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🎵 Alright, we'll start our second service. Welcome to Verity Baptist Church, Manila. Let's take our seats and get our hymns and turn to hymn number 32. Let's sing the song, He Lives on High. He lives on high, He lives on high. From young one over sin and blood and stain. He lives on high, He lives on high. So faith is coming again. He arose from death and blood and sorrow. To the Lord our God. He is coming back from death to glory. And He lives on to the throne above. He lives on high, He lives on high. From young one over sin and blood and stain. He lives on high, He lives on high. So faith is coming again. We be strong, but He's just a blessing. He's just a proceeding over scheme. Look to Jesus and receive His blessing. There is life, there is joy and victory. He lives on high, He lives on high. From young one over sin and blood and stain. He lives on high, He lives on high. So faith is coming again. All right, good morning, everybody. Welcome to Verity Baptist Church. Take out your bullets and go through some announcements. We won't go through everything again. We will go through some things, though. And let's count up any unreported salvations. And if you were soul winning as part of one of the big groups in one of the locations, whether it be Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, the group leader has reported the results to me, so we don't want to double count. But if there are any salvations during this week that are unreported, did anybody have any to report in this section here? Any salvations? Three? Anybody else? All right. How about over here? One. Salvations. And over here, salvations. All right. Well, great job, everybody. Four more salvations to the bulletin. And of course, we do have soul winning this afternoon. It will start around 1.45, soul winning anthem and tip at 1.30. Of course, today is Easter Sunday, so happy Easter to everybody. And we do have a gift for the people in this room under the age of 13. So if you're already a teenager, you're no longer a kid, we do have candy to give out, kinder eggs. And so there's blue and there's pink. We believe in two genders at this church. If you're a boy, it's the blue. If you're a girl, it's the pink. It's not that complicated. And one rule, fathers do not steal the candy from your kids. We do not want a bunch of crying babies. I mean, I think the chocolate and kinder eggs is very underrated. It's actually pretty good. I don't really like it, but no stealing from your kids. And if you're against the kinder eggs, because you don't want to be associated with an Easter bunny or eggs, I'll eat the chocolate, okay? Just give it to me. I'll take it, okay? And other than that, we do have some activities coming up next week. We have a few different monthly church services. We have our monthly prayer meeting. After the monthly prayer meeting next week, we will have basketball slash badminton slash volleyball fellowship for anyone who's able to stay for that. We do have a soul in a marathon coming up. On May 1st is Labor Day. I believe it is a Thursday, so we'll have a soul in a marathon on that day. And as I mentioned in the first set of announcements, our family is going to be here for at least several weeks until the baby is born. We're going to be in Manila. I'll preach the midweek services. But I do ask the men that regularly preach sermons, try to be ready and available because, of course, you never know when the baby might come. And that could be on a Sunday, meaning there will be two sermons. So if you're a man that preaches, just bring a sermon with you. Be prepared to preach. And there's a prepared place for a prepared person. So anyways, I believe that's it for announcements. We'll have Brother Marlon lead us in another song. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. He arose. He arose. Hallelujah. Christ arose. We're going to read the entire chapter. Please follow along silently with me as I read Isaiah chapter number 53. Isaiah chapter number 53, the Bible reads, who hath believed our report, and to whom the arm of the Lord is revealed. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness, and we shall see him during the day. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid as if were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for transgressions. Of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheeps have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He has brought the lamb to slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grief with the wicked and the rich with his death, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He had put him to grief, when thou shalt 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. Ye shall see of the travail of the soul, and shall be satisfied by his knowledge, but shall by righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Father, we thank you for this time, Lord, that we're about to hear your word. We thank you for the resurrection of Christ, Lord, that has given us hope and the salvation, Lord God, that we are enjoying today, Lord. We pray that you would help our preacher, Lord God, to preach a sermon with boldness and clarity, Lord God. Help us, Lord, to listen to the word and understand it applies in our hearts. