Isaiah 53 – The Messianic Prophecies of Jesus

There is only one Jesus; we exist to magnify Jesus through worship and the Word. In this message, Adrian Rogers explains how Isaiah 53 prophecies Jesus 700 years before His birth.

God is saying to you today:
“I know what you’re going through because I know your heart. I brought you out of that last situation, and I will bring you out of this one. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust Me. You will make it through this.”

Perhaps the greatest chapter in all of the Word of God is Isaiah chapter 53.
And I have chosen that chapter today for us together to center our thoughts, our hearts, our minds on that wonderful, glorious person whom I love and adore.
And you do too. His name is Jesus and all of the Bible is about Jesus.
If you read the Bible and you don’t find Jesus, you better go back and reread it because you missed it.
It is, it is his story. It is about him. Profound truth. Simply stated.
This is love worth finding with pastor teacher and author Adrian Rogers.
Would you find Isaiah chapter 53 Isaiah chapter 53 magnifying Jesus through worship and the word, if you want ice cream, you can go to Baskin Robbins and they have 31 different flavors.
Americans. We like a choice.
As a matter of fact, I was reading in, in uh a store in New York City.
One store has 2500 different kinds of light bulbs in one store.
Uh We we just like all of this infinite variety if you go to buy a soft drink.
Uh First of all. You have to decide whether you want a 7-Up Pepsi, uh a Coca Cola or whatever kind you want.
You decide on the brand, then you decide on the size and then you decide whether you want it with sugar or artificial sweetener.
And then you decide whether you want it caffeinated or decaffeinated.
Or you may decide on some sort of a combination of all of these, a lot of variety.
But friend. There’s only one, Jesus is only one dear, wonderful savior.
And this church exists not to give people a lot of choices, but to say there is but no other savior in the whole wide world.
Amen. Uh You see all of the universe is for one purpose to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ.
And when he was baptized, God, the father said out of the glory.
This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased here ye Him.
Bellevue Baptist Church exists for the purpose of magnifying Jesus, magnifying Jesus uh through worship and the word.
And that’s what we’ve been doing today, worshiping him. And now we come to listen to the word of God.
And I thought, well, now what passage of scripture would I get today if I just wanted to talk about Jesus?
Would I go somewhere to the New Testament? Indeed, I could.
But you know, I decided to go to the Old Testament.
Isaiah chapter 53 and we’re going to find in Isaiah chapter 53 the story of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I’m talking about in the Old Testament.
I’m talking about 700 years before Jesus Christ walked the dusty shores of Galilee.
You’re going to see the biography of the king.
You’re going to hear the gospel, not according to Matthew, Mark Luke or John, but you’re going to hear the gospel according to Isaiah, the prophet 700 years before he was born in Isaiah chapter 53 Isaiah dipped his pin in gold and glory and wrote this.
Martin Luther said it ought to be written on golden parchment with diamonds for letters.
Perhaps the greatest chapter in all of the word of God is Isaiah chapter 53.
And I have chosen that chapter today for us together to center our thoughts, our hearts, our minds on that wonderful, glorious person whom I love and adore.
And you do too. His name is Jesus. And all of the Bible is about Jesus.
If you read the Bible and you don’t find Jesus, you better go back and reread it because you missed it.
It is, it is his story. It is about him. The Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, the old time preachers used to have an outline, uh I don’t know who first came up with this outline, but somebody came up with an outline about Jesus, his life, his ministry, his death, his resurrection.
And here’s the outline somebody came up with and every preacher who’s ever preached.
The gospel knows this outline, Jesus, his virgin birth.
Jesus, his virtuous life, Jesus, his vicarious death, Jesus, his victorious resurrection, Jesus, his visible return.
And that a good outline, the life of Jesus. That’s it, Jesus.
You see his, his virgin birth, his virtuous life, his vicarious death, his, his, his victorious resurrection and his visible return.
Would you be surprised if you found all of that in Isaiah chapter 53?
Who would you be surprised if you found in the Old Testament?
