Transcription
Now, I've given you a lot of information, but it doesn't do any good unless you can apply it. So, let's make some application. When you're sick and you want a healing, what are you really wanting? You're wanting a taste of the age to come. Not the whole thing, just an equaling of what it's going to be like. You know that healing is in the atonement. If it wasn't, you couldn't receive your incorruptible, immortal, glorified body when Christ returns. But you also know that you're not going to receive an incorruptible, immortal body until Christ returns, no matter how much faith you have.
Well, this is the ninth sermon in our series on the book of Isaiah, chapter 53. And if you've been coming on a regular basis or watching online, uh, you should know two things by now. First of all, you should know that Isaiah 53 is a messianic prophecy and it explains in detail how and why the Messiah would suffer and die. And of course, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy down to the very last detail, which along with all the other messianic prophecies proves beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus is and was the true Messiah. Secondly, you should know that Isaiah 53 is a song that's written in the form of Hebrew poetry and it consists of five stanzas of three verses each. Now, so far we've covered the first two stanzas and we're currently going through the third stanza, which is verses 4-6. And we just finished verse five last week. But I want to spend a little more time this morning on verse five because we really didn't make any application. And this information is too important not to know how it applies to us. In fact, I I I don't mean this in an arrogant way, but let me say this. What I'm going to teach, I'd say 95% of seminary professors don't know. And 99% of pastors don't know. So, if you'll pay attention, I promise you, you'll learn some things today that will help you in your walk with Jesus Christ. So, I just want you to understand that we're going to be looking at some of these things in in the way that we apply it for you to understand it. As an example, if healing is in the atonement, then how does that apply to me both now and in the future?
So, let's do a quick review of verse number five. If you didn't watch uh, if you weren't here last week and and you missed, you need to go back and watch that because I'm just doing a quick review and then we're going to talk about how it applies to us both now and in the future. So follow along with me as I read verse 5. "But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed."
Now in verse five, Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would suffer in four specific ways. First, he would be wounded. Secondly, he would be bruised. Thirdly, he would be chastised. And last but not least, he would be scourged. So, as you can see, Jesus didn't just die for us. Jesus also suffered for us. And each thing that Jesus suffered was for a specific purpose. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. He was chastised for our peace and he was scourged for our healing.
Now, last week I went into great detail explaining the four different ways in which Jesus suffered and the purpose for suffering in those four specific ways. As an example, Jesus was scourged so that we might be healed. Being scourged was one of the ways in which he suffered. But the purpose for suffering in that specific way was so that we might be healed. In fact, let's go a little bit deeper. The ASV translates this like this. "And with his stripes, we are healed." Now, the word stripes is translated from the Hebrew word *kabura*. And it refers to cuts, stripes, welts, and swellings of the flesh due to a whipping or a flogging. Now according to Isaiah's prophecy, Jesus being flogged with the cat-o'-nine-tails was for our healing. In fact, the word healed is translated from the Hebrew word *rafa*, which means to physically heal. Physically, not spiritually. Physically. Now, does that Hebrew word sound familiar? It ought to. You see, one of God's names is Jehovah Rapha, which means the Lord our healer. So verse five tells us that by Jesus' stripes, we're healed.
Now, what does that tell us? It tells us that healing is in the atonement. But what do we mean by that? "Healing is in the atonement." Well, let me break it down for you syntactically. Syntax, by the way. So, "healing is in the atonement." Notice the phrase "in the atonement," people. That's a prepositional phrase. And the word "in" is the preposition. It's used to indicate inclusion. So when I say that healing is in the atonement, what I'm saying is this. Healing is included in the atonement. In other words, Jesus was scourged so that I might be healed.
So let me ask you a question. According to verse five, what all is included in the atonement? Well, according to verse 5, Jesus was wounded or pierced for our transgressions, our rebelliousness. The word transgressions is translated from the Hebrew word *pesha*, and it refers to rebellion. But more specifically, it's a resistance to God's authority and his word. Now the law tells us in Deuteronomy 28 verse number 15 that if we resist God's authority and his word, curses will come upon us, the curse of the law. So Jesus was nailed to the cross, pierced, if you will, so that we might be redeemed from the curse of the law. That's what Galatians 3:13 tells us, people. That's part of the atonement. So being redeemed from the curse of the law is in the atonement. It's included as part of the atonement.
Secondly, he was bruised or pummeled for our iniquities, for our sins of depravity and perversity. Because of our sin nature, our Adamic nature, every one of us is a little bit depraved and perverse. And as a result of that, we hurt others. And what does the law require when we hurt others? An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. So Jesus took that on our behalf. Jesus was crowned with thorns, spit on, mocked, uh, physically beaten, rejected, ridiculed, and bullied so that we might have favor with God and man. People, that's part of the atonement. So having favor with God and man is in the atonement. It's included as part of the atonement.
Thirdly, he was chastised or punished for our peace. The word peace there is *shalom*. In other words, Jesus was punished so I could have *shalom*. *Shalom* means wholeness or completeness in the sense of health, prosperity, well-being, contentment, and best of all, no separation or estrangement from God. The bottom line is this. Jesus suffered the consequences of my sin so I wouldn't have to. People, that's part of the atonement. So health, prosperity, well-being, contentment, etc. is in the atonement. It's included as part of the atonement.
And last but not least, what we started with, Jesus was scourged so that we might be healed. That's part of the atonement. So physical healing is in the atonement. It's included as part of the atonement.
So to make sure that you understand exactly what I'm saying, let me give you a principle. If you're taking notes, write this down. And I want you to write it in your Bible. Turn to Isaiah 53, right next to verse number five in the margins. Write this principle down. Here goes. If Jesus suffered in a particular way for a particular purpose, then we can say that the purpose for which he suffered is in the atonement. That's good. You probably didn't catch it, but that's good. Let me tell you, it's going to be on the test. So, let me say it again. If Jesus suffered in a particular way for a particular purpose, then we can say that the purpose for which he suffered is in the atonement.
Look at the back wall. And I will show you exactly what I'm talking about. I want you to look at this. Notice what this says. Atonement. What is the atonement? Atonement refers to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, which reconciled us to God. It expiated our sins and it propitiated God's wrath. As a result of that, I'm restored in fellowship with God. So atonement includes not just Jesus' death, but also his suffering. So what he suffered, here's what he suffered. He was wounded. He was pierced. That's the specific way that he suffered. He was pierced. He was nailed to a cross for a specific purpose. What was that purpose? So that we might be redeemed from the curse of the law. So if Jesus suffered in a specific way for a specific purpose, then we can say that the purpose for which he suffered is part of the atonement. It's included in the atonement. And we can go right down this chart and see that. That's what I want you to see. All right? So let me state that principle one more time because this chart illustrates it. If Jesus suffered in a particular way for a particular purpose, then we can say that the purpose for which he suffered is in the atonement. The purpose for which he suffered is included as part of the atonement. Is everyone with me? Good. I want to make sure that everyone understands that.
