23,880 where everything’s just right and you never get there? 111 00:10:23,880 –> 00:10:28,500 There’s always something that’s coming up and spoiling it. 112 00:10:28,500 –> 00:10:31,640 Keeping you from it. 113 00:10:31,640 –> 00:10:35,219 Now, the word that’s translated here, griefs, 114 00:10:35,219 –> 00:10:39,440 can also be translated as infirmities. 115 00:10:39,479 –> 00:10:43,679 In other words, our griefs, our sorrows include 116 00:10:43,679 –> 00:10:48,479 sicknesses, illnesses of every kind. 117 00:10:48,479 –> 00:10:51,059 We’re talking here, in the broadest possible terms, 118 00:10:51,059 –> 00:10:55,400 of everything that blights our life in this world, 119 00:10:55,400 –> 00:10:59,260 all that puts the perfect life we all long for 120 00:10:59,260 –> 00:11:01,859 beyond our reach. 121 00:11:03,320 –> 00:11:06,099 Now, I want you to think with me for a moment 122 00:11:06,099 –> 00:11:08,419 about the griefs and the sorrows 123 00:11:08,419 –> 00:11:11,239 that we experience in this world. 124 00:11:11,239 –> 00:11:12,960 Our griefs. 125 00:11:14,059 –> 00:11:16,039 Our sorrows. 126 00:11:16,039 –> 00:11:17,400 What are we talking about? 127 00:11:18,440 –> 00:11:22,679 Well, some griefs and sorrows are physical 128 00:11:22,679 –> 00:11:25,359 and everyone who lives with pain 129 00:11:25,359 –> 00:11:28,919 and is experiencing pain right now, 130 00:11:28,919 –> 00:11:32,520 you know how miserable this is. 131 00:11:32,520 –> 00:11:35,619 Pain in the joints, arthritis, 132 00:11:35,659 –> 00:11:39,280 migraines, fibroid myalgia. 133 00:11:40,299 –> 00:11:45,299 If you live with any of these or many more, 134 00:11:45,299 –> 00:11:48,200 you know the grief and sorrow of physical pain. 135 00:11:49,659 –> 00:11:53,580 Everyone who lives with sickness 136 00:11:54,500 –> 00:11:55,880 knows the pain that it brings. 137 00:11:55,880 –> 00:11:57,900 A diagnosis of cancer. 138 00:11:59,619 –> 00:12:01,219 Parkinson’s disease. 139 00:12:02,599 –> 00:12:03,919 A heart condition. 140 00:12:04,900 –> 00:12:06,000 A stroke. 141 00:12:07,940 –> 00:12:09,940 And then on top of all of these things 142 00:12:09,940 –> 00:12:11,919 there is the physical suffering 143 00:12:11,919 –> 00:12:14,820 that human beings impose on one another. 144 00:12:14,820 –> 00:12:18,380 The horrors of war in front of us every day. 145 00:12:20,219 –> 00:12:23,960 The atrocities of human cruelty 146 00:12:25,219 –> 00:12:28,580 and abuse and violence. 147 00:12:30,380 –> 00:12:33,299 And then on top of all the physical suffering 148 00:12:33,340 –> 00:12:35,820 in this world that brings grief and sorrow. 149 00:12:35,820 –> 00:12:37,799 There are many more griefs and sorrows 150 00:12:37,799 –> 00:12:41,460 that are in the mind that relate to mental conditions. 151 00:12:41,460 –> 00:12:43,900 Anyone who has gone through depression 152 00:12:44,900 –> 00:12:48,659 knows the grief and the sorrow that that can bring. 153 00:12:50,020 –> 00:12:52,099 And beyond the physical and the mental 154 00:12:52,099 –> 00:12:55,219 there is the grief and sorrow that is emotional. 155 00:12:55,219 –> 00:12:57,900 Anyone who knows what it is to live 156 00:12:57,900 –> 00:13:01,580 with the power of fear and of anxiety 157 00:13:01,619 –> 00:13:05,419 you know the grief and the sorrow that brings, 158 00:13:05,419 –> 00:13:09,900 anyone who lives with a deep sense of shame knows the same. 159 00:13:11,039 –> 00:13:13,299 And then of course there are some grief, 160 00:13:13,299 –> 00:13:17,260 some losses that are just profoundly personal. 