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. All right, we're here in Isaiah chapter 53. The sermon is Jesus in Isaiah 53. Jesus in Isaiah 53. Now, Isaiah is a pretty complicated book. A lot of the chapters we read and a lot of the stuff, it's really kind of hard to fully tell what's being talked about. And even looking at this chapter now, there are certain phrases where it's like, maybe they may interpret it different ways. But one thing that is undeniable is that when you read Isaiah 53, this is a chapter prophesying about Jesus Christ. There is no question about that. And if you've never really heard a sermon on this or studied this chapter, maybe you haven't noticed this before, but this chapter in so many ways points toward the death of Jesus Christ. In fact, I would say this is probably the big chapter that people talk about when they try to give the gospel to the Jewish world or the Muslim world, and they will look at Isaiah 53 because it's just such a clear prophecy of Jesus. Now, we're going to be in Isaiah 53 going verse by verse, so put a bullet in there, put a pencil or whatever, because we're going to be going right back, but let's start in Acts chapter 8. Acts chapter 8. Acts chapter 8 in your Bible. And we're going to Acts 8 because in perhaps the most exciting soul-winning story in the Bible, Acts 8 is referencing back to Isaiah 53, where this Ethiopian eunuch gets saved, and he's actually reading Isaiah 53 in the scripture. Now, of course, back then they didn't have all the chapters numbered, so it doesn't necessarily say Isaiah 53, but it's very obvious that he is reading from Isaiah chapter 53 in Acts 8 when Philip gives him the gospel. Now, go to Acts 8 verse 26. Acts 8 verse 26. And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south, on the way that goeth down from Jerusalem, unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went, and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority, under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot, read Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran neither to him. And let me ask you a question before you go on. When Philip is running to him, what would you call this? Zeal. Right? This is one of the most exciting stories in the Bible. We have a man, Philip, that is filled full of zeal to go. He runs after him, this man on a chariot, Understandest thou what thou readest? That's kind of the way I picture it. But that's a lot of zeal to go and preach the gospel. And it says, And he heard him read the prophet Isaiah and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? Do you understand what you're reading? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And of course this is true for an unsafe person. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned. You must have the Spirit of God to interpret a spiritual book. It is not a man-made book, the Word of God. Okay? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before shearer, so opened he not his mouth. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away, and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. And he's reading from Isaiah 53. Now this is obviously a prophecy. I mean, a sheep to the slaughter, a lamb dumb before shearer. Who are we referring to here? Jesus Christ. Right? And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this, of himself or of some other man? He's saying, was Isaiah talking about himself or about somebody else? You know what this shows us? Unsafe people don't understand the Bible. They don't understand at all. I mean, he's literally reading of a prophecy of Jesus Christ, and he's like, was Isaiah speaking about himself or about somebody else? Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus. So it doesn't mean that he only showed him Isaiah 53, but he began at Isaiah 53, and he showed other parts of the Bible, and he gets this man saved. Now go into your Bible back to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. And it says in Isaiah 53, verse 1, Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Now in this sermon, we're going to be looking at a lot of scripture because Isaiah 53 is quoted from many, many times in the New Testament. It's not a long chapter. Right? Twelve verses is not a long chapter in the Bible, and yet it's quoted quite a bit. So we're only on verse number one. Make sure you stay there in Isaiah 53. Let's see where this is quoted. Go to John 12 in your New Testament. John chapter 12. John 12. John chapter 12, verse 37. John 12, verse 37. And in John 12, verse 37, the Bible reads, But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him, that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and eyes should heal them. And of course, in your New Testament, when you see Isaiah, E-S-A-I-A-S, that is the Isaiah from the Old Testament, the book of Isaiah, 66 chapters. And in John 12, verse 37 and 38, what are we seeing? It's quoting from Isaiah 53. Okay? Go back to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. Now, I certainly understand that when they read this in the Old Testament, before Jesus came, you know, they can be very confused what they're reading. Because I read a lot of chapters in Isaiah, and a lot of times I'm just like, It's like trying to figure out what exactly is the Bible talking about. It's confusing. It's not the simplest book in the Bible. But then of course, you know, after Jesus rose again as a saved person, you