Now, there's a lot of you going, "I just don't believe that, Pastor Allan." Wait till the end of the sermon. Don't be stupid and put some comment if you're watching online. Wait to the end. All right. So, here's the problem with what I've just told you. Most people draw one of two conclusions when they hear that all of the things that are mentioned in verse 5 are in the atonement and especially healing. They either draw the conclusion that if healing is in the atonement, then that must mean that it's God's will that every believer be healed every time of everything. Anyone ever heard that? Yeah. Yeah. They say something like this. "Healing is in the atonement, which means that it's God's will that you be healed. You just need to have enough faith, brother." Anyone ever told you that you can be healed? It's in the atonement. If you have enough faith, you can be healed. And if you're not healed, what do those in the faith movement say? "You didn't have enough faith or there's sin in your life." Yeah. Yeah. That's the first conclusion that people jump to.
Or they jump to this conclusion. They come to the conclusion that healing can't be in the atonement or everyone would be healed. And since everyone is not healed, that must mean that healing is not in the atonement. So, it really doesn't matter what Isaiah 53:5 says. Reasoning tells us that that's not right. Healing cannot be in the atonement or everyone would be healed. So, Isaiah 53:5 must be talking about spiritual healing. Everyone heard that? Ever heard that? Yeah. "Isaiah 53:5 is not talking about physical healing. It's talking about spiritual healing." In fact, I bet even though I've told them to wait on their comments, there's already people that's put in there, "That's not physical healing, that's spiritual healing." Wait, let me just say this about those two conclusions. Both of those conclusions are wrong. Let me say that again. Both of those conclusions are wrong. Yes, healing is in the atonement, physical healing. But no, that does not mean that it's God's will that every believer be healed of everything every time. And let me explain why.
How many of you have heard of the doctrine called "now but not yet"? You should have because I taught a series. Many of you came to that. You slept since then, right? Well, believe it or not, this doctrine will clear things up and everything will make sense. Or at least it should make sense of everything. "Now, but not yet." That's the name of this very important doctrine. In fact, it's one of the most important doctrines in the Bible. And yet, it's rarely taught. But what is this doctrine and what does it mean? Well, look with me if you would in the book of Romans, chapter 8, 23 and 24. Notice what it says. "We wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children." News flash, you don't have your full rights as an adopted child of God yet. That's right. You don't have your full rights yet. Notice what it says. "We wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved."
Now, I want you to notice two things. First of all, I want you to notice that we've been promised new bodies. Paul talked about the new bodies that we'll receive in depth in several places, but let's let's just look at one because of time. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And I'm going to cut it down to only reading verses 51-54. Notice what it says. "But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed." Now, he's talking to believers. And here's what he tells believers. Not all believers will die. Wait a minute, pastor. The Bible says that that man is destined to die once. So why does it say we will not all die? The reason it says that is because those who are living at the rapture, those who are living when Christ returns and are believers, they're going to be transformed. They won't die. Notice what it says. Let's read it. "But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed. It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever." If people have died before the rapture, their body is going to be raised. It's going to go into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and their body will be reunited with their soul, and it will be a transformed body. It's what Paul's telling us. "And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die. Our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, the scripture will be fulfilled. Death is swallowed up in victory."
Now the Old Testament, believe it or not, is full of prophecies about the resurrection of saints. We could go to New Testament scriptures after New Testament scripture to show you that. But I want you to show you that even in the Old Testament, it's full of prophecies about the resurrection of the saints. And let me give you just a few. Look at Job 19:25-27. Job has had his revelation. He understands now. He needs a redeemer. You're not saved by works, you're saved by grace. And he has faith that God's going to send a redeemer. That's the change in the book of Job. Before he was relying on his good works, being righteous of his own good works. But when he gets to this point where God reveals his need for a redeemer, he goes, "Oh my, I need Jesus." He doesn't know his name's Jesus. But notice what Job says. This is chapter 19:25-26. "But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives and he will stand upon the earth at last. In other words, in the last days or the end times and after my body has decayed. In other words, after I've died and my body's been put into the tomb and it's decayed and all I have is bones and maybe even they decay. Yet in my body I will see God." Well, wait a minute. He says, "After my body is decayed, yet in my body I will see God." What's he saying? God's going to resurrect me. I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought that God's going to resurrect me.
Now, look at Isaiah 26:19. Notice what Isaiah said about the resurrection of the saints. "But those who die in the Lord will live their bodies. They won't just live when you die and your spirit goes to heaven or your soul goes to heaven and everything's ethereal. People, that's not the final outcome. Your body will be resurrected and you will have an extradimensional body. But those who die in the Lord will live. Their bodies will rise again. Those who sleep in the earth, sleep is a euphemism means to die. Their bodies buried in the earth will rise up and sing for joy. For your lifegiving light will fall like dew on your people in place of the dead." Can it be any clearer than that? I don't think so.
Now look at Daniel 12:2. "Those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace." Even the wicked sinner who rejected Jesus, their bodies will be resurrected too and reunited. Except theirs doesn't happen at the rapture. Theirs happens right before the great white throne judgment. And they stand before God to be judged for all the things they did in their body. And then that resurrected body of theirs is thrown into the lake of fire, which is a second death. So, as you can see, we've been promised new and resurrected bodies.
The second thing I want you to notice in Romans chapter 8:23 and 24 is that we're saved right now. The moment you believe in Jesus Christ that God raised him from the dead and you make him Lord of your life, you're saved. In fact, look at those two verses again. "We wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights because we don't have our full rights right now as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. I gave you all those promises. I could have given you more. We were given this hope when we were what? Saved." Past tense. We were promised resurrected bodies when we were saved. In other words, we're already saved, but we've yet to receive the new bodies that we've been promised. So, we are eagerly waiting for that to happen. We are eagerly waiting for Jesus to return. Why? Because then this body is transformed and no more bald Allen, fat Allen, but supernatural extradimensional Allen, good-looking hunk Allen. Yeah.
In fact, let me show you an interesting verse that illustrates exactly what I'm saying. Look at Hebrews chapter 9 verse 28. "So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many and he will appear a second time." He's already come the first time. He will come back a second time. Now notice this. "And he will appear a second time not to bear sin." Why? He did that the first time. The second time there's nothing else to do except give us our full rights. "But to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Do you see that? The first time that Christ came, he took away our sins. So, as a result of his sacrificial death, we're saved. Look at that first part of the verse again. "So, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many." But he's coming back again a second time. And when he comes back the second time, he's going to bring salvation to us, those who are eagerly waiting. That's what it says. Look at the last part again. "And he will appear a second time, not to bear sin." He did that the first time, "but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."
Now, this is interesting because we're already saved right now. Why? Because Jesus took our sin away through his sacrificial death the first time he came. So, why would it say that Jesus is going to bring us salvation the second time he comes? Well, I'll tell you why. It's because my salvation will not be complete until Jesus returns the second time. In other words, I do not receive my transformed, my incorruptible, immortal, glorified body until Jesus Christ comes back the second time. And then and only then will my salvation be complete, be consummated.