161 00:13:17,260 –> 00:13:18,880 Only you can know them. 162 00:13:18,880 –> 00:13:21,179 You lose a loved one. 163 00:13:23,460 –> 00:13:25,419 A husband, a wife 164 00:13:26,299 –> 00:13:29,640 a treasured friend taken from you. 165 00:13:29,679 –> 00:13:32,900 There is a vast hole in your life 166 00:13:32,900 –> 00:13:34,820 that no one else can possibly fill. 167 00:13:37,119 –> 00:13:40,159 And then there are griefs and sorrows that are social. 168 00:13:41,119 –> 00:13:46,119 We live in this world of lies, deception, hatred, 169 00:13:47,780 –> 00:13:51,739 broken relationships, broken trust. 170 00:13:51,739 –> 00:13:55,599 If someone has lied to you, deceived you, 171 00:13:55,599 –> 00:13:58,940 you know the grief and sorrow that that brings. 172 00:13:59,640 –> 00:14:02,760 And then there are griefs and sorrows 173 00:14:02,760 –> 00:14:05,140 on top of all of these that are judicial. 174 00:14:06,859 –> 00:14:11,559 To be the victim of a crime is hard enough, 175 00:14:11,559 –> 00:14:15,599 but if the crime is never brought to justice, 176 00:14:15,599 –> 00:14:18,679 then your pain is even greater. 177 00:14:18,679 –> 00:14:23,679 Here’s one person who is wronged and he can’t get justice. 178 00:14:24,840 –> 00:14:28,919 And here’s another person who is wrongly accused 179 00:14:28,919 –> 00:14:31,679 and she can’t get justice either. 180 00:14:32,760 –> 00:14:34,840 The world cries out, 181 00:14:34,840 –> 00:14:38,760 how long do we have to wait before we get justice? 182 00:14:40,400 –> 00:14:43,400 And then of course there are some griefs and sorrows 183 00:14:43,400 –> 00:14:45,559 that are spiritual. 184 00:14:45,559 –> 00:14:48,640 And if you know what it is to lose hope, 185 00:14:48,640 –> 00:14:51,080 you will know the grief that that brings. 186 00:14:51,080 –> 00:14:52,320 If you have ever felt 187 00:14:52,320 –> 00:14:56,440 that God himself is hiding his face from you, 188 00:14:57,080 –> 00:15:00,559 you will know what a grief and a sorrow that is. 189 00:15:01,919 –> 00:15:03,000 Now think about this, 190 00:15:03,000 –> 00:15:07,000 the effects of grief and sorrow 191 00:15:07,000 –> 00:15:09,719 that come from the entrance of sin into the world, 192 00:15:09,719 –> 00:15:11,479 they go absolutely everywhere, 193 00:15:11,479 –> 00:15:14,520 physical, mental, emotional, personal, social, 194 00:15:14,520 –> 00:15:16,320 judicial, spiritual, 195 00:15:16,320 –> 00:15:19,799 they blight our lives in all of these dimensions. 196 00:15:20,679 –> 00:15:24,840 And when the scripture speaks about our griefs, 197 00:15:24,840 –> 00:15:27,119 our sorrows, 198 00:15:27,119 –> 00:15:31,159 God is speaking to the painful realities 199 00:15:31,159 –> 00:15:34,520 of our life in this world. 200 00:15:35,520 –> 00:15:37,880 Friends, we don’t come to church 201 00:15:37,880 –> 00:15:41,960 to pretend that everything’s okay, it’s not. 202 00:15:43,760 –> 00:15:47,880 We don’t come here for some exercise in wishful thinking. 203 00:15:49,159 –> 00:15:51,440 We don’t come to hide from reality, 204 00:15:51,440 –> 00:15:53,479 we come to face reality, 205 00:15:53,479 –> 00:15:55,460 and it’s right here in front of us 206 00:15:55,460 –> 00:15:57,679 as we open the scriptures together. 207 00:15:57,679 –> 00:16:01,340 If you know what it is to walk sorrow’s path, 208 00:16:01,340 –> 00:16:06,340 if your heart is heavy with inexpressible grief today, 209 00:16:06,859 –> 00:16:08,960 this verse is for you. 210 00:16:10,359 –> 00:16:14,820 God is speaking right into your sorrow, 211 00:16:15,799 –> 00:16:19,559 and we’re opening the Bible to see what it is 212 00:16:19,559 –> 00:16:20,880 that he has to say. 213 00:16:22,260 –> 00:16:26,919 So our world is filled with sorrow, 214 00:16:26,919 –> 00:16:29,559 but here’s the second thing that I want us to see 215 00:16:29,559 –> 00:16:33,520 from this remarkable text that points to Jesus, 216 00:16:33,520 –> 00:16:38,359 that Jesus carried our sorrow. 