Substitution, Part 1

Isaiah 53: 5

Today’s broadcast delves into a profound biblical truth – understanding God’s love as expressed through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. We address a question that perplexes many: How does Jesus dying on the cross demonstrate God’s love for us?

Rooted in the prophetic words of Isaiah chapter 53, Pastor Colin will guide us in exploring how Christ’s suffering was for our redemption. Isaiah paints a vivid picture saying, “He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities,” which not only signifies the gravity of our situation but also the depth of God’s compassion for us. So, if you have ever struggled to feel connected to this transformative love, this message is an invitation to open your Bible and your heart.

The Bible tells us very clearly that God demonstrates his love for us in this. That while we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for us. But someone might very reasonably ask the question, you know, how is it that Jesus dying on the cross is a demonstration of God’s love for us? Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick. And Colin, that’s a big and difficult question for many of us. How is Jesus dying on the cross a demonstration of God’s love for us? Well, that’s precisely what Isaiah is speaking about in the verse that we’re looking at today. He says that Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and that he was crushed for our iniquities, that what brought us peace was on him. So it’s all about us. And Isaiah goes on to say that through what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we have peace and we are healed. So perhaps there’s someone listening today and you have heard the gospel before, but you have never really felt a connection with it yourself. You’ve never really felt that God really loves you. And I would just invite you to open up your mind and your heart to this wonderful verse that we’re looking at from Isaiah in chapter 53 today that really spells out as clearly as it could possibly be stated, that what Jesus accomplished on the cross really is an outpouring of the love of God for you and that that love reaches out to you even now, ready to embrace you as you will respond in faith and draw near to the Lord Jesus Christ. So please join us if you can. Open your Bible at Isaiah chapter 53 as we continue our message, Substitution. Here’s Colin. So this verse is laying out the human problem, the human condition. What is it? We’re defiant towards God. That’s our transgressions. We’re twisted in our very nature. That’s our iniquities. Thirdly, we are guilty. Because the chastisement that brought us peace was on him. Now that word chastisement or punishment really tells us that our transgressions, our iniquities bring a consequence. And what is the consequence of our transgressions and our iniquities? Well, the Bible says the wages of sin is death. And after death comes the judgment. We are all guilty before God. That’s what this verse is telling us. There’s a sentence hanging over us. The wages of sin is death. The fact that we all die is the ultimate proof that we are all sinners. Sooner or later, we all get our wages. We all get what we have earned. Then fourthly, do you see here we are wounded. With his wounds, we are healed. Now of course, Isaiah is speaking here about the wounds of Jesus rather than ours. But notice that he says that by Jesus’ wounds we are healed. Now a person who is healed is by definition a person who has been wounded. You remember that the Lord Jesus told a story about a man who was walking on a dangerous road from Jerusalem to Jericho. And he fell among robbers who stripped him. And they beat him. And they left him, Jesus said, half dead. Picture this man lying beaten and bruised in the road. Now that’s a picture of our spiritual condition. Sin has robbed us. Sin has beaten us up. Sin has left us wounded, lying in the road. Sin’s assault on us has led us to believe the wrong things, to love the wrong things, to desire the wrong things. We’re beaten, we’re bruised, we’re lying in the road. We don’t have the strength to get up and to pursue the will of God. So here you have in this one verse a remarkable fourfold description of the human condition. What is it? We’re wounded. And we are guilty before God. We are twisted by nature. And we are defiant. And Isaiah says this is why Jesus had to suffer. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. In him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his wounds we are healed. So that’s the first thing, why Jesus suffered. But I want you to notice secondly what Jesus suffered. And again Isaiah lays this out in a fourfold description. First he tells us that Jesus was pierced. And we know that hundreds of years after the time of Isaiah when Jesus came into the world his hands and his feet were pierced by the nails and his side was pierced by the thrust of a spear. Now I don’t think that Isaiah could have begun to imagine what this actually looked like. Because a judicial death in Old Testament times was by stoning. Crucifixion was a Roman practice that belonged to an age long after the time of Isaiah. But Isaiah was writing under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. And God revealed to the prophet what he could not have been able to imagine. That Jesus the Messiah would be pierced. And Isaiah says he was pierced for our transgressions. It wasn’t as people would think on account of his own transgressions because he had none. He was pierced on account of ours. Then second notice that Jesus was crushed. The word is used of grapes being