Who Has Believed? Series

Today is Easter Sunday, the day when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The resurrection was the most important event in salvation history, for it proved that Jesus truly is the Son of God, and that He has power over sin and death; giving Him the right to proclaim Himself as the long-awaited Messiah and Savior. The resurrection is the foundation of our Christian faith.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the apostle Paul dealt with those trying to dismiss the resurrection as being a fable, much like we contend with today; and Paul responded by saying, “If Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” (1 Corinthians 15:12-14). What Paul said is so true. If there was no resurrection, then our faith is empty; and that’s why so many people today want to disprove the resurrection. They want to shake our faith and attempt to dismiss the authority that the Creator has over their lives.

Now, there’s something else that Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Listen as I share the basic gospel message, according to Paul. He said, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you . . . that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4). In addition to believing in the resurrection, we must also believe that Jesus died for our sins and was buried. His death is also important, but it too is something that many people doubt; and something which they refuse to believe.

This morning, we’re going to look at a detailed report concerning the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It is an account of the Passion story written centuries before it ever happened; and the very first question we will encounter in our passage is this: “Who has believed our report?” (Isaiah 53:1); and that is a really good question to be asking today. Thus, I’ve entitled our message, “Who Has Believed?” and I’m hoping to answer the question, “Why should I believe?”

The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53:1-12)

1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked – but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.