217 00:16:38,359 –> 00:16:43,359 Surely he has borne our griefs 218 00:16:43,919 –> 00:16:47,299 and carried our sorrows. 219 00:16:48,820 –> 00:16:50,919 Now Isaiah has already spoken 220 00:16:50,979 –> 00:16:54,460 about grief and sorrow in verse three. 221 00:16:54,460 –> 00:16:55,780 If you look at it there, 222 00:16:55,780 –> 00:17:00,460 he tells us that Jesus was a man of sorrows 223 00:17:00,460 –> 00:17:02,859 and acquainted with grief. 224 00:17:02,859 –> 00:17:05,260 But now you see having said that in verse three, 225 00:17:05,260 –> 00:17:09,140 he’s telling us why Jesus was a man of sorrows 226 00:17:09,140 –> 00:17:12,380 and acquainted with grief here in verse four. 227 00:17:12,380 –> 00:17:17,099 The reason that Jesus was a man of sorrows 228 00:17:17,099 –> 00:17:20,579 is that he carried our sorrows. 229 00:17:20,680 –> 00:17:23,780 And the reason that he was acquainted with grief 230 00:17:24,699 –> 00:17:28,000 is that he bore our grief. 231 00:17:28,900 –> 00:17:32,459 In other words, Jesus took the weight 232 00:17:32,459 –> 00:17:37,459 of human grief and sorrow upon himself. 233 00:17:37,640 –> 00:17:41,140 And Isaiah uses two words to describe this. 234 00:17:41,140 –> 00:17:45,280 The first is the word born, he has born our griefs, 235 00:17:45,280 –> 00:17:48,339 which literally means he lifted them up. 236 00:17:48,380 –> 00:17:52,599 Other translations say he took up our griefs. 237 00:17:54,119 –> 00:17:59,119 As if he bent down in order to pick them up. 238 00:17:59,239 –> 00:18:02,880 This was an intentional act on the part of Jesus. 239 00:18:02,880 –> 00:18:04,839 He came into the world to do this. 240 00:18:04,839 –> 00:18:08,739 He chose to take our griefs upon himself. 241 00:18:10,099 –> 00:18:15,099 And then Isaiah tells us that he carried our sorrows. 242 00:18:15,099 –> 00:18:15,939 In other words, 243 00:18:16,180 –> 00:18:19,780 he took the whole weight of human sorrow 244 00:18:19,780 –> 00:18:22,579 on his own shoulders. 245 00:18:24,099 –> 00:18:26,760 Now, what does that actually mean? 246 00:18:27,920 –> 00:18:32,920 Well, it means that Jesus has invented into every dimension 247 00:18:34,400 –> 00:18:37,699 of grief and sorrow in human life. 248 00:18:37,699 –> 00:18:40,079 And we identified seven dimensions. 249 00:18:40,979 –> 00:18:44,819 Jesus Christ has entered into each and every one of them. 250 00:18:44,819 –> 00:18:48,500 Think about the physical sufferings of Jesus. 251 00:18:48,500 –> 00:18:50,599 Do you suffer physical pain? 252 00:18:51,699 –> 00:18:53,160 Jesus has been there, 253 00:18:55,660 –> 00:19:00,660 prophesying what Jesus would actually experience. 254 00:19:01,319 –> 00:19:04,420 The Psalmist in Psalm 22 says, 255 00:19:05,439 –> 00:19:09,500 all my bones are out of joint. 256 00:19:11,760 –> 00:19:14,219 Have you ever had one bone out of joint 257 00:19:14,219 –> 00:19:16,040 and felt the agony of that? 258 00:19:16,040 –> 00:19:20,439 On the cross, every bone in the body of Jesus 259 00:19:20,439 –> 00:19:24,280 pulled out of joint, not broken, 260 00:19:25,260 –> 00:19:27,959 but pulled out of joint? 261 00:19:29,859 –> 00:19:33,819 If you know what it is to suffer physical pain of any kind, 262 00:19:35,439 –> 00:19:39,219 the Lord Jesus Christ knows that grief 263 00:19:40,180 –> 00:19:43,540 and he has carried that sorrow. 264 00:19:45,199 –> 00:19:48,180 What about mental anguish? 265 00:19:48,180 –> 00:19:50,939 Do you suffer mental anguish? 266 00:19:50,939 –> 00:19:53,520 Jesus has been there. 