read Isaiah 53, it's like, Oh, it's so obvious what it's referring to. It's referring to Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53, verse 2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant. So the Bible speaks about growing up before him as a tender plant. When it says a tender plant, this is not stating that Jesus was weak. It's not stating that Jesus was soft. The Bible's highlighting him growing as a tender plant, and the way I take that is the fact that Jesus was unimpressive if you were to look upon him. There's nothing about him if you were to look upon him and say, Man, this guy is going to turn the world upside down. I don't think that's the view you'd have of Jesus as he was growing up. He just looked like any other kid. He looked normal. And it says here, He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of the dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. I don't personally believe when it says he hath no form nor comeliness. I don't personally believe that's referring to when he was crucified. I think it's saying that the man Jesus, when he was here, looked like an ordinary person. So, for example, if we were living during the days of Jesus, and this church existed, and he were to walk in here, we would just shake hands with him and say, Hey, you know, what's your name? It's great to have you. We wouldn't look at him and say, Man, it's like you preach. Because he would look like a normal person. Right? You wouldn't be impressed by him. He hath no form nor comeliness where we see him and we're really impressed by him. Right? In the Bible, you have various examples of men that are very impressive, such as King Saul. When King Saul was the king, I mean, they wanted him to be the king. Why? Because he was taller than everybody else. And so he's head and shoulders above everybody else. When King Saul steps up, they're very impressed. You know, that was not Jesus Christ. If you were to look at Jesus, he looked like an ordinary person. Now, I don't think this means that he looked like, Man, he was really ugly or anything like that. I think it just means he looked ordinary. Right? Like most of us do. We just look ordinary, unimpressive, like everybody else. You would never guess, looking upon him, that he's somebody really impressive. He had a very humble origin. His family was not rich. I mean, in fact, they're very impressed with his wisdom because they're like, where did you get this wisdom? It's not like you got trained by the greatest people in the world. I mean, isn't your mother Mary? Isn't your father Joseph? These are your brothers. So where do you have all this wisdom? How are you getting this from? Because he had a humble origin. He was an ordinary looking guy, ordinary person, and yet he had this great wisdom and knowledge, and people didn't realize that by looking upon him. Okay? Verse number three in your Bible, it says, He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. And, of course, this is a prophecy about how when Jesus died on the cross, the apostles rejected him. They forgot about him. They didn't properly respect him. They were embarrassed to be linked to him. They were afraid of what would take place to them. And, you know, of course, Isaiah is a saved person, and he's saying we hid as it were our faces from him, and this is what saved people did. I mean, they were afraid to be linked with Jesus Christ. And some of these men were so bold, and yet at the moment of the crucifixion, everybody kind of just backed off, and they were afraid of what would take place to them. Right? Surely you have borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. We should properly respect him when he was dying for our sins, and yet when he was dying for our sins and he was in grief, people rejected him. But he was wounded for our transgressions. Now, a transgression is another name for sin. Let me show this to you in the Bible. Go to 1 John 3. 1 John 3. 1 John chapter 3. So it's not like Jesus did something wrong to get killed, and we should be like, hey, you know what? You got what was coming to you or whatever. No, he was wounded for our transgressions. And so as the apostles and the disciples are distancing themselves from Jesus, it's like, well, he's on the cross because of you and because of us and because of our sin, and then you're going to distance yourself when he's on there to help you out. But yet, if we were alive during that time period, we probably would have done the same thing, right? I mean, if that's what the great... I don't... Look, I do believe in our modern day that you can do great things for God and even get more rewards than a lot of these great characters in the Bible. I think that's possible. I don't think I will get more rewards, though, than Peter and James and John and those people, and I just figure if they were embarrassed to be linked with Jesus, if I was there, I probably would have felt the pressure. and just been embarrassed or ashamed as well because that's what everybody did, right? First, on three, verse four. Whosoever committed sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. And so when we transgress or break the law, it is committing a sin or a transgression. He was wounded for our transgressions, meaning he was wounded for our sins. Meaning he was wounded for our sins and what we did wrong. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. So obviously, Jesus Christ was 100% perfect. He never did anything wrong. In him is no sin. Now, we understand that Jesus was perfect. We understand he was God in the flesh. Let me just kind of explain to you how this works, and I don't think we need to explain this when we go soul winning. Obviously, we want to keep the gospel very simple. What I've found here in the Philippines is that everybody thinks Jesus was perfect, pretty much. So there's no need to go into a long explanation of the fact that he was perfect. But let me just kind of explain the technicality of how this works. We understand that Jesus Christ was 100% God and 100% man. And of course, the Bible says great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, because when you hear that, it's hard to comprehend. Well, how can he be all God and all man? Now, realize it's not like a 50-50 split. It's like he's 50% God and 50% man, or 70-30 or something like that. No, he's 100% God and 100% man. Now, when it comes to him being 100% man, he was born of the Virgin Mary, okay? And so he's 100% man. He came from Mary. He came, you know, God was manifest in the flesh. But in the Bible, what it teaches is that your sin nature is passed down from the father to the child, whether it's a son or a daughter. It is not the mother to the child. It's the father to the child. For by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression. So my kids are makulit. Why? Well, I can't really blame my wife. They're your kids. It's like, well, I'm the father, and sin's passed down from father to child. And, of course, I'm a sinner. Why? My dad was a wonderful father, but my dad was a sinner like any other man, okay? But who was the father of Jesus Christ? God the Father, right? So there was no sin nature being passed down to Jesus because he did not have a sinful father. And so he's 100% God, 100% man, but he did not have a sin nature that would taint him. Obviously we understand Jesus was perfect and he always would be perfect. I think we can get too philosophical and start asking really foolish questions that are kind of like, you know, this is confusing. How do you even answer it? That is the technicality behind it, though. Being born a virgin Mary is not just a cool story. It's not just a cool proof that Jesus Christ is the one that's prophesied. It actually shows the fact that he did not have a sin nature passed down and he was not a sinner. In him is no sin. Never did anything wrong. In all points was tempted like as we are, yet without sin. And that is the big difference. Go to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. And it says in 1 John 2 verse 1, My little children, these things write unto you that ye sin not, and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Meaning that the death of Jesus Christ was not just for Christians, was not just for Jews. It was for Muslims. It was for Hindus. It was for Buddhists. The sins of the whole world mean every country in the world, every person in those countries, sins in the past, present, future, big and small. So whether it's murder, whether it's suicide, or just telling a little white lie, he died for all sins. I mean, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. And so one thing I highlight when I talk to people, especially when they do not believe Jesus is the only way to heaven, it's like, well, Jesus is the only one that died for us. And in the most famous verse it says, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. It does not say God so loved the world that you can just believe whatever you want and go to heaven. It doesn't say that. God so loved the world that if you believe in God, you go to heaven. Is that what it says in John 3.16? And God did love the Muslim world. God did love the Hindu world. God did love the Buddhist world. God did love the Zoroastrian world that he sent Jesus Christ to die for their sins. But it does not mean they can believe whatever they want and expect to go to heaven. But for us that are saved and we understand this, and guess what? All of our future sins were already paid for. All of our big sins were paid for. Look, I don't plan to end up living a sinful life and get into major problems in my life, but obviously we all have a sin nature and we have free will and these things are possible for any of us. But here's the thing. No matter what I do in the future, it will not change the fact my soul is eternally secured why all my sins were forgiven the moment I believed on Jesus Christ. Now, of course, we weren't even alive when Jesus died for us. And so as it's prophesying about the death of Jesus, many people had already died and yet their sins were already paid for. Many people were not yet born and yet all of our sins, including our future, are paid for. You say, well, how is that possible? Well, Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the Bible says. All of our sins are forgiven. All of them are paid for. You believe in Christ. Everything's forgiven. You're saved. You're on your way to heaven. Okay? Go to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah chapter 53. And I'm looking at this verse, verse 5. He was wounded for our transgressions. It makes me think of the song, you know, wounded for me, wounded for me. There on the cross, He was wounded for me. And He was wounded. He was beaten