So, let me give you a principle. And if you're taking notes, write this down. Turn in your Bible to Isaiah 53. In the margins of your Bible, write this down. "As believers, we're saved now, but our salvation is not yet complete until Christ returns." Let me say that again because that's very important. "As believers, we're saved now. But our salvation is not yet complete until Christ returns." Thus, the doctrine, "now we're saved, but not yet." We don't have our full rights. In other words, we're saved now, but our salvation is not yet complete until Christ returns. That's what Hebrews 9:28 is saying.
Now, learning this doctrine at JBU changed everything for me. Changed my life and it helped me more than anything else to understand the Bible and how things work during this waiting period. This period of "now but not yet." You see, what Jesus did the first time he came prepares the way for what he'll do the second time he comes. So, if you don't understand the atonement and all that it entails, you won't understand the intermediate period that we're in right now. So, I want you to look at the back wall to help you get a mental picture of the period that we're living in right now. Notice what this says. Hebrews 9:28. The first time Jesus came, he suffered and died. That was the first coming. The second time he comes, we're going to be glorified. What does glorified mean? It means our bodies are going to be transformed. We get our full rights. We get an incorruptible, immortal, glorified body. No longer do we have the sin nature. We have an extradimensional body. Yeah. But I want you to understand the atonement happened at his first coming. The glorification doesn't happen till his second coming. That hasn't happened yet. So guess what? We're in this intermediate period of "now we're saved, but our salvation is not yet completed."
Now what do I mean by intermediate? Intermediate refers to something that comes between two things in time, place, order, etc. So you have the atonement at the first coming and glorification at the second coming. But we're in that period of time that's in between those two things. That's what we mean by the intermediate period, people. That's the period that we're in right now. We live after his first coming, but he hasn't come again a second time. So, we're in between these two things. We're in this intermediate period. So, here's what I'm telling you. The atonement is complete. Nothing more needs to be done. But what it provides does not come to fruition until Christ returns the second time.
As an example, healing is in the atonement. If it wasn't, our bodies would not be able to be transformed. We wouldn't be able to receive an incorruptible, immortal, glorified body. Yeah. But even when Christ returns, we wouldn't be able to do it because everything that we're going to get was legally purchased. We'll find that out when we get to the last stanza. But even though healing is in the atonement, it doesn't mean that we won't get sick or even die prematurely because in this intermediate period, we still have a corruptible mortal body. And all the faith in the world will not stop my body from aging. If I just had enough faith, I wouldn't have had to be bald. No. And all these things are starting to grow on my body and hairs coming out of my nose and ears. Good Lord, it's coming to you, you young whippersnappers. But I want you to understand all the faith in the world won't stop my body from aging. It won't change my body into an incorruptible, immortal, glorified body. Only Christ's return will do that. I do not have the full right yet.
So, as I said, healing is in the atonement. If it wasn't, then none of us could receive an incorruptible, immortal body when Christ returns. But a lot of people, especially in the faith movement, have jumped to the wrong conclusion. They've mistakenly assumed that if healing is in the atonement, then it must mean that if a person has enough faith, they can be healed of any and every sickness and disease. In fact, many people in the faith movement follow a faith formula theology, which is this belief. It's the belief that God is obligated to heal every sickness if a believer's faith is genuine and strong enough. And true faith though must be accompanied by positive confession. Meaning that believers must claim their healing by acknowledging that it has already taken place, that by Jesus' stripes they were healed, and then they walk out their faith. People. That's known as the faith formula theology. The only problem with that is it's not biblical. It's not biblical. Yes, healing is in the atonement, but you still have a corruptible mortal body, and you will have a corruptible mortal body until Christ returns. Therefore, you have a body that's subject to sickness and disease. That's what corruptible means. It means subject to sickness and disease. And you have a body that's subject to death. That's what mortal means. It means subject to death, but not yet dead. And all the faith in the world isn't going to transform your corruptible mortal body into an incorruptible immortal body. Only the return of Jesus Christ will accomplish that. Only then will Jesus implement complete salvation.
You know, when Hobart Freeman died of congestive heart failure and gangrene in 1985, he was 64 years old, not 84, not 94, 64. Now, if you're 18, that sounds old. If you're old, that sounds young. Sounds young to me. I'm 62. But I want you to know when he died at the age of 64 from gangrene and congestive heart failure, it crushed his congregation because they didn't know what to believe because Hobart Freeman taught the faith formula theology. "If you have enough faith, you can be healed of all sickness and disease." And they based that on the fact that healing is in the atonement. But the reason that healing is in the atonement is so that we can have an incorruptible, immortal, glorified body when Jesus Christ returns. In fact, listen to me because this is very important. We cannot claim something by faith that's not meant to happen until Christ returns. That's good. Let me say that again. If you're taking notes, write this down. "We cannot claim something by faith that's not meant to happen until Christ returns." In other words, all the faith in the world will not transform your body into an incorruptible immortal body. You know, I could be this powerful man of faith and go, "I have enough faith that right now I don't have to wait till Jesus returns. Right now, I'm going to claim my incorruptible, immortal, glorified body. Take me." But it didn't happen. Why? Because that ain't happening, people, until Christ returns.
So you might be wondering, "Well, Pastor Allan, do you not believe in healing?" Well, of course I believe in healing. Healing's in the atonement. But I also understand that we're living in this intermediate period, this period known as "now, but not yet." So, let me show you what the Bible teaches about healing during this intermediate period. Okay, Allan, if we can't get an incorruptible immortal body now, does it do us any good if healing's in the atonement? Well, I'm talking about right now. Well, it does us a lot of good when Christ returns because we couldn't have that if Christ didn't do the things he did in his suffering. That way God can legally give it to us. Everyone with me? All right. But how does it help me now? Well, here's what I need to understand. This is what the Bible teaches.
First of all, we will continue to have a corruptible mortal body until Christ returns. So that means that I have a body that's subject to sickness, disease, and in some cases congenital abnormalities or deformities. And I have a body that's subject to death. Secondly, it means... Can I stop right there? That's why I have life insurance. I thought you were a man of faith. I am a man of faith. But I understand something. Christ hasn't returned and I have an incorruptible immortal body or mortal. I have a corruptible mortal body. Therefore, I have life insurance for my family.
Secondly, it means that even when a person is healed, you still have a corruptible mortal body until Christ returns. And that's why you could be healed of cancer and still have to wear glasses. Or you might be healed of high blood pressure and still be hard of hearing. You ever notice some of these faith healers, they tell you be healed of everything and all of a sudden you find out they're hard of hearing or they wear glasses. I was going to make a sarcastic comment, but I won't. Sorry. Why is that so? Why can you be healed of high blood pressure and still be hard of hearing and need hearing aids? Well, you see, a healing doesn't transform your body from a corruptible body into an incorruptible body. Only the rapture will accomplish that. Therefore, being healed of one thing doesn't mean you're healed of everything. That's a principle I'm going to repeat. It will be on the test. "Being healed of one thing doesn't mean that you're healed of everything." Why? Because you still have a corruptible body and you will until Christ returns.