267 00:19:54,939 –> 00:19:56,719 In the garden of Gethsemane, 268 00:19:56,719 –> 00:19:57,819 he said this, 269 00:19:57,819 –> 00:20:00,420 my soul, 270 00:20:00,420 –> 00:20:03,140 is overwhelmed with sorrow. 271 00:20:04,180 –> 00:20:05,160 Overwhelmed. 272 00:20:07,239 –> 00:20:09,739 If your mind has been troubled, 273 00:20:10,719 –> 00:20:14,300 the Lord Jesus Christ knows that grief 274 00:20:14,300 –> 00:20:16,599 and he has carried that sorrow. 275 00:20:18,900 –> 00:20:20,800 What about the emotional sufferings 276 00:20:20,800 –> 00:20:23,339 of the Lord Jesus Christ? 277 00:20:23,339 –> 00:20:25,000 Have you ever been shamed? 278 00:20:26,000 –> 00:20:27,060 Abused? 279 00:20:28,079 –> 00:20:30,719 Hated by another person? 280 00:20:31,959 –> 00:20:33,760 Jesus has been there too. 281 00:20:34,920 –> 00:20:37,739 He was stripped of his robe 282 00:20:38,560 –> 00:20:40,660 and exposed to ridicule. 283 00:20:41,660 –> 00:20:46,560 He was mocked and he was taunted by people who hated him. 284 00:20:48,000 –> 00:20:52,540 If you have felt shame, Jesus knows that grief 285 00:20:52,540 –> 00:20:55,060 and he has carried that sorrow too. 286 00:20:57,060 –> 00:21:00,839 What about the personal loss that Jesus endured? 287 00:21:01,959 –> 00:21:05,040 Do you know what it is to feel alone, 288 00:21:05,800 –> 00:21:10,140 to feel abandoned, to feel left? 289 00:21:10,140 –> 00:21:11,900 Oh Jesus has been there. 290 00:21:13,040 –> 00:21:15,459 One of his closest friends betrayed him 291 00:21:15,459 –> 00:21:19,239 and another of his closest friends denied ever knowing him. 292 00:21:20,300 –> 00:21:23,160 The rest, but they all forsook him and fled. 293 00:21:24,300 –> 00:21:27,699 If you know what it is like to feel abandoned and alone, 294 00:21:27,699 –> 00:21:29,260 Jesus knows that grief. 295 00:21:29,260 –> 00:21:32,400 He has carried that sorrow too. 296 00:21:33,160 –> 00:21:37,420 And then think about the social sorrows of Jesus. 297 00:21:38,859 –> 00:21:43,319 Have you known what it is to show love, 298 00:21:43,319 –> 00:21:48,099 and patience, and kindness that goes the extra mile 299 00:21:48,099 –> 00:21:49,500 towards another person 300 00:21:49,500 –> 00:21:52,520 and all of it is thrown back in your face? 301 00:21:53,699 –> 00:21:55,119 Jesus has been there. 302 00:21:56,400 –> 00:22:00,959 He came to his own and his own received him not. 303 00:22:01,619 –> 00:22:04,060 He said, on one occasion, 304 00:22:04,060 –> 00:22:05,819 Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 305 00:22:05,819 –> 00:22:08,260 how often I would have gathered your children together 306 00:22:08,260 –> 00:22:12,119 as a hen gathers, her brood under her wings. 307 00:22:12,119 –> 00:22:15,319 And you were not willing. 308 00:22:15,319 –> 00:22:16,479 You were not willing. 309 00:22:18,280 –> 00:22:22,160 Well, if your love, your patience, 310 00:22:22,160 –> 00:22:25,060 your kindness has been rejected. 311 00:22:25,060 –> 00:22:28,760 Jesus knows that grief. 312 00:22:28,920 –> 00:22:31,959 He has carried that sorrow, too. 313 00:22:34,619 –> 00:22:39,619 And think of the judicial sorrows of Jesus. 314 00:22:39,619 –> 00:22:41,619 Have you suffered injustice? 315 00:22:43,719 –> 00:22:45,280 Well, Jesus has been there too. 316 00:22:46,880 –> 00:22:48,619 He was, think about this, 317 00:22:48,619 –> 00:22:53,180 physically attacked in a courtroom. 318 00:22:53,180 –> 00:22:56,020 The one place where a person ought to be absolutely safe 319 00:22:56,020 –> 00:22:57,880 and be able to present their case. 320 00:22:59,359 –> 00:23:03,280 He was sent from one trial to another with the charges 321 00:23:03,280 –> 00:23:05,280 being changed repeatedly along the way. 322 00:23:05,280 –> 00:23:07,599 Was condemned to death by a judge 323 00:23:07,599 –> 00:23:10,339 who had pronounced him innocent on three occasions. 