trodden down in a wine press. And Jesus was beaten so severely that he was hardly recognizable as a human being. Isaiah says at the end of chapter 52 if you look back there his appearance was so disfigured that he did not look like a man. His form did not resemble a human being. Jesus was crushed and Isaiah is telling us why. He was crushed for our iniquities. And then we read here that Jesus was chastised or punished. Justice demands a penalty when evil is done. And this word chastised or punished tells us that what Jesus suffered was actually a penalty or a sentence. And the penalty or sentence that Jesus endured was the penalty or sentence that was due to us and due to us on account of our sins. Bearing shame and scoffing rude in my place condemned he stood. And then Isaiah tells us that Jesus was wounded. You remember that before he was pierced and nailed to the cross he was scourged so that his back would have been flayed a mass of open flesh. And Isaiah says with his wounds we are healed. Now the Bible tells us very clearly that God demonstrates his love for us in this. That while we were still sinners Jesus Christ died for us. But someone might very reasonably ask the question you know how is it that Jesus dying on the cross is a demonstration of God’s love for us. I mean a cure for cancer or the end of world hunger might seem like a much more tangible demonstration of the love of God for us than Jesus dying on a cross. But understand this from what Isaiah is saying that the reason that Jesus dying on the cross is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love for us is that this achieves something of infinite value for us. The sentence that was ours is served. The bill or the debt that was ours is paid. Justice that would have come to us has been served. And our case in Jesus Christ has been settled fully completely and finally forever. Well that is good news. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith with the message Substitution part of our larger series The Gospel According to Isaiah. And don’t forget if you ever miss one of our messages you can always go online. Go back listen again at openthebible.org.uk. You can also find our messages as podcasts. Go to your favorite podcast site and search for Open the Bible UK. We’ve looked at why Jesus suffered and then what he suffered and as we get back to the message we’ll see what came out of his suffering. Back to the message now here’s Colin. Now that leads us to the last thing today and it is this very wonderful truth of what came from Jesus’ suffering. Amazing how much is packed into this one remarkable verse in the prophecy of Isaiah. Do you see that there are two things that directly come to us as a result of all that Jesus suffered for us? And the first is that we have peace. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. Jesus stood in our place. Jesus became our substitute. The punishment that would have been ours was on him. And it’s in this way Isaiah says that we have peace with God. November the 11th is known as Armistice Day because this was the day when the armistice that brought an end to the First World War was signed in France. All hostilities on land, sea and air ended on that day and the armistice came into force at 11 o’clock in the morning on 11-11. Now up until that moment men were tragically dying in the trenches. In fact more than 2,000 people died on that last day, November the 11th, of the First World War. But at 11 o’clock on 11-11 all hostilities ceased. There was peace. Now think about this. God has signed an armistice for all who are in Jesus Christ. No more hostilities. No more wrath. No more punishment. No more condemnation. Sins, transgressions, iniquities all forgiven fully, finally and completely. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. What came from all that Jesus suffered? We have peace with God. And then second notice how Isaiah says here not only we have peace but we are healed. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his wounds we are healed. Healed from what? Well of course the healing here is complete freedom from all our transgressions, all of our iniquities and all of our guilt, complete recovery from all of our wounds. And this healing will be ours Isaiah says because of what Jesus endured for us on the cross. Now there is an obvious difference between our peace and our healing. Peace is a declaration. Healing is a process. But in Jesus Christ our healing has begun and in Jesus Christ one day our healing will be complete. And the Apostle Peter who quotes this line from the prophecy of Isaiah in his letter in the New Testament he tells us what this healing actually looks like. He says this by his wounds you have been healed for so now he’s going to explain what this actually means what it looks like for us to be healed for you were like straying like sheep but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. You see healing is a process that begins when you walk by faith with the Good Shepherd. And healing will be complete when the Good Shepherd brings you into his wonderful presence. Death will bring you in Jesus Christ not into a place of judgment but into a glorious new life in the presence of God where everything in you that resists the will of God will be gone forever. And all that is twisted and perverse within you will be wonderfully straightened out. Christ’s people we’re told in the book of Revelation will be dressed in white robes. You see what that is signifying no guilt no shame clean pure never ever to sin again. Now this is the wonderful wonderful truth of this remarkable