Thirdly, it's God's will to heal me, but that doesn't mean that now is his timing. I know that for two reasons. First of all, I know that it's God's will for me to be healed or God would not have promised me an incorruptible immortal body or had his son Jesus suffer in order to purchase that for me. People, the only reason I can be transformed... Can you put that first chart back on the back wall? The only reason that I can have a transformed body, an incorruptible immortal body, is because Jesus was scourged so that I might be healed. And that's part of the atonement. He legally purchased that for me so I don't have to be corrupted. I don't have to have a mortal body. Yeah, that makes sense. Therefore, I can conclude that it's God's will to heal me. It doesn't mean now though is his timing. The truth is I can't receive complete and total healing until I receive complete and total salvation, which is a principle. So let me repeat that. "I cannot receive complete and total healing until I receive complete and total salvation."
So, if I can't receive complete and total healing until I receive complete and total salvation, what should I expect to receive during this intermediate period of "now, but not yet"? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here's what I can expect. I can expect a taste of what it's going to be like when Christ returns. I can expect a taste of what it's going to be like in the millennium. And let me explain what I mean by that. Turn to Hebrews chapter 6:4-6. "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance since they again crucify in themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame."
Now, this is one of the most difficult passages in the book of Hebrews to interpret. In fact, some scholars say it's the most difficult passage to interpret in the entire New Testament. So, as you can imagine, there's a lot of debate concerning how to interpret this passage of scripture, especially as it pertains to the doctrine of "once saved, always saved." Because some scholars interpret this passage to mean that it's that it's possible for a mature Christian to fall away and commit apostasy, thus losing their salvation. And they use Hebrews 6 to prove it. Others say, "No, that's not what it means at all. It means that it's impossible for them to do that." So, as you can imagine, there's a lot of debate as how to interpret this passage of scripture, but I'm not going to get into that this morning. That's not what I'm talking about. Instead, I want to look at the example that was used to illustrate the dangers of apostasy because Paul used a mature Christian as his example. So, I want to see his definition of a mature Christian. In other words, I want to see how Paul describes a mature Christian because that's what you and I should strive for. And if you're a mature Christian, it will give us an idea of what we can expect during this intermediate period. So let's read verses four and five again. We won't worry about six to see what a mature Christian looks like and what we should be striving for. "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come."
Now verses four and five is a description of what a mature Christian looks like and what we should be striving for. So let's look at that description starting in verse four. "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit." Now this would only apply to a person who's a Christian. And let me explain why. First, to be saved, you have to be enlightened. Enlightened that you're a sinner and you're separated from God. Isaiah 59:2. Enlightened to the fact that Jesus died for your sin and God raised him from the dead. So this person has been enlightened. Secondly, he's tasted of the heavenly gift. Now, what is the heavenly gift? It's salvation. Remember, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. So, salvation is the heavenly gift. When he was enlightened as to who Jesus was and is, he responded and he accepted the gift of salvation. But why does it say he's tasted of the heavenly gift? Well, the word tasted is translated from the Greek word *geuomai*. And in this context, it means to taste for flavor by taking a small bite. In other words, it implies not eating the whole thing, but just having a small bite before the meal is served. But here's what I want you to get. When you taste something, you get to experience on a very small scale what the dish is going to be like when it's served. You get an inkling. So by using the word tasted, Paul is telling us that at the present time, we only get a small taste of salvation. But when Christ returns, we get the whole thing. We get an inkling of what it's going to be like. Now, that's why I keep saying that your salvation is not yet complete and it won't be complete until Christ returns.
And then verse four says this, "and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit." Now remember, the Holy Spirit resides with every within every person who's saved. The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead now dwells within us. Yeah. So when we become believers, we become partakers of the Holy Spirit. So verse four would apply to any person who's a Christian. They've been enlightened. They've tasted the gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit lives within them. Case settled. Verse four is talking about any Christian. But verse five is what separates the mature Christians from the immature Christians. In other words, it's what separates the men from the boys spiritually speaking. Notice what it says. "and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come." Mature Christians aren't just saved, but they've tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. There's that word again, tasted. Do you see that? And it's translated from the very same Greek word *geuomai*, which means to taste for flavor by taking a small bite. Not eating the whole thing, just a small bite, a taste. But remember, when you taste something, you get to experience on a very small scale what the dish is going to be like when served. I'm the official taster at my house. When Lisa makes salsa, she says, "Come taste this. What does it need?" And I taste a little bit. It needs more garlic. It needs more salt. Needs a little more nip. Yeah, I'm a perfect taster. Anyways, I just want you to understand something. When you taste something, you get to experience on a very small scale what the dish is going to be like when served. In other words, you get an inkling of what it's going to be like. So, mature Christians have tasted the good word of God. But notice this, "and the powers of the age to come." In other words, they've experienced on a very small scale what it's going to be like when Christ returns. They've tasted the powers of the age to come. What's the age to come? The millennium. When Jesus comes back and we rule and reign with him. Yeah. They've tasted the powers of the age to come. Now, the words powers is translated from the Greek word *dunamis* and it's usually translated as miracles. The type of works that Jesus did when he healed people and performed miracles. So, it's talking about healing and miracles in the age to come, which is a reference to the messianic age, what we call the millennium. So, mature Christians have tasted what it's going to be like when Christ returns and we enter into the messianic age. They tasted it by experiencing healing and miracles. They've received an inkling of what it's going to be like. People. I can tell you for a fact, I've experienced miracles. I've experienced healing. I have a small inkling of what it's going to be like, but I can tell you I I can't even fathom what it's going to be like when my body's transformed. And I can't ever get sick or get a disease. I'll never die. I will have a glorified, incorruptible, immortal body. But I want you to understand during this intermediate period, I've tasted what it's going to be like.
Now, I've given you a lot of information, but it doesn't do any good unless you can apply it. So, let's make some application. When you're sick and you want a healing, what are you really wanting? You're wanting a taste of the age to come, not the whole thing, just an equaling of what it's going to be like. You know that healing is in the atonement. If it wasn't, you couldn't receive your incorruptible, immortal, glorified body when Christ returns. But you also know that you're not going to receive an incorruptible, immortal body until Christ returns, no matter how much faith you have. So, what you're really wanting is a taste of what's to come, an inkling of what it's going to be like. So, I pray in faith for God to give me an inkling, a taste, and I should expect that. That's faith. When you come up and want me to pray for you, and you say, "Pastor, I need to be healed." I'm going to pray that you get a taste of what it's going to be like. And I'm praying in faith that you're healed. But I can promise you, even if you receive that healing, you will still have a corruptible, mortal body until Christ returns. So you might get healed of what we pray for and still need reading glasses. I've been healed, people, but I use reading glasses. Just because you get healed of one thing doesn't mean you get healed of everything.