324 00:23:12,439 –> 00:23:16,900 If you have ever suffered injustice, Jesus knows that grief. 325 00:23:18,619 –> 00:23:20,260 He’s carried that sorrow too. 326 00:23:22,760 –> 00:23:26,180 What about the spiritual sorrows of Jesus? 327 00:23:27,180 –> 00:23:30,140 Have you ever felt that God himself 328 00:23:30,140 –> 00:23:31,839 may have abandoned you? 329 00:23:33,260 –> 00:23:36,800 Well, if you’ve ever felt that, Jesus has been there too. 330 00:23:38,020 –> 00:23:40,939 When our sins were laid on Jesus, 331 00:23:41,979 –> 00:23:43,640 God turned out the light. 332 00:23:45,239 –> 00:23:47,119 The sun stopped shining. 333 00:23:47,119 –> 00:23:49,739 In the middle of the day, 334 00:23:49,739 –> 00:23:53,380 the whole land was plunged into darkness 335 00:23:53,380 –> 00:23:54,800 and in that darkness, 336 00:23:54,880 –> 00:23:58,079 Jesus could no longer feel the comfort 337 00:23:58,079 –> 00:23:59,760 of his own father’s love. 338 00:23:59,760 –> 00:24:01,439 He cried out in a loud voice, 339 00:24:01,439 –> 00:24:06,140 my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 340 00:24:07,719 –> 00:24:11,680 Oh, if you have felt that the love of God 341 00:24:11,680 –> 00:24:14,339 was beyond what you could reach or feel, 342 00:24:15,660 –> 00:24:17,439 Jesus knows that grief. 343 00:24:18,619 –> 00:24:22,920 He has carried that sorrow too. 344 00:24:25,079 –> 00:24:28,619 Jesus could say in the words of Lamentations, 345 00:24:30,180 –> 00:24:35,180 look and see if there is any sorrow 346 00:24:35,719 –> 00:24:40,479 like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, 347 00:24:41,680 –> 00:24:46,680 which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger. 348 00:24:49,500 –> 00:24:52,680 Now friends, here’s what I want us to try 349 00:24:52,680 –> 00:24:56,239 and take in from all of this today. 350 00:24:56,239 –> 00:24:59,800 Jesus is God in the flesh, 351 00:24:59,800 –> 00:25:03,319 and he bore our griefs, 352 00:25:03,319 –> 00:25:06,479 and he carried our sorrows. 353 00:25:09,280 –> 00:25:11,300 I’ve been greatly blessed 354 00:25:12,319 –> 00:25:16,479 to not have suffered very much physical pain 355 00:25:16,479 –> 00:25:18,800 in my life at all. 356 00:25:19,800 –> 00:25:23,599 But a few years ago, I suffered back pain 357 00:25:23,599 –> 00:25:24,880 for about a year. 358 00:25:25,920 –> 00:25:29,400 And at the beginning of this year, 359 00:25:29,400 –> 00:25:32,239 one of my daughter’s-in-law 360 00:25:32,239 –> 00:25:37,239 suddenly experienced very severe back pain. 361 00:25:37,439 –> 00:25:39,280 I’m sure it was much worse than mine 362 00:25:39,280 –> 00:25:43,599 because it required an emergency surgery. 363 00:25:43,599 –> 00:25:46,319 And thank God that has now given her relief. 364 00:25:48,839 –> 00:25:53,839 But I had a deep, deep feeling of empathy for her, why? 365 00:25:56,339 –> 00:26:00,760 Because I knew something of what that was like. 366 00:26:02,319 –> 00:26:05,239 I had the deepest sense of connection 367 00:26:07,079 –> 00:26:08,859 to what she was experiencing 368 00:26:10,880 –> 00:26:13,160 because I knew it myself. 369 00:26:13,979 –> 00:26:18,000 Now, when you draw near to the Lord Jesus Christ, 370 00:26:18,959 –> 00:26:21,160 bring this to mind, 371 00:26:21,160 –> 00:26:26,160 you’re coming to a savior who knows what it is like. 372 00:26:27,800 –> 00:26:30,900 Whether we’re talking about the physical pain 373 00:26:30,900 –> 00:26:32,439 that Jesus experienced, 374 00:26:32,439 –> 00:26:35,479 whether we’re talking about the mental anguish, 375 00:26:35,479 –> 00:26:38,160 whether we’re talking about the terrible abuse, 376 00:26:38,160 –> 00:26:41,060 the injustice that he suffered. 