Sunday, September 12, 1999   

          1. "Bruise" is the Hebrew word daka meaning, "to crush, to be shattered."

          2. He was bruised, the perfect innocent Lamb of God, suffered at the hands of perfect, righteous love.

          3. He was bruised, the just for the unjust.

          4. He was bruised for sinners.

     B. He was bruised for sinners.

          1. "He was bruised for our iniquities" that is what Isaiah 53:5 says.

               a. Christ was bruised in body when they spat upon Him, hit Him, slapped Him, whipped Him, and then nailed Him to the tree.

               b. Bruised for you; bruised for me!

          2. Christ was bruised deep within, bruised in His soul, when God's wrath came upon Him for our sins (II Corinthians 5:21).

          3. God was pleased in the sufferings of His Son because the sufferings of Christ accomplished the salvation of all who believe. God was pleased with the sufferings, not He took delight in it but because they accomplished the salvation and eternal happiness of the elect.

               a. Christ died because sin separates man from God. Sin is evil, rotten, and condemning, and God is just in punishing sin.

               b. Jesus took our place. He became sin for us; He was not a sinner and did not become a sinner. But He became sin in His sinless flesh (Romans 8:3).

     C. The Father was pleased with the bruising because Christ took it voluntarily.

          1. He took our place because of His obedience to the Father's will (John 6:38; Hebrews 10:7, 9-10).

          2. The Father delighted in the submissiveness of His Son. Does He delight in you and me? Are we submissive to His will for our lives? Do we walk in love as Christ did? (Ephesians 5:2)

     D. He was bruised for us because nothing that we could ever do would merit heaven for us.

          1. Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23 let us know that we are hopeless sinners.

          2. It is because of the atoning work of Christ that we can have heaven for our home.

II. PUT TO GRIEF FOR HIS SEED

     A. "He [God] hath put him to grief..."

          1. This grief speaks of the extreme distress brought upon Christ for sinners.

          2. Distressed His body was battered and bruised.

          3. Distressed "Surely he hath borne our griefs" (verse 4).

               a. Hunger, thirst, weariness.

               b. He bore griefs, pains, and sorrows that we were liable to.

               c. Verse 3 declared Christ to be, "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."

     B. God's eternal design was to subject His Son to these griefs. The only hope for man is the crucified, buried, and risen Son of God.

          1. God did not spare His Son. He subjected Him to our pain, sorrow, grief, and hell (Romans 8:32).

          2. Before the beginning of time, God appointed Christ to suffer for us (I Peter 1:18-21).

          3. Think of it! Christ was handed a cup of grief; it was handed to Him by the Father.

          4. Christ told Peter: "Put up thy sword into the sheaf: The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?"

III. AN OFFERING FOR SIN

     A. "When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin..."

          1. His soul was not an offering for His sin for He had no sin; He is the sinless Son of God. (II Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:8).

          2. When we could not come to God, when we had no strength, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6).

     B. Freely, voluntarily, Christ gave Himself as an offering and sacrifice to the Father (Ephesians 5:2; Matthew 20:28).

     C. His soul" means, "His life, the seat of His affection and emotions." He gave His life for His sheep (John 10:11).

IV. HE SEES HIS SEED

     A. "...He shall see his seed."

          1. This speaks of the fruit of atonement, of spiritual seed.

          2. This seed is the multitude of souls born again of the incorruptible seed (I Peter 1:22-23).

          3. Psalm 22:30 says, "A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation."

     B. To see His seed he had to rise again.

          1. He was "cut off out of the land of the living." He was bruised but the grave could not hold Him.

          2. Through the death, burial, and resurrection, Christ saw His seed (John 12:23-24).

V. HE'S ALIVE

     A. "He shall prolong his days...."

          1. He is alive for evermore.

          2. Psalm 21:4, Romans 6:9; Revelations 1:18.

     B. The children of God will never be orphaned. He is alive forevermore and will take care of His family.

VI. ATONEMENT OF THE SEED PLEASED THE FATHER

     A. "...The pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand."

          1. The work of Christ in bringing salvation to the spiritual seed is the pleasure of the Lord (Isaiah 43:1-7; 49:5-6).

          2. The salvation of the chosen is the good pleasure of God the Father (Ephesians 1:4-7, 11-13).

     B. The Father was well pleased in Jesus the Son because He laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:15).

CONCLUSION: "In my hand no price I bring, simply to thy cross I cling."

1. He is not ashamed to call His seed brethren (Hebrews 2:11).

2. Hebrews 11:16, He is not ashamed to be called our God.