Now, I'm still going to have some people that's going to say this. "I still don't believe that healing is in the atonement." Okay. And I'll say, "Why?" And they'll say, "I'll tell you why. Because if healing was in the atonement, everyone would be healed." Bull crap. And I'll prove it to you. Put my chart back up on the wall. Atonement refers to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered in specific ways for specific purposes. And the purpose for which he suffered is in the atonement. We've gone all over his suffering, but let's talk about his death. Why did Jesus die? Because the atonement is the suffering and death of Jesus. Why did Jesus die? Oh, good Lord. It's not a trick question. So I might have eternal life. Why did Jesus die? Then why are my mom and dad dead? Wait a minute. Jesus died so they could have eternal life. And my mom and dad believe, but they still died. If eternal life is in the atonement, then everyone wouldn't die that's a believer. You say, "Oh, that's not true. You you need to understand Jesus died so that you could have eternal life." But you don't get that with your physical body until Christ returns. Now, you do get to go to heaven, but the people who die that don't get to go to heaven go to hell. The soul is still alive. We're both still dead. One soul's in heaven, one soul's in hell. What's the difference? The difference is there's no resurrected bodies yet. Are you with me? So, the next time someone comes to you and says, "Healing is not in the atonement or everyone would be healed," you say, "Well, is death in the atonement?" Yeah. Then why do people die? Because we're in this intermediate period, people, when Jesus returns, we get our full rights. I will never die. And if if I'm alive when Jesus returns, guess what? Where it says we're destined to die once, doesn't apply to me. I will have been born and never died because Jesus returned. And instead of me having my body resurrected, my physical body is simply transformed. But if you use the reasoning that people use on physical healing, you would say that eternal life isn't in the eternal atonement either. That's the very same reasoning they use. People, we don't go by that. We go by what the scripture teaches.
Well, this morning is the 10th sermon in our series on the book of Isaiah, chapter 53. And if you've been coming on a regular basis or you've been watching the sermons online, you should know two things by now. First of all, you should know that Isaiah 53 is a messianic prophecy and it explains in detail how and why the Messiah would suffer and die. And of course, Jesus fulfilled this messianic prophecy down to the very last detail, which along with other messianic prophecies proves that Jesus was and is the true Messiah. Secondly, you should know that Isaiah 53 is a song that's written in the form of Hebrew poetry and it consists of five stanzas of three verses each. Now, so far we've covered the first two stanzas and most of the third stanza, which is verses 4-6. All we have left to cover in the third stanza is verse six. And it shouldn't take too long. And then we're going to move on to the fourth stanza, which is verses 7-9. And I'm going to try and pick up the pace and move move a little bit faster this morning. So, if you would turn in your Bible to Isaiah chapter 53 and let's read verse six.
"All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." I'm talking to you, and I'm talking to me. Verse 6 describes us.
Now, in verse 6, Isaiah explains why it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and die. It's because we've all gone astray. Every one of us has done what we thought was right in our own eyes. In other words, instead of submitting unto God's authority and the authority of his word, we did what we thought was right in our own eyes. Notice what the book of Judges chapter 17 verse number 6 says. This is trying to give you the environment or the way it was during the time period known as the period of the judges. And notice what it says. "In those days Israel had no king. All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." And this is repeated again in Judges 21 verse number 25, which is the very last verse in the book of Judges because he wants to leave you with the thought that this is how it was during this period of time. Now I want you to notice that it says the very same thing as Judges 17 verse number 6. It says, "In those days Israel had no king and all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes."
Now, what this is saying is this. Without a godly king or some type of authority figure to hold the people accountable to God and to his word, they all did what they thought was right in their own eyes. They all lived according to their own standard of right and wrong. Instead of doing things that were right in the eyes of God, they did what they thought was right in their own eyes. You see, the period of the judges was after Moses delivered the children of Israel from Egypt and he took them to the promised land. He wasn't able to take them into the promised land because Moses had sinned. And as a result of that, he could look over into the promised land. He could take the children of Israel to and up to the border of Israel, the promised land, but he couldn't take them in. The period of judges was also after Joshua led them into the promised land, which is known as the conquest period. It's also after the land or after the time that the land was allotted to the 12 tribes. So during the period...
Of the judges, the people were under the Mosaic covenant and they had the Mosaic law. And we tend to forget that. We start reading through the period of the judges and we forget they were under the Mosaic covenant and they had the Mosaic law. The only problem was there wasn't a king and there wasn't any type of authority figure that would hold the people accountable. So guess what happened? They refused to submit to God's authority, his covenant, and they refused to submit to the authority of his word, the law. And that's why they kept being invaded. And God would have to raise up a leader in order to deliver them. But it's because they refused to submit to God's authority, his covenant, and to his word, the law. And instead, every man did what he thought was right in his own eyes.
Look at Deuteronomy 28, verse number 15. Because this is a warning at the very end. You got Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. We're getting ready to go into the promised land. Moses is delivering this final message to them. And he says, "Listen to me. You're under the Mosaic covenant. You have the Mosaic law. If you don't keep the covenant, if you don't submit to the law, here's what's going to happen to you." Notice what it says. Deuteronomy 28:15. "But it shall come about that if you will not obey the Lord your God. In other words, you resist his authority. You don't keep the covenant to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today. You resist His words. You resist the law that all these curses shall come upon you." People, that's exactly what happened. Their enemies would invade and oppress them until finally they repented and they cried out to God and God would raise up a person to deliver them. And then when things got good again and there was no one to hold them accountable to God or to his word, they would go astray and they would turn back to doing what they thought was right in their own eyes. And that pattern would be repeated over and over again.
And you want to know why it's in the Bible? Because we are just like the children of Israel as individuals. We follow the same pattern. We get in trouble. We have a need in our life. We go to church and we say, "God, if you'll just help me out, I promise I'll serve you." And guess what? God comes to your rescue and you go to church for a little bit, but then things get good. So, guess what you do? You start doing what's right in your own eyes. You quit going to church, start reading the word, and you start partying, doing whatever you want to do. And then something bad happens. And guess what you do? "Oh, God, I need you now." Yeah. The pattern just repeats itself over and over again. It's human nature. And that's what verse number six is saying. "All we like sheep have gone astray. And we have turned everyone to his own way." In other words, we've all resisted the authority of God. We've all resisted the authority of his word. And we've all done what we thought was right in our own eyes instead of doing what was right in God's eyes. We have turned everyone to his own way. That's what that means. And as a result, the curse of the law has come upon us. And people, we need someone to deliver us. And that someone is the Messiah, more specifically the suffering servant. And the only way that he can deliver us is to bear our sin and to be punished in our place, thereby satisfying the demands of justice and making us right with God. That is what we mean by penal substitutionary atonement. We keep using that phrase and you think, well pastor, why do you keep using it? Because this is what it's all about. Penal substitutionary atonement. As John MacArthur says, "The iniquity of which we are all guilty of does not come back to us to strike us, but it strikes the Messiah in our place." In other words, he bears our punishment so we don't have to. And that's what it means when it says, "The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all." In other words, all those times that we did what was right in our own eyes, when we did whatever we wanted, we didn't care about God, all of those curses that were to come upon us because we refused to submit to God and his authority, God took our punishment and he put it on Jesus and he bore it. And that's what it means. "The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all." That's penal substitutionary atonement.