377 00:26:41,819 –> 00:26:46,359 Jesus Christ has suffered and not just a little. 378 00:26:48,560 –> 00:26:52,359 No, no, no, it’s not that he has suffered a little taste 379 00:26:52,359 –> 00:26:55,239 of what is in our lives. 380 00:26:55,239 –> 00:26:59,319 Jesus Christ has plumbed the depths 381 00:26:59,319 –> 00:27:02,780 of every dimension of human grief 382 00:27:02,780 –> 00:27:04,579 and of human suffering. 383 00:27:04,579 –> 00:27:09,579 He took it up and He has taken it all on his own shoulders 384 00:27:10,219 –> 00:27:14,180 and he knows what it is like at its very worst. 385 00:27:16,599 –> 00:27:18,959 When your heart is broken, 386 00:27:20,420 –> 00:27:23,000 when you think nobody can understand my pain, 387 00:27:23,000 –> 00:27:24,339 my grief, my sorrow, 388 00:27:24,339 –> 00:27:27,479 you can draw near to the Lord Jesus Christ. 389 00:27:27,479 –> 00:27:31,099 Why? Because he bore our griefs 390 00:27:32,180 –> 00:27:34,560 and he carried our sorrows 391 00:27:35,479 –> 00:27:37,859 and when you come to Jesus 392 00:27:38,859 –> 00:27:41,819 you are coming to a loving savior 393 00:27:42,859 –> 00:27:44,699 who knows what it is like. 394 00:27:47,619 –> 00:27:51,380 Our world is filled with grief and sorrow. 395 00:27:51,380 –> 00:27:53,839 That’s why this verse speaks so powerfully 396 00:27:53,839 –> 00:27:55,719 and directly to us today. 397 00:27:57,000 –> 00:28:01,560 Our Lord Jesus Christ has carried our grief and our sorrow 398 00:28:01,560 –> 00:28:04,939 and that is why he is the savior that we need. 399 00:28:05,699 –> 00:28:07,819 And then here’s the last thing today 400 00:28:07,819 –> 00:28:10,280 that is so very wonderful. 401 00:28:10,280 –> 00:28:15,280 Jesus promises a world where sorrow will be no more. 402 00:28:18,640 –> 00:28:20,260 Now the words of our verse, 403 00:28:20,260 –> 00:28:22,680 Isaiah chapter 53 in verse four 404 00:28:22,680 –> 00:28:25,160 are quoted in the New Testament 405 00:28:25,160 –> 00:28:29,079 in Matthew chapter eight and verse 17. 406 00:28:29,079 –> 00:28:30,920 And Matthew tells us there, 407 00:28:31,439 –> 00:28:36,199 that at evening, they brought to him, that is to Jesus, 408 00:28:36,199 –> 00:28:40,199 many who were oppressed by demons 409 00:28:40,199 –> 00:28:44,280 and he cast out the spirits with a word 410 00:28:44,280 –> 00:28:46,760 and healed all who were sick. 411 00:28:48,000 –> 00:28:49,920 This was Matthew says, 412 00:28:49,920 –> 00:28:54,920 to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. 413 00:28:55,880 –> 00:29:00,880 He took our illnesses and bore a burden”. 414 00:29:00,920 –> 00:29:05,719 Our diseases and we saw earlier 415 00:29:05,719 –> 00:29:09,839 that the words translated griefs and sorrows 416 00:29:09,839 –> 00:29:14,839 include all of our illnesses and all of our diseases. 417 00:29:16,979 –> 00:29:21,060 Now, this raises a very obvious 418 00:29:21,060 –> 00:29:24,760 and a very important and even wonderful question. 419 00:29:25,760 –> 00:29:30,500 Why does Matthew say that Jesus fulfilled these words 420 00:29:30,500 –> 00:29:35,079 of Isaiah in his life, in the healing miracles, 421 00:29:35,079 –> 00:29:39,839 when Isaiah very, very clearly is pointing 422 00:29:39,839 –> 00:29:44,599 to Jesus bearing our griefs and our sorrows in his death. 