verse Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 5. And as we’ve just tried to walk through what God reveals about why Jesus suffered what Jesus suffered and what came from Jesus suffering the obvious question is what now are we to do in the light of all of this. Let me suggest to you two things the first is simply this in the light of what we see in this verse of the Bible today admit your own need admit your own need confess it to God in God’s holy sight every single one of us are by nature defiant we are twisted we are guilty and we are wounded. So claiming that you’re a good person just drifting through life saying oh I’m a good person I’ll be fine when I get into the presence of God that is simply not going to cut it with God. The first step to faith is for you to admit your own need stop pretending that everything is well it’s not. Why would Jesus have come into the world and endured all of this on the cross if everything was already fine? No your need is so great that God the Father had to give his one and only son for you and there is no pardon without him being pierced there is no cleansing without him being crushed there is no peace without him being punished and there is no healing without him being wounded. So give up the pretense of trying to present yourself to God as a good person tell God that you know and believe what he says about you here is true Lord I’m wounded I’m guilty I’m twisted and I’m defiant and I need a savior. Will you admit your need before God today? And when you admit your need before God here’s the second thing to do in response to this remarkable verse of scripture trust in God’s provision you need a savior yes and Jesus is the savior that you need. God sent his son into the world and Jesus went to the cross where he was pierced for our transgressions and he was crushed for our iniquities Jesus came on and took our place as the substitute he stood in the place of sinners he’s God’s provision for you so trust him believe in him today and when you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ something very wonderful happens when you believe in Jesus Jesus makes you his own you’re made one with him that’s the way the New Testament puts it you are in Christ that’s how the Bible describes it and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and when you are in Christ all that Jesus died to accomplish really is yours you have peace with God you will be healed of all the effects of sin in your life you’ll be able to say when you’re in Christ that Jesus was pierced for my transgressions Jesus was crushed for my iniquities the punishment that brought me peace was on Jesus and by his wounds I am healed you’ve been listening to open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and the message substitution part of our series the gospel according to Isaiah and if you’ve been challenged by Pastor Colin’s message I hope you’ll take action go and talk with a trusted Christian friend or family member or to the pastoral prayer ministry team of a local Christian fellowship please tell us about it you can write to us at hello at open the Bible org dot UK open the Bible is supported by our listeners that’s people just like you if you feel you’d like to get involved in this way this month we’d like to offer you a free gift if you’re able to support the work of open the Bible in the amount of five pounds per month or more we’d love to send you a book called evangelism and the sovereignty of God it’s by J.I. Packer Colin who is this book for well if there’s someone in your life who you would long to see come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ this book is going to be wonderfully encouraging for you I’m thinking now about someone I would love to see come to faith in Christ so I asked the question now what can I do well I can pray for this person you know I can share the gospel with this person but you know when you see that someone you care for in your life really has no openness at all and has proved very resistant perhaps over many many years you have a profound sense of you know only God himself is going to be able to turn this person around and that’s why the sovereignty of God is really really good news that God is able to take a person as hardened against the gospel as Saul of Tarsus was and literally turn him around and make him a new God is able to do that so grasping the sovereignty of God is actually the greatest encouragement and incentive for praying and for evangelism I found this book to be wonderfully encouraging it has helped to sustain in me a hope for people who’ve been long away from the things of the Lord Jesus Christ because the sovereignty of God actually motivates us to pray and to reach out with the gospel I think it’d be a wonderfully encouraging book for anyone who really cares about a loved one or a friend who is far from God well we’d love to send you a copy of this book if you’re able to set up a new donation to the work of open the Bible in the amount of five pounds per month or more for full details or to give online go to openthebible.org.uk for open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able to join us again soon the Bible tells us that we’re blessed if God doesn’t count our sins against us but how can God do that find out next time on open the Bible

Details

Sermon Series
Date

Monthly Offer

Get your free copy of ‘The Advent of Glory’ by R. C. Sproul when you set up a monthly gift of at least £5, or a one-off gift of at least £50…

Donate

Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

Linked resources

No linked resources found.

Search

Search

Header Submit Search