And that concludes the third stanza. So let's move on to the fourth stanza, which is verses 7-9. And follow along as I read these verses. We're only going to be able to cover verse number seven, but I want you to keep it all in context. Notice what it says. "He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted, he opened not his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. And as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due. And they made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth."
Now, let me explain how this stanza is structured and then we're going to look at each verse. If I were you and I were taking notes, I would turn to Isaiah 53 and in the margin of my Bible, I would say this is how this stanza is structured and write this down. Verse seven is Jesus' arrest and trial. Verse eight is his conviction and execution, and verse nine is his burial. I told you at the beginning of this series, if you had one chapter in the Bible and you knew as a historical fact that Jesus died and was resurrected, if you only had one chapter, Isaiah 53, you had enough information to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. That's right. Everything that you need to know in order to be saved is in Isaiah 53. In fact, in this stanza, verse 7 is Jesus' arrest and trial. Verse 8 is his conviction and execution, and verse 9 is his burial. We don't speak the way they spoke. So, I'm going to open it up for you.
Now, I was going to try and pick up the pace and cover all three verses this morning, but I realized that's going to be impossible. And the reason that I wanted to do that is because I've been going a little bit too slow in my zeal to point out every little detail that's in Isaiah chapter 53. And the problem with that is I'm afraid that you're not seeing the forest for the trees. I'm afraid you're not seeing the big picture because I'm pointing out all these little things. So every once in a while I want to just kind of slow down. I want to put everything in place so that you do see all the individual trees, but then I want to zoom back out and I want you to be able to see the forest and not just see each individual tree. So, I wanted you to see the structure in here. Verse seven is Jesus' arrest and trial. Verse eight is his conviction and his execution. And verse nine is his burial.
So, let's look at verse number seven. And that's all we're going to really get to this morning. Uh, I'm afraid that if I start in verse number eight, I get halfway through. And I want to make sure that I cover each verse at least in an entire sermon. So here's verse seven. Again, verse seven is his arrest and trial. And notice what it says. "He was oppressed. Yet when he was afflicted, he opened not his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that's before its shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."
Now, I want you to notice that it that this verse begins with a very simple statement. "He was oppressed." And if you don't know Hebrew, you don't get the full flavor of this. I want you to notice that word oppressed. Oppressed is a very interesting word. In fact, it's translated from the Hebrew word *nagash*. And in this context, it refers to being oppressed or abused by a harsh taskmaster or tyrannical overseer or some type of prison guard. But you only know that if you know Hebrew. And let me explain why. The word *nagash* itself actually refers to a taskmaster who's harsh or an overseer who beats his people that's underneath him or to some type of prison guard. So we look at this and we say it refers to being oppressed by that person and we think, how in the world did they get that? Well, let me explain something about *nagash*. *Nagash* is written in the Niphal verb system construction which expresses passive voice. How many of you know what voice is? Anyone ever taken a foreign language? If you take a foreign language, you'll find out how, uh, how weak you are in the English language. And when I took Greek, I didn't realize that I really didn't learn English. So basically, when I was taking Greek, I carried an English grammar book with me as I learned Greek because in foreign languages, it's very important to understand voice. What voice is, it tells you how the subject relates to the action of the verb. As an example, if it's active voice, it means the subject is doing the action. You would say, "The boy hit the ball." That's active voice. The subject, the boy, did the action. He hit the ball. If it's passive voice, it means that the subject is receiving the action of the verb. You would say, "The boy was hit by the ball." He didn't hit the ball. The ball hit him. That's passive voice. You're receiving the action of the verb. Middle voice is a little bit different. Middle voice means you're both doing the action and receiving the action. It's harder to translate sometimes, but I want you to understand when you read this in the Hebrew and it says "he was oppressed." Was oppressed. *Nagash* is written in the Niphal verb system construction which tells you that it's passive voice. So what it's telling you is that these harsh taskmasters or these prison guards, that he was receiving abuse from them. He wasn't the one doing the action. He was the one receiving the action. So the suffering servant is the subject or he's the, uh, recept u the person who's receiving the action. So he's the one that's being beaten. He's the one that's being abused.
Now, let me explain a little bit about this term *nagash* itself. *Nagash* is the very same Hebrew word that was used of the Egyptian taskmasters who used physical violence to drive the Israelite workers. They whipped and they beat them in order to drive them to get more work done. Look at Exodus 3, verse number 7. "Then the Lord told him, 'I have certainly seen the oppression.'" You would think that's the Hebrew word *nagash*, but it's not. It's a different Hebrew word. Let's keep reading. "'Seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers.' Notice that that's bold-faced underline in red. 'Yes, I am aware of their suffering.'" Now that phrase "slave drivers," that's the Hebrew word *nagash*. Yeah, the slave drivers were the *nagash*. But in Isaiah chapter 53, verse number 7, it says "he was oppressed." And it uses that word "slave drivers" or "prison guards" or whatever you want to say. But because it's in the passive voice, it means that the suffering servant is the recipient. They're the ones that are beating him. They're the ones that are abusing him. He's receiving that abuse. So when it says "he was oppressed," it means he was arrested and that's when the suffering and abuse began at the hands of the temple guard. It's passive voice. He received the abuse. In other words, Jesus became the recipient of violent and physical abuse at the hands of those who arrested him. He was *nagash*. He was abused by the prison guards, the temple guards, if you will. John MacArthur says that *nagash* refers to the suffering and abuse that Jesus endured in connection with his arrest and trials. Now, if you read his book and you don't know Hebrew, you don't know why it's that way. I just explained it to you. Hopefully, I get it in simplistic terms.
Now look back at verse number seven. "He was oppressed." In other words, he was arrested and abused. "Yet when he was afflicted, he opened not his mouth." Now the word afflicted is translated from the Hebrew word *anah*. And it means to humiliate through mistreatment and abuse. We've all seen people bully others. We try to do all we can to eliminate bullies, but we've all seen bullies. And you know what bullies like to do? They don't just want to pick on someone. They always want to humiliate them. Make them do something that's embarrassing. Yeah. Well, I want you to understand that's what *anah* means. It means to humiliate through mistreatment and abuse. You know, it's one thing to be arrested, but it's another thing to be mistreated with the sole purpose of trying to be humiliated by the person who arrested you. And people, that was the intent of the temple guards, the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. They didn't just want to abuse Jesus. They wanted to humiliate him. They were so angry at him. In their eyes, Jesus had humiliated them because every time they went to tempt him, every time they went and tried to catch him doing something wrong, he always outsmarted them. And not only outsmarted them, he used the word against them. Yeah. And as a result of that, they didn't just want to abuse Jesus. They wanted to abuse him and they wanted to humiliate him.
But I want you to notice Jesus' response. Look back at verse number seven. "He was oppressed." In other words, arrested and abused. "Yet when he was afflicted, abused with the intent to humiliate, he opened not his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that's before its shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."