423 00:29:45,579 –> 00:29:49,180 And the answer to that question surely is this, 424 00:29:49,180 –> 00:29:52,660 that Matthew is telling us that what happened 425 00:29:52,660 –> 00:29:56,040 to these people who were so wonderfully healed 426 00:29:56,040 –> 00:30:00,339 by the Lord Jesus Christ during his ministry on earth, 427 00:30:00,339 –> 00:30:04,219 that their experience was a kind of taste, 428 00:30:04,219 –> 00:30:08,479 a kind of sample of what one day, 429 00:30:08,479 –> 00:30:13,079 every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ will enjoy. 430 00:30:14,020 –> 00:30:16,020 What we have in the gospels 431 00:30:16,020 –> 00:30:17,839 and then the wonderful healing miracles 432 00:30:18,280 –> 00:30:21,040 of the Lord Jesus Christ is a little glimpse 433 00:30:21,040 –> 00:30:26,040 of the big picture of why Jesus Christ came into the world. 434 00:30:27,280 –> 00:30:31,619 Here’s a sample of what one day he will bring to completion, 435 00:30:31,619 –> 00:30:35,780 every demon cast out, every sickness healed. 436 00:30:35,780 –> 00:30:37,979 And this is what Isaiah prophesied. 437 00:30:39,119 –> 00:30:42,520 Why did Jesus come into the world? 438 00:30:43,719 –> 00:30:45,500 Well, that’s about the most important question 439 00:30:45,500 –> 00:30:46,920 you could ask. 440 00:30:46,920 –> 00:30:49,239 Why did Jesus go to the cross? 441 00:30:49,239 –> 00:30:51,880 And you can answer that question in so many ways. 442 00:30:51,880 –> 00:30:54,319 You might say, well, Jesus went to the cross 443 00:30:54,319 –> 00:30:56,000 so that we could be forgiven. 444 00:30:56,000 –> 00:30:57,880 That’s true, but why? 445 00:30:59,040 –> 00:31:01,500 You might say, Jesus came into the world 446 00:31:01,500 –> 00:31:05,219 so that we could be born again, that’s true, but why? 447 00:31:06,359 –> 00:31:09,060 Oh, Jesus came so that we could live lives 448 00:31:09,060 –> 00:31:12,079 of love and of service in this world. 449 00:31:12,079 –> 00:31:14,060 Yes, that’s true, but why? 450 00:31:14,760 –> 00:31:19,760 Jesus came into the world and died on the cross 451 00:31:22,420 –> 00:31:26,900 to fulfill the great ultimate purpose of God, 452 00:31:26,900 –> 00:31:30,859 which is to bring us into a glorious new world 453 00:31:30,859 –> 00:31:34,859 where grief and sorrow will be no more. 454 00:31:37,219 –> 00:31:39,859 And Isaiah is a master teacher. 455 00:31:41,020 –> 00:31:44,040 And before he takes us further into what happened 456 00:31:44,040 –> 00:31:47,439 at the cross, he’s giving us the why. 457 00:31:47,439 –> 00:31:49,900 He’s giving us the big picture. 458 00:31:49,900 –> 00:31:52,359 What was all this about? 459 00:31:52,359 –> 00:31:55,119 It was about a great restoration 460 00:31:55,119 –> 00:31:58,239 that Jesus Christ came into the world to bring about 461 00:31:58,239 –> 00:32:00,079 and one day will bring to completion 462 00:32:00,079 –> 00:32:03,160 when he returns in power and in glory 463 00:32:04,760 –> 00:32:08,119 to reverse all the effects of sin 464 00:32:09,079 –> 00:32:11,319 and to bring us into a glorious world 465 00:32:11,319 –> 00:32:14,439 where grief and sorrow will be no more. 466 00:32:16,079 –> 00:32:20,800 Jesus tells us that we will go through a time of sorrow. 467 00:32:20,800 –> 00:32:25,020 We will experience sorrow in this world. 468 00:32:25,020 –> 00:32:30,020 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep. 469 00:32:31,839 –> 00:32:35,040 Not a question, not an if. 470 00:32:35,040 –> 00:32:36,280 You will weep. 471 00:32:37,280 –> 00:32:38,920 You will lament. 472 00:32:39,839 –> 00:32:41,680 You will be sorrowful. 473 00:32:43,079 –> 00:32:45,839 But thank God he doesn’t end there. 