Because of the fact I passed the outer court, I’ve been in the presence of the Lord. I’ll go in Isaiah 53 a little more because I felt I didn’t do justice to it in the last part. In verse 2, Isaiah said he shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground.

A tender plant is a plant that you can’t rough handle, you have to be very careful how you treat it. You can’t uproot it or disturb it. If you look at the word tender, quick to feel compassion or affection etc… There’s no mistake that is the truth and nothing but the truth. Jesus was exactly what Isaiah the prophet said he was. The prophet goes on to say in verse 3, He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and appointed with grief.

No doubt he saw the grief, the sorrow, the disappointment that came mans way and we have some accounts in Holy writing. At the grave of Lazarus he wept. Luke 7:14 tells us that one day he was witness to the funeral of a young man, the only son of a widow woman, he was touched with compassion, reached out stopped the funeral and raised the widows son and gave him back to his mother. Oh, hallelujah oh what a saviour! He was despised, they spat upon Him, they smote Him. He was only recognized as the carpenter, Marys son or the son of Joseph. They did not believe He was the saviour, the redeemer yet Isaiah plainly describes Him. I don’t wonder why he said who hath believed our report.

I quote Isaiah again, Isaiah 53:5 “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 the greater part of people who believe in the death and suffering of Jesus, can believe the first part of that scripture but has a problem with the last part. Now I could elaborate on all that verse but I’ll go to the last part. The Bible says with His stripes we are healed. 1st Peter 2:4 says by His stripes we were healed, it’s not a matter of if it’s Gods will, because it is His will because He said in John, I would that you prosper and be in health even as your soul.

You may ask the question, here especially in Newfoundland, why aren’t we seeing miracles, healing etc… ? I can tell you why. But the fact is Jesus bore the stripes on His back before he went to Calvary because he bore the pain of the forty stripes that was laid upon Him. Oh yes friend, he bore our sickness, just as sure has he bore our sins.

Do you mean to tell me that Jesus the Son of God took 40 lashes on His back for nothing? Oh no friend, he bore it all for you and me. I’ll put it simple, if someone don’t get saved or born again, whatever term you may use, does that make the sacrifice that He made on Calvary void ? No a thousand times no, just think about it.

Isaiah as he introduced the fifty-third chapter, he asked it with a question. If you look back into the fifty-second chapter you will discover that he had already stated in verse three that talking to the Jews, he said, you have sold yourselves for naught, but he said, you will be redeemed without
money. They weren’t use to such language and he went on about how the good news of the Gospel in verse seven of chapter fifty-two and verse nine, that there would be a time of rejoicing. Just step ahead for a moment, to 1st Peter 1:18-19, that we are not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver or gold but with the precious blood of Jesus as a Lamb without spot or blemish. They weren’t use to such a plan but that was Gods plan from the beginning.

They were well adapted to the sacrificial method of shedding the blood of goats and sprinkling the ashes of a heifer. Lets go back to chapter fifty-two. Again, verse fourteen speaks of the marred more then any man. His vision was marred, that we might see. Now having said that in brief we will go to Isaiah chapter fifty-three.

He says in introduction to the fifty-third chapter. Who hath believed our report. What hath been said so far, who hath believed it. Well, he says, I’ll make it a little plainer and go to greater depths. Isaiah 11:10 says that a root shall spring forth out of Jesse, then in Isaiah 52:2 he speaks of Him as a root out of a dry ground. Jesus came when everything was pretty barren in the spiritual. There was approximately 400 years and no sound from heaven. They were waiting for the promise Messiah whom Isaiah spoke about.

When I start to write I find myself with a problem because when you begin to talk about Jesus there is no end. So I try to get to the point. I remember preaching on Isaiah 53 in 1996 I believe it was. Now don’t think I am copying because I never had it written off.

Isaiah had made reference to Him so many times at one point. Just read Isaiah 9:6. If you go to Acts 8:26-39 gives an account of a man who was reading from this chapter from a scroll not knowing exactly what or who he was reading about until Philip being led by the Holy Spirit joined him in his chariot and the Bible says he preached unto him Jesus. It’s a problem to read the word without acknowledging that Jesus is represented, for Jesus said for in the volume of the Book it is written of me.

You might say, why don’t you stick to the point. Well, as you may know, I’m not a three point preacher because all things point to Him. I’ll go back to Isaiah 53 where he gave a very clear account of how Jesus would come and what He would suffer for mankind so that when he would come there would be no mistake of who He was. Make no mistake, Jesus who took my sins, sorrows, sickness and bare them in His body on a tree. God said that He hath hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes. Who hath believed this report ? Who have accepted this truth that Jesus came to save the sinner, to heal the sick etc…

Oh! I’m some glad I know who Jesus is. I don’t need some university to tell me. I’m some glad that this gospel did not originate in some university or some college. This gospel did not come out of Harvard or Oxford. It came from the throne room of God. If it came otherwise you would have more people believing it.

Friend, don’t think I a coming against universities. No, no, just that Gods word in its purity and power hath to be revealed by the Holy Spirit. I’ll close with this, with the words of the Hymn. I believed the true report. Alleluia to the Lamb! I’ve passed the outer court, oh Glory be to God. I’ve passed the inner vail where the glories never fail. I’m living in the presence of the King.

I will go into this in another part.

Through The Fire sung by The Crabb Family

He never promised that the Cross would not get heavy

and the hill would not be hard to climb

He never offered our victories without fighting

but He said help would always come in time

just remember when you’re standing in the valley of decision

and the adversary says give in

just hold on, our Lord will show up

and he will take us through the fire again

Redeemer sung by the Crabb Family

I know my Redeemer lives

I know my Redeemer lives

let all creation testify

let this life within me cry

I know my Redeemer lives

Jesus Messiah sung by Chris tomlin

Jesus Messiah

name above all names

blessed redeemer

Emmanuel

the rescue for sinners

the ransome from Heaven

Jesus Messiah

Lord of all