Now, what's interesting is that Jesus' trial was a kangaroo court. How many of you have heard that before? Let me just say that again. Jesus' trial was nothing more than a kangaroo court. Everyone knows what a kangaroo court is, right? A kangaroo court is a court that ignores the recognized standards of law or justice because they've come to a predetermined conclusion before the trial ever began. In other words, it's already been determined that you're guilty regardless of the evidence that's being presented or lack of evidence. It's where the judge and everyone has already determined this person's guilty. Doesn't matter what you present, we know he's guilty and he is. Yeah. It's a done deal. And as I said, Jesus' trial was nothing more than a kangaroo court. First of all, he was falsely accused by false witnesses who gave false testimony. Secondly, no proof was ever presented that he had committed any crime. And last but not least, he was declared innocent seven times by Pilate. If I were you and I were taking notes in the margin of my Bible, I would say that Jesus was declared innocent seven times. And I would number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. And I'm going to give you the scriptures for each time he was declared to be innocent.
The first time was right after his first conversation with Jesus. Pilate said, "I find no fault with this man." That's found in John 18:29-38 and also in Luke 23:4. The second time was after Jesus returned, uh, returned from Herod to Pilate. And Pilate said, "Behold, I having examined Him before have found no fault in this man touching those things wherever you accuse Him." No, nor yet Herod. He's telling us, I sent him over to Herod. Herod found no fault in him. He sent him back to me. And I'm just telling you right now, we don't find any fault with him. And it's not just me saying that. Herod also says that. That's in Luke 23:6-15. The third time was after Pilate offered to release a prisoner to the Jews and he offered to scourge Jesus and then release him. Luke records what happens and it says this, "And he said unto them the third time, 'Why? What evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him.'" That's Luke chapter 23, verse number 22. The fourth time that Pilate declared him to be innocent was when he washed his hands before the multitude. And at that point, Pilate declared Jesus innocent, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person." And what's interesting, he refers to Jesus as a just person. You'll find that in Matthew chapter 27, verse number 24. The fifth time was after Jesus was mocked, whipped, and a robe was placed upon him. And then Pilate said, "Behold, I bring him forth unto you, that you may know that I find no fault in him. We have done this. This ought to satisfy you. We humiliated this man because we know you hate him. We have scourged him. As you can see, his flesh is hanging off his bones. We have beat him. We have spit upon him. We have mocked him and I don't find anything that he's done wrong." Yeah. The sixth time was when Pilate gave permission for his crucifixion. He said this in disgust. "Take him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him." And in other words, he's saying, you determine that he's supposed to die, then you do it. But they can't do it because the scepter had departed from Judah. And of course, Genesis told us when the scepter departs from Judah, Shiloh comes. Shiloh means the glory of God. It means the Messiah comes. And even the rabbis knew that when they could no longer declare that someone's guilty and, and, uh, carry out capital punishment, that means the scepter has departed. And when the scepter departed from Israel, from there this Messiah was supposed to come. So they could not put him to death. That's why they brought him to Pilate. The seventh time was after, oh, that's John 19:6, by the way. When he said, "Take him and crucify him." The seventh time was after Pilate learned that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. At that point, he wanted to talk with Jesus, but he still sought to release him based on his belief that Jesus was innocent. You'll find that in John 19:7-12.
So, seven times Jesus was declared innocent. But none of that mattered. The Jewish leaders were determined that Jesus should die. And when I say determined, I actually mean that they had predetermined that Jesus would die. Look at John 11:47-53. You need to understand when they arrested Jesus, they had no intention of turning him loose. They had no intention of punishing him and then, and then releasing him. They only arrested him because they had every intention to make sure that he was put to death. Yeah. Let's read that. This is John 11:47-53. "Then the leading priests and the Pharisees called a council. 'What are we going to do?' they asked each other. 'This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Roman army will come and destroy both our temple and our nation.' But Caiaphas, the high priest at that time, said to them, 'You don't understand. You don't understand what needs to be done. It is better for you that one man die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.'" That's what Caiaphas is saying. "You think that we're going to let that happen? We're not going to let Rome come and do this." And yet they did it in 70 AD. It's the very thing they didn't want in their idiocy. Yeah. But he said it's necessary that one man dies in order to save the whole nation. Now, here's what's interesting. Caiaphas is prophesying and he doesn't even know it. Notice what it says. "He did not say this on his own. As high priest at that time, he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation, and not only for that nation but to bring together and unite all the children of God who are scattered around the world." You want to know why he wrote this in John? He's looking back at Isaiah 53 and he says the high priest didn't even know that he was actually prophesying what the Messiah would do. And we know this because of Isaiah chapter 53. But let's read the very next verse. This is the verse I want you to see. "So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus' death." Yeah. So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus' death. They predetermined that Jesus must die.
So, as I said, Jesus' trial was a kangaroo court. And I shouldn't say trial singular. The truth is Jesus had six trials all in one night and morning. He went through six trials. Yeah. Why? Because it's just, I think God allowed that for us to see that Pilate would come in and say seven times this guy's innocent. Why do you want to kill him? Yeah. Three of the six trials were religious trials. In other words, they were before the Jews. The first was before Annas in John 18:12-14. The second was before Caiaphas in Matthew 26:57-68. Jesus was charged with blasphemy at this trial. You'll find that in verse 65. And he was sentenced to death in verse 66. Yeah. Now, if you ever go to Israel, you'll go to Caiaphas' house. It's got the little rooster on top. Anyone know why it has a little rooster on top? Because Peter was told, "For the cock crows three times, you'll deny me." But you go to Caiaphas' house and the reason they know it's Caiaphas' house is because there is a hole in the floor and underneath it are jail cells. But the whole purpose for the hole in the floor is because Caiaphas, during the religious holy days, could not defile himself. He wouldn't be pure and wouldn't be able to participate as the high priest in these holy days if he was in the same room with someone who was said to be sinful. So in order for him to come before Caiaphas, Caiaphas is going to stand and he's going to look down through this hole and Jesus is below being held prisoner. He's been beaten. He's been spit on. He's been mocked. And he's going to talk to Caiaphas through this hole in the floor. And that way, Caiaphas is not going in any way to contaminate himself. It's really interesting. If you get a chance to go to Israel, make sure you go to Caiaphas' house. Anyways, the third trial was before the Sanhedrin in Luke 22:63-71. And they determined at that point that he's going to die and he has to go to Pilate because we can't crucify him. Only the Romans can do that. Only Ro, only Pilate had the authority to have Jesus crucified. So at that point, they send him to Pilate. The other three trials were civil trials or Roman trials. He goes to Pilate first. Pilate recognizes that he's innocent and he goes, "Wait a minute. This is a Jewish matter. Herod's supposedly over the Jews. He understands their customs." He sends him off to Herod. Yeah. Herod sends him back to Pilate. Those are the three civil trials where Pilate's decision was not guilty and Herod's decision was not guilty in Luke 23:15. So people, I'm telling you, I'm not just stating my opinion. I'm telling you it's a fact. It was a kangaroo court.