474 00:32:45,839 –> 00:32:50,839 But your sorrow will turn into joy. 475 00:32:53,400 –> 00:32:56,839 And later Jesus adds, you will rejoice 476 00:32:56,839 –> 00:33:01,680 and no one will ever take your joy from you. 477 00:33:02,719 –> 00:33:04,280 This joy will be ours, 478 00:33:04,359 –> 00:33:09,359 Jesus says when he comes again in power and in glory, 479 00:33:09,520 –> 00:33:12,880 he’s going to bring us brothers and sisters 480 00:33:12,880 –> 00:33:17,880 into a new world where there’s gonna be no more war, 481 00:33:20,800 –> 00:33:25,800 no more violence, no more hatred, lies, deception, 482 00:33:28,520 –> 00:33:32,719 no more migraines, no more cancer. 483 00:33:34,640 –> 00:33:38,920 no more chemo, no more depression, 484 00:33:39,920 –> 00:33:43,880 no more fear, no more anxiety, no more temptations, 485 00:33:45,119 –> 00:33:48,060 no more sin, no more hunger, 486 00:33:49,160 –> 00:33:52,000 no more thirst, no more doubt, 487 00:33:53,400 –> 00:33:57,839 no more pain, no more wounds, 488 00:33:58,839 –> 00:34:02,760 no more sorrow, no more grief, 489 00:34:03,739 –> 00:34:05,579 and no more loss. 490 00:34:06,560 –> 00:34:11,560 God himself will be with us as our God. 491 00:34:13,479 –> 00:34:16,520 He’s going to wipe away every tear from our eyes 492 00:34:18,280 –> 00:34:21,399 and death will be no more. 493 00:34:23,219 –> 00:34:25,439 Neither shall there be mourning, 494 00:34:26,520 –> 00:34:30,080 nor crying, nor pain anymore 495 00:34:31,040 –> 00:34:36,040 for the former things have passed away. 496 00:34:36,239 –> 00:34:37,719 Christian brothers, sister, 497 00:34:37,719 –> 00:34:42,100 one day you will have shed your last tear 498 00:34:44,419 –> 00:34:46,840 because there will be no grief, 499 00:34:46,840 –> 00:34:51,520 no sorrow in the presence of Jesus in heaven. 500 00:34:52,820 –> 00:34:56,080 The more you know about grief 501 00:34:56,080 –> 00:34:59,060 and sorrow in your life, 502 00:34:59,120 –> 00:35:03,620 the more interest you should have in Jesus. 503 00:35:03,620 –> 00:35:05,879 He went to the cross 504 00:35:05,879 –> 00:35:10,080 so that grief and sorrow should never have the last word, 505 00:35:10,080 –> 00:35:13,800 so that there should be a great restoration, 506 00:35:13,800 –> 00:35:17,080 so that we would be brought one day in his kindness 507 00:35:17,080 –> 00:35:19,760 into a world that is freed 508 00:35:19,760 –> 00:35:23,280 from all of the ugly and horrible effects of sin, 509 00:35:23,280 –> 00:35:27,699 a world of love, a world of peace, 510 00:35:28,639 –> 00:35:30,600 a world of joy, 511 00:35:31,699 –> 00:35:36,600 a world in which grief and sorrow are no more. 512 00:35:37,699 –> 00:35:42,699 And Jesus offers a place in that glorious world 513 00:35:43,899 –> 00:35:47,620 to every person who will follow him. 514 00:35:48,959 –> 00:35:50,040 Let’s pray together. 515 00:35:51,800 –> 00:35:56,800 Father, we thank you for the glorious hope that is ours, 516 00:35:58,600 –> 00:36:02,639 because your son became our savior 517 00:36:04,040 –> 00:36:09,040 and took up our griefs and carried our sorrows. 518 00:36:11,919 –> 00:36:15,760 Grant that in this world of pain we may know his help 519 00:36:17,260 –> 00:36:21,459 and grant that we may live in the hope 520 00:36:21,459 –> 00:36:23,639 and joyful anticipation 521 00:36:24,639 –> 00:36:29,639 of all that he has purchased for us at the cross 522 00:36:32,179 –> 00:36:34,979 for these things we ask in Jesus name. 523 00:36:36,239 –> 00:36:37,080 Amen. 524 00:36:38,320 –> 00:36:39,620 You’ve been listening to a sermon 525 00:36:39,620 –> 00:36:41,979 with Pastor Collin Smith of Open the Bible. 526 00:36:41,979 –> 00:36:45,959 To contact us call us at 1-877-open365 527 00:36:47,260 –> 00:36:50,719 or visit our website, openthebible.org