for our transgressions. Now, some people sent me some videos over the last few days, even going back last Sunday, and there were some beatings here in Metro Manila, you know. There's some blood that was shed. Obviously, in Pampanga is kind of the chief area where it's, you know, really big. That's where the Michael Jordan of crucifixions, Ruben Inahe, gets, you know, crucified every single year. And so there was a lot a couple days ago, a lot of people being beaten, a lot of traffic, just all kinds of blood and everything. You know, when you're seeing these people because, you know, and it is grotesque. There are definitely times you got to look away. And I'll be honest, the thing that I noticed this last time, and it's the thing that bothers some of the church members, it wasn't really like the visual. It was like the smell, just like the smell of blood was just, you know, it's pretty rough. But when they crucify themselves, they do it in like the least painful possible way they can. Right? They make sure that they have a small nail. They put it, and of course, I'm not an expert at this sort of stuff. My wife knows a lot more. She used to be a nurse. But it's like there's this one part they put here where it's like not going to cause any major problems and everything. And they pick like a small nail. And then generally on the feet, what they're doing is they're standing on a platform. I mean, it's like, and then what they often have is this, the people being crucified beside Jesus, they're just hanging out on the platform because their nails, you know, they don't actually have nails put in their hands. They just have ropes around their hands. They're just kind of hanging out just like, you know, hey, I'm up here with, you know, I look good and everything in the crowd and everything like that. But they do it like in general the least painful way that you can. Now, I will say, I saw some pretty cool karate kicks this past week where they would just like, you know, sidekick them and everything like that. But Jesus was beaten far worse than the way that they are getting beaten. Right? And when he was wounded for our transgressions, it's the point that his body was so marred that he couldn't even comprehend who he was at that point. And, of course, he died on the cross. He was beaten. And, of course, the crown of thorns, it's like, I mean, put inside your head where blood would just stream down to something. So it's something that, you know, I do think this is something we ought to think about from time to time because it can help motivate us. But it's something that I don't necessarily think we can fully comprehend. Right? I mean, it's very hard. I've never seen anything quite like this before. It says though he was wounded for our transgressions. And notice this. And with his stripes we are healed. What's the Bible saying with his stripes we are healed? Stripes of what? Stripes of blood. Right? He was beaten where he had stripes upon his body. You know, if somebody's wearing a shirt and they, it's like, oh, their shirt has stripes. It means black, white, black, white, black, white. So basically he'd have his normal skin in red. Normal skin in red. The Bible's saying that the blood of Jesus was very significant for our salvation. With his stripes we are healed. This is quoted from in 1 Peter 2. Go to 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2. Now, in general, most people would say that they believe the blood of Jesus is significant and necessary for our salvation. Obviously we believe that as Baptists, that's what the Bible teaches. Obviously in our hymnal, don't we sing a lot of songs about the blood of Jesus? Are you washed in the blood? There's power in the blood. There is a fountain. I mean, we sing a lot of songs that are linked toward the blood referencing the blood of Jesus. And of course, in general, people agree with this and teach this that the blood is necessary because there's a lot of Bible that says that. Now, the most famous person that's taught before, the blood of Jesus means nothing for our salvation is John MacArthur. And John MacArthur taught this for decades. He started to stray away from that because he had a lot of people that criticized him for his teaching. But what John MacArthur taught was that if Jesus had lived a perfect life and then he had been shoved off a cliff, then that's good enough for our salvation. If he had lived a perfect life and died of old age, that's good enough for our salvation. And what he would say is, well, you know what? The blood is just referencing the means by which he died, but it's the death that's significant. It's not the blood of Jesus. Well, that sounds cute, but what does the Bible say? My Bible said, with his stripes, we're healed. And that's referencing the blood of Jesus. And here's what it says in 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2, verse 21, For even hereunto are ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his footsteps, who did no sin, that neither was guile found in his mouth, he was one hundred percent perfect, who when he was reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, who his own self barest sins and his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live under righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye are a sheep going astray, but are now returning the shepherd and bishop