Now, you would think in a kangaroo court that Jesus would object, protested, and even appealed the decision to have him crucified. Now, Jesus was not a Roman citizen like Paul. If you remember, Paul appealed to Caesar when they were going to do what he didn't want. "I appealed to Caesar." And as a Roman citizen, they couldn't do anything and that's why he had to be shipped to Rome. Jesus was not a Roman citizen. But because he was seen as a rabbi, he did have the right to appeal and he wouldn't have been crucified. Now, there's some debate as to whether that's right. Some say he couldn't appeal. And I believe, looking at the evidence, he had the right to appeal. But here's what's interesting. Jesus never objected. He never protested. And he never appealed the decision to have him crucified. He never said a word. Look back at verse number seven. I'll show you what I'm talking about. "He was oppressed, arrested, and violently and physically abused. Yet when he was afflicted, abused with the intent to humiliate, he opened not his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."
Throughout the entire ordeal, the New Testament repeatedly mentions his stone-cold silence. When he was questioned by the high priest, he remained silent. In fact, Jesus only answered the high priest when he demanded in the name of God that he answer. Look at Matthew chapter 26:62-66. "Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, 'Well, aren't you going to answer these charges?' Because he has kept his mouth shut. What do you have to say for yourself?' Jesus doesn't say a word. Then the high priest said to him, 'I demand in the name of the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.' This is the only time Jesus replies, and he does the same thing with Pilate, what Pilate demands. And I'll explain why he did it. Jesus replied, 'You have said it. In the future, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.' Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror. I won't go into this, but at this point, he forfeited his right to be the high priest. Yeah, I'll go for just a second. Got to hurry. How many of you remember when Aaron's son offered up strange fire and God sent fire down and they were killed? And Moses rushes to Aaron. Says, 'Do not tear your clothes because you're the high priest and you represent the people.' So the high priest was never allowed to rip his uniform. If he did, he forfeited his right to be the high priest. At this point, Caiaphas tears his, his robe and he forfeits his right to be the high priest, which means that God has the right to institute his own high priest. And guess who he institutes as the high priest? Jesus. It's why Jesus can take your blood into the heavens and offer it up because he is our high priest and this is where Caiaphas forfeited his right. Anyways, to show his, and he said, 'Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?' 'Guilty!' they shouted. 'He deserves to die!'" There's his conviction and the intent to execute. Verse 8 will tell us his execution.
"When Jesus was on trial before Pilate, he remained silent. Look at Matthew 27:12-14. 'But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. "Don't you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?" Pilate demanded. But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor's surprise.' Because basically, just appeal it. Just appeal it. I know this is wrong. Jesus doesn't do it. Jesus even remained silent when Herod questioned him. Look at Luke 23:8 and 9. 'Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer.'"
Now, as I said, Jesus did say a few words, but only when the person in authority demanded that he speak, such as when the high priest demanded in the name of God that he answer. And he had to. Anyone know why? Because the law required that you speak up when taking an oath. Yeah. Look with me if you would in Luke chapter, Luke, Leviticus 5:1. This is the law. This is what it says. "If you are called to testify about something you have seen or that you know about, it is sinful to refuse to testify and you will be punished for your sin." They're making all these false accusations. Jesus doesn't say a word. They misuse him, abuse him, mistreat him. He doesn't say a word. But when the high priest says, "I demand in the name of God." Now he's being called to testify. And Leviticus 5, verse number one says, "If you're called to testify, you must testify if you know the truth, or it's a sin." At that point, Jesus has to answer because he's sinless. People, Jesus did not ever break the law. Jesus said, "I've not come to do away with the law. I've come to fulfill it." If Jesus hadn't fulfilled the law, then God couldn't legally raise him, raise him from the dead. According to Leviticus 18:5, the only reason Jesus could die for us is because he was sinless. If he was a sinner, he'd have to die for himself. So when they told him, the high priest, "I demand that you tell us in the name of God." Leviticus 5, verse one requires that he testify. So he does. Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse number 13 tells you when you do testify, it says this, "You must fear the Lord your God and serve Him. When you take an oath, you must use only His name." So when he asked him in the name of God, name of the Lord, he was forced to tell the truth. He was obligated to do so. So he answered him and he told the truth, but he never said a word in defense of his innocence or in protest of his unjust treatment or even the fact that they were condemning him to death. He still remained cold, stone silent.
But why would he do that besides Isaiah prophesying that he would? You want to know why? It's because his silence signaled his willingness to die as our penal substitute in order to make an atonement for our soul. You see, Jesus' trial and execution wasn't this noble plan that went awry. No, not at all. I want you to notice what Jesus said in John 10:17-18. In fact, this verse should be highlighted in your Bible. Notice what it says. "The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life." Jesus is saying this. "So I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded." The whole reason that Jesus came into this world was to die for us as a penal substitute. Yeah. And it says, "No one can take my life from me." The only way that he could die was to take our sins and bear our death upon him. And even then, it says that he gave up the ghost. Yeah. That's why Jesus didn't protest his innocence. That's why he didn't object to the way they treated him. That's why he didn't appeal the decision. He willingly and voluntarily laid down his life. And that's what Isaiah prophesied 700 years before Jesus. You know, liberals don't like the fact that these messianic prophecies are so, would be so hard for anyone who is a fraud. In fact, it would be impossible for them to actually fulfill it. But then when it is fulfilled beyond all the odds, they hate that. And you know what they always say? "Oh, well, we're not sure that was written before it happened. I think it probably happened after." And they do that with Daniel. Daniel's prophecies are so specific that they came out later and said, "We, we just can't believe that Daniel could have prophesied that. He could have known that. Therefore, it must not have been written at the time of Daniel. It must have been written down here." But they can't do that with Isaiah. You want to know why? Because of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls were written around 200 BC. And if you ever go to Israel, you'll see the Dead Sea Scroll Museum. And in it, they'll have Isaiah 53. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, they found every Old Testament book of the Bible with the exception of one, which is Esther. And the reason Esther is not in the Dead Sea Scrolls is because it never mentions God or prayer. And it was about a woman who broke all the Mosaic laws. So the Essenes didn't put it in. Now, what's interesting is we have every book of the Bible in the Old Testament from the Dead Sea Scrolls that were written 200 BC. In Isaiah 53, we have that scroll. You'll go to the Dead Sea Scroll Museum and you'll see the Isaiah scroll all the way around. And they compared it to the Masoretic text that was written in 900 AD. And it's just almost word for word. There's just a few scribal little differences, but they're so minute you can't even hardly tell it. So, we know that Isaiah 53 was penned before Jesus ever came. And it's almost as if the, the prophet Isaiah sat at the foot of the cross and he watched all of this and he recorded it as it happened. But he didn't. He wanted us to know this is exactly what the Messiah will do and it's exactly what Jesus did.
Now remember, the first line of each stanza is the theme of the stanza. So what's the theme of this stanza? If you're taking notes, write this down. The theme is: Jesus willingly and voluntarily suffered and died for us in order to reconcile us to God. And you would have to be a fool not to receive the gift that he offers to us, which is eternal life.