All five of those wonderful glorious truths concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as we magnify him through worship and the word, let’s look and see if we can find them right here.
Read with me Isaiah chapter 53.
And we begin in verses one and two who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord reveal for he Jesus shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground.
What’s that talking about?
It’s speaking here of the Lord Jesus, a little baby, a tender plant growing up in a barren desert.
This is talking about the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You say Isaiah didn’t know anything about the virgin birth pastor. Oh yes, he did.
Isaiah chapter seven verse 14 says, behold a virgin shall conceive and be with child.
Isaiah 96 says, for unto us, a child is born unto us.
A son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And now Isaiah says he’s like a tender plant coming up in a dry barren desert.
Oh, thank God for the virgin birth. Thank God for the Lord Jesus who left his throne of glory.
Came down to this world of woe through a dark Judean night and came into this world through the portals of a virgin’s womb.
Was born in a smelly cow barn laid upon straw in a manger wrapped in coarse cloth.
Why was Jesus virgin born? Had he been a son of Adam? And Adam all die.
He was the son of God and yet he was human.
You see no virgin birth, no deity, no deity, no s senselessness, no s senselessness, no blood atonement, no blood atonement, no new birth, no new birth, no hope of heaven.
Thank God for the virgin birth. Amen. He came to earth that we might go to heaven.
He was born of a virgin that we might be born again.
He became the son of man that we might become the sons and daughters of Almighty God.
And Isaiah speaks of this virgin birth of the, the the Lord Jesus Christ who stepped out of glory and came into this world as a tender plant, as a root out of a dry ground.
But secondly, not only does Isaiah speak of his virgin birth.
Isaiah speaks of his virtuous life continue to read in verses two and three the last part of verse two, he has no form.
The and when we see Him, there’s no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hit as it were our faces from Him. He was despised and we esteemed him.
Not, this speaks of his virtuous life, it speaks of the manner of his life.
The Lord Jesus Christ lived an incredible life.
You would think that if God would have come to that, he would have come down uh in robes woven on looms of light.
You would have thought that the Lord Jesus would have come to this earth in a jewel chariot.
But where was he born? He was born in Bethlehem.
Little Bethlehem, a little Hamlet, little small insignificant town, the least of all the cities of Judah.
You would have thought that he would have been raised in some royal court, but he was raised uh as a carpenter, son in another obscure, hated village Nazareth.
You would have thought that the Lord Jesus would have come with wealth and opulence and power, but he walked about in sandal shoes where foxes have holes and birds have nests.
The son of man had not wear to lay his head.
You know, don’t get the idea that if you’d have seen the Lord Jesus Christ, that you would have recognized him as, as deity, you would not have not with your eyes.
When we see him, there’s no form, no comeliness, no beauty that we should desire him.
That doesn’t mean that he was hideous.
It just means that he did not physically stand out above other people.
If Jesus Christ had physically stood out among other people, why would Judas have had to point him out in, uh, uh, you know, sometimes we see these pictures of the Lord Jesus that very frankly leave me a little cold.
It looked like he came out of a beauty shop, you know, and then the ones with the halo behind his head looks like a big dinner plate back there.
Oh, when we see him, there’s no form, no, no beauty that we should desire him.
Uh in in a very real way, a nondescript person outwardly, you know, the Bible says, the word was made flesh and Tabernacle among us.
Had you seen the Tabernacle in the wilderness? You would have understood why John chose that word.
The word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
It literally says in Tabernacle among us, had you seen the Tabernacle in the wilderness?
It would have been covered with badger skins, badger skins, drab brown, unattractive on the outside.
But had you gone into that Tabernacle and seeing the embroidery, seeing the gold, seeing the Chicana glory there on the mercy seat.
See that Candelabra see that beautiful building.
And I said this is indescribably beautiful, but it had to be seen from the inside.
And so it is with Jesus. Isn’t that right?
You know, the natural eye looks at Jesus and says, what’s so great about Jesus old friend?