of your souls. So look, we have plenty of verses that show us it is with the blood of Jesus that is actually significant. Now I do want to make mention of something. I didn't say this yesterday, but sometimes people get confused on this where it says in his own body on the tree, and Jehovah's Witnesses will often criticize this, and what they'll say is, well, Jesus, he was crucified on a stake. So they'll say, basically, his hands were together like this, and there's many ways that you can disprove this. One of the ways in the New Testament talks about the nails, plural, in his hands, meaning it couldn't just be one nail, as you see in the pictures of the Jehovah's Witnesses, because he had nails in his hands, meaning either they got the picture wrong and there were several nails, or as we would say, well, you know what, he had nails in his hands. Nail here, nail there, not just one nail. That's what it says in the book of John in the New Testament. But people mention this. Well, why does it say that Well, you know, there's a couple things to think about. Number one, when it comes to the cross, the cross is made out of wood, and wood comes from a tree. But the other thing is, when you think about a tree itself, it kind of roughly is like the shape of a person that's being crucified. You say, what do you mean? Well, when you see the branches, the branches are sticking out, right? And so there's probably a reason why God used the word tree because it's kind of multifaceted. It can kind of put a few different ideas in your head. Number one, you look at a tree and you see the branches out there like that. It kind of reminds you of, you know, because God has created things even in nature that we can look at every day and be reminded about the things of God. And so when you look at a tree and you see the branches sticking out like that, it's a reminder that Jesus was crucified for your sins. And of course, the wood itself from a tree, wood comes from a tree itself, right? So many different reasons why. Obviously, it's not an error in the Bible, but the Bible says that he was, you know, crucified. It says on the tree here, the Bible says in other places, the cross. Turn your Bible to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. And it says in Isaiah 53 verse 6, All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Now, verses like 5 and verses like 6 show us that we can see the gospel in the Old Testament. We can see that our good works do not save us. Sometimes people wonder, though, why is it the Old Testament doesn't really have a lot about salvation in comparison to the New Testament? Because there's more in the book of John than the Old Testament together, pretty much, right? And here's the thing about this. That doesn't mean that salvation was different in the Old Testament because the Bible is not highlighting that. It just means the focus of those books was not about salvation as much as other topics. And one thing we need to understand about this is that in the world today, we have the entire Bible, but that does not mean that people that lived 2,500 years ago didn't have any of the Word of God from the New Testament. The Word of God was a spoken word, which now, praise God, we have a completed Bible that we hold in our hands. But the Word of God was spoken by many prophets. And the way I picture this is that when a prophet was preaching a sermon, everybody's probably taking a lot of notes. You say, why? Because there might be things you've never heard. I've got to make sure I write this down and I know this verse because I didn't know all of this, right? Nowadays, we all have our Bible. I mean, I have my Bible on my phone, right? We've got a Bible here. There's Bibles everywhere. That was not the way that it was at one time, okay? But the Old Testament, we can still look at it, and the Old Testament does teach salvation by grace through faith. Obviously, the New Testament is more effective and more clear to get people saved, I would say, though. Verse 7, He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shears is numb, so He openeth not His mouth. Now, what is the Bible referring to in Isaiah 53, verse 7? Go to John 19. John 19 in your Bible. John 19. John 19, verse 6. John 19, verse 6. When the chief priests therefore and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Pilate saith unto Him, Take ye Him and crucify Him. I find no fault in Him. And Pilate doesn't want to be involved in a religious dispute, and, you know, at this time, I don't believe Pilate is a child of the devil at this time. He is certainly not a sympathetic character, though. He could have stopped the crucifixion if he wanted to. He chose not to, okay? But I don't believe he's a reprobate at this point, and actually in the story, you know, because here's a man who's probably not that religious, but even unreligious people, people that don't really care about church that much, they're also afraid of offending God. Because they're afraid somehow that's going to send them to hell. Right? You know, I've noticed this before, you know, people you run out to, there's some people you run out to, out soul winning, that don't want to listen to you, but they would never disrespect you at all because they're afraid if I touch a man of God or whatever. Yeah, I just thought of a story in my head from a long time ago. But, you know, one