If you only knew Jesus to be in Christ and have Christ in you to come in to the Lord Jesus and to see the one who was made flesh and then Tabernacle among us and see the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, the man of sorrows, man of sorrows.
What a name for the son of God who came ruined centers to reclaim Hallelujah, what a savior?
We could talk about his life.
We’d never get finished the miracles that he did uh that he went about doing good, the love that he showed that the life that he lived where he could say to his enemies, which of you convince me of sin.
He was not without sorrow, but he was without sin.
Oh The virtuous life of the Lord Jesus Isaiah speaks to us about that.
But now notice also Isaiah speaks not only of his virgin birth and his virtuous life, but let’s talk a little bit about his vicarious death.
You know what the word vicarious means, it means in the place of another.
You see the purpose of the cross was substitution.
Now there are other reasons for the cross and other lessons from the cross.
But I say without stutter stam or apology, equivocation that the the the major purpose of the cross was that Jesus Christ would die as our substitute.
You see, sin had to be punished. My sin has to be punished and your sin has to be punished.
There’s no question about that. The only question is who will bear the punishment?
Either I will bear the punishment or I will have a substitute to bear my punishment for me.
So the Bible says that all our sins were laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Look if you will in the last part of verse six, the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.
Now, what did Jesus do as my substitute? Listen very carefully.
Here’s why we’re magnifying Jesus through worship and the word, what did Jesus take when he went to that cross?
He took my sin. The Lord had laid upon him the iniquity of us. All.
Paul tells us in the New Testament. Him who knew no sin.
God has made to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Now, notice in verse five, look at it. He was wounded for our transgressions. Look at the word wounded.
Do you see it? Verse five? Do you know what the word wounded means in Hebrew pierced pierce?
It speaks of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. He was nailed to a cross for our transgression.
Now, Jesus took my sin. Have you ever wondered about the garden of get the more I study?
Get the more it breaks my heart because you see this was Calvary before it was ever nailed to the cross in.
Get the Lord Jesus said to the father, father if it’d be possible, let this cup pass from me.
What was he talking about? Not physical death? He was talking about the cup.
What was in that cup? Your sin was in that cup. My sin was in that cup.
Your sin sir was in that cup. Yours?
Lady was in that cup and the sin of all this congregation was in that cup and the sin of today.
Yesterday, tomorrow, the sin of all of the ages, of all of the people, all the rape, the arson, the pillage, the pornography, the blasphemy, the hatred, the pride, the arrogance, the violence, it all settled in that cup.
And the Lord Jesus knew that if he drank that cup, God would have to treat him as he would treat every sinner.
Jesus knew that Jesus knew that he who had been in the bosom of the Father would become when he became sin.
The object of the father’s loathing, he would become our substitute.
He said, Father, if it’d be possible, let this cup pass from me.
The silence from heaven said there was no other way and Jesus took that bitter cup.
And Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane drank that cup.
No wonder we saying my sin or the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin.
Not in part but the whole were nailed to the cross and I bear them no more.
Bless the Lord, bless the Lord. Oh my soul. But not only did he take our sins? Folks?
Verses five and six. But in verse seven, he took our shame. Look at it.
He was oppressed and he was afflicted. Now. Watch this yet he opened not his mouth.
He has brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shears is dumb.
So he opened not his mouth. Pilot said, why don’t you say something?
Don’t you hear what these people are accusing you of? Why don’t you say something?
If you’re the Son of God, tell us speak, but he didn’t say a word.
Well, when I read that, I say Jesus tell them who you are.
Do something. Don’t just stand there, don’t just take it.
Why don’t you turn pilot into a frog? You could do it if you wanted to.
Why doesn’t he do that?
Because friend, the purpose of the cross is substitution and along with our sin comes shame.
You see, Jesus could not have justified himself without condemning me.
I mean, Jesus could not have said, well, I’m here but it’s, it’s really, it’s really not my sin.
I’m suffering for, it’s Adrian’s sin.
Then he would have been the hero, but he did not die as a hero.
He died as a criminal. He died as a thief. He died as an IG noble. No good.
And the Bible said, we did esteem him smit and stricken of God and afflicted, saying good enough for Him.
He’s getting what he deserves. He died in shame, hanging naked on a cross for you. It’s amazing.
You have to beg people to come forward sometimes confess their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ when he did that for you, are you ashamed of Him?
The Bible says, when we believe on Him, we will not be ashamed.
The Apostle Paul said, I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
It is the power of God and the salvation ashamed of Jesus.
And can it be shamed that one who died for us upon the cross?
He took my shame and by God’s grace and for God’s glory, I’ll never be ashamed of Jesus Christ.
I hope you’re never ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you’re not ashamed to carry your Bible.
Hope you’re not ashamed to bow your head in, in a restaurant and pray.
I hope you’re not ashamed to witness.
I hope you’re not ashamed to get up in that baptist and be baptized as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who upon that cross took your sin and it took your shame.
And this church exist for the purpose of magnifying Jesus through worship and the word, but it doesn’t end there friend.
Not only do we have his vicarious death, but we have his victorious resurrection.
Look, if you will in verses nine and 10.
And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich and his death because he had done no violence.
Neither was there any deceit in his mouth? Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him.
He hath put him to grief.
And when thou shalt make his soul and offering for sin, he, the messiah shall see his seed, his descendants, he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
It doesn’t sound like a dead man. Now, to me, does it?
No, he made his his grave with the wicked and the rich.
You know, he was laid away in a borrowed tomb. A rich man’s tomb.
No man had ever laid in that tomb.
Jesus had a virgin womb and a virgin tomb but he came up out of that grave.
Verse 10 says, God will prolong his days. He’s the ancient of days. The living Bible paraphrases it.
He shall live again. He came out of that grave. That’s why I love the Lord Jesus Confucius died.
He’s dead, Buddha died, he is dead. Mohammad died, he is dead. Jesus died. He walked out of that grave.
A minister was visiting Moscow Red Square, the tomb of Lenin.
I’ve been there to see those soldiers goose stepping guarding that tomb. They asked him what are you doing?
They said we are guarding the tomb of our hero.
This Christian said, they don’t guard the tomb of my hero because he’s not there.
He’s risen, his, his, his victorious uh resurrection. Jesus came out of that grave.
And I wanna say, had Jesus not come out of that grave.
He had just been one more religious leader, but he’s shown to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the grave, from the dead.
Here’s the last thing. Thank God for this. His visible return. Look in verses 11 and 12.
He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied.
Oh, listen, he’s going to say it was worth it all when He sees you and when he sees me saved by his knowledge, shall my righteous servant.
That’s Jesus justify many. That’s us for He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore, God, the father says, will I divide with Him a portion with the great and He shall divide the spoil with the strong is talking about Jesus here coming to, to rule and to reign.
What do you do after a victory? You divide up the spoil.
He listen, he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he had poured out his soul into death.
And he was numbered with the transgressors and bear the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors, old friend.
What’s it talking about? Is talking about when Jesus comes again, the only hope of this world is Jesus coming again.
I’ve given up trying to reform Hollywood or Washington. No, no.
Might as well try to run a soda shop in hell. Right.
I’m gonna tell you something. The hope of this world is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
It’s the story that Isaiah gave in Isaiah 53. We sing it living. He loved me dying.
He saved me, buried. He carried my sins far away, rising, he justified freely forever.
One day he’s coming glorious day.
When he comes, father seal the message to our hearts, help us Lord Jesus, that we would exist as individuals and as a church to magnify you through worship and the word and now I hit about eyes are closed.
If you’ve never received him, the Bible says, by his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many.
He’ll save you today.
If you come to annoy him in repentance and faith, I invite you right now to pray a prayer like this Lord Jesus.
I need you. I want you. Thank you for dying for me.
I now open my heart and by faith like a child, I receive you as my Lord and my savior.
Come in, Lord Jesus, take control of my life and begin now to make me the person you want me to be in your name.
I pray, I’m in.