of my friends, pastor friend Jason Robinson, this was back in college, and, you know, he went to the gym, and, you know, in his locker room on the way back, it was obvious somebody had tried to steal money from him. They had like, and I might be messing up this story a little bit because I haven't heard this in like 20 years, but I remember him telling me at the time because it was obvious somebody had opened up, you know, his book bag or backpack or whatever that had his stuff, and, you know, something had been taken because it was taken and it was in another spot, it was all messed up and everything, but they didn't take the money. It's like they obviously were taking the money, like the money I think was out of the wallet, you know, when he got back, but no money had been taken. But he also had a Bible that was right there, so then the assumption is, well, you probably saw the Bible, and you're like, I'm not stealing from a man of God. I'm not stealing from a religious person. God's going to strike me down and everything. So it's like you're willing to steal, but not from someone who's religious, right? And the reality is that's the way a lot of people are, and Pilate is like this, where if it was a normal person and it wasn't a religious dispute, he's done this a million times, right? He had no problem with someone being put to death, but he didn't want to get involved when it was a religious matter, because when you cross-reference, he knew they delivered him out of envy. He knew this guy's probably done nothing, you're just envious, and since he was religious, he didn't want to get involved in this. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die because he made himself the son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid. So he's already afraid. He doesn't want to be involved in this situation. Now he's the more afraid because he's like, I don't want to put this man to death. And obviously he had some knowledge of what it meant to be the son of God, and he's like, no, I don't want to risk this. So he's going to go back and talk to Jesus and find out what Jesus says. And verse 9, And went again into the judgment hall and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? Meaning, where did you come from? But Jesus gave him no answer. He ignored him. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee and have power to release thee? And here's the thing, Pilate's showing that he is very guilty in this situation because as he said, he had the power to release Jesus if he wanted to. But he was afraid of the reaction of the people. So he chose to have him crucified. Jesus answered, Thou couldest have had no power at all against me except that were given thee from above. Therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. The normal person, because he's basically rebuking Pilate, he's saying, You're sinning by having me put to death. And he's like, It's not as big of a sin as them, but you're also sinning. The average person in this situation when Pilate says, I have the power to release you, please release me. I beg you. Give me a chance or whatever. That's probably what the normal person would do. And obviously Jesus is not acting like the normal person in the situation. Jesus answered, Thou couldest have had no power at all except that were given thee from above. Therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth, Pilate sought to release him. But the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend, whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. And here's the thing, Pilate can wash his hands of the blood all he wants. He can let them say, because the Jews said, Let his blood be on us and on our children. But that doesn't change the fact that you are in a position to release him and you chose not to. And so Pilate is still very guilty for this situation. Now go back to Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. And here's what it says in Isaiah 53 in the verse we just read. Verse 7, He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and is a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. You know, one thing I love about the Bible is the Bible really causes you to learn a lot of new information. Just in general about life itself, it really causes you to learn things. And so when we're reading the Bible, we ought to read and pay attention because we can learn new things. And I can say that I, you know, I grew up in West Virginia, but I did not really grow up in the country. I grew up near the country, but I grew up in the city. So I was around a lot of people that are in the country, but I did not grow up on a farm. I didn't grow up on animals other than we had a house dog and a house cat. And so I don't really know a lot about lamb, lambs and sheep and other animals, things that maybe some of you, if you grew up on a farm or near one, maybe you had experience with these sorts of things. And so as I was studying for this, I was really thinking about what the Bible's saying here. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter. And I was thinking, what does that mean? Right? Because the Bible's giving the example of a lamb. I'm not that familiar with lambs, so for me it doesn't really resonate. And as a sheep before shearers is dumb, so I was like, okay, what is the Bible trying to say? Now the Bible's linking to the fact that Jesus did not open his mouth. And as I'm reading this, I'm like, well, it sounds like that means when lambs are slaughtered, they don't really fight back. They don't open their mouth. They don't really fight very hard. And I was like, it sounds like when a sheep is sheared, which I would believe shearing the sheep, taking off the fur of the sheep, it sounds like they don't really fight. Compared to other animals. Because there's a lot of animals that if you try to do something to them, they will really fight. Right? We grew up with a dog and a cat. You try to give a dog or a cat a bath, they will fight you tooth and nail because they do not want it. Right? The Bible's showing you that lambs and sheep, they're not really like that. And I was thinking in my head about this, and of course I went to Google, I was reading about lambs and sheep and what was said about them. I also thought in my head back to a movie I saw like 25 years ago or something, and I would never recommend this movie. It's about a serial killer, but the movie The Silence of the Lambs, which was a very famous movie from yesterday. I don't know if it was famous here. I think it won Best Picture way back. But I was wondering, where did they get the title for the movie, The Silence of the Lambs? And I was curious, and I read this online. The Silence of the Lambs title refers to the idea of innocent victims represented by lambs who are unable to scream or fight back, signifying their silence and is deeply connected to the protagonist, Clarice Starling's traumatic childhood memory of lambs being slaughtered, which she seeks to overcome by saving the victims in the case she's investigating. So apparently in this movie, I don't remember this because a long time ago I saw it, that she saw like lambs being killed and they were just silent. They did not fight back. Here's what it says online about lambs. It says, yes, lambs are typically considered silent when killed as the phrase, like a lamb to the slaughter, implies. This is because sheep, including lambs, usually don't vocalize loudly when being slaughtered, especially if properly stunned and are often seen as docile animals in this situation. Now, I'm all for eating meat, but I don't never grow up on a farm killing the animals or whatever. I'm happy to eat them. But I have seen plenty of videos online, though, of these animals being killed. I've seen plenty of pigs killed, plenty of cows and these different animals and everything. And the most exciting videos are watching pigs get killed because they really, really fight. It's pretty wild. And of course, when I talk to people having stories, they're like, yeah, you have like eight people holding the pig down and everything because it's really wild. It's going to fight you. And it's like, you've got to be very careful because if its mouth gets out, it can bite you and really tear you apart and everything. And that's the way that pigs go down. That's the way that other animals go down. They fight for themselves. And of course, that's understandable. They're being killed. They will really fight you. But the Bible's saying that sheep and lambs are not like that. When they were killed, they just kind of allowed themselves to be killed. They don't really fight back too much. And what the Bible's saying, though, with Jesus is that he didn't really fight his execution. I mean, at one point, Jesus said, don't you realize that I could call down a legion of angels or, you know, I'm not fully quoting that correctly, but that could protect me right now? He doesn't do that. You say, why? Because he came not to do his own will, but the will of the Father. And so lambs do not fight back, just like Jesus did not really fight back when he was killed. He allowed himself to be killed. Why? Because he's dying for the sins of the entire world. And so that's what it says there in Isaiah 53 verse 7. He was a lamb to the slaughter. He didn't fight back. He was a sheep that's being sheared. He did not fight as this is taking place. And, of course, I would say that it highlights Jesus doing this because this is pretty unique for a person. If you're a person that's going to be put to death, aren't you going to fight for yourself or try to defend yourself or something rather than just being like, all right, it is what it is? But, of course, he was here to do the will of God the Father. Isaiah 53 verse 8. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Now, verse 9 is worded a bit in a confusing way, and I do believe it could be interpreted perhaps multiple different ways. I'm open to changing my thoughts on what the correct interpretation is. When it says he made his grave with the wicked and the rich in his death, when I read this verse, it seems to link it to the fact that he had done no violence or deceit. And the thing is, a wicked person has probably done violence to get put into death. And, you know, a lot of rich people could be bad people. They could be deceitful people and commit these things. And so basically, he died as a common criminal, the difference being he had no deceit in his mouth. He had done no violence. And so basically, I mean, even as he was crucified, he has two thieves beside him, and the one after he realizes he's being an idiot and quits mocking Jesus, he says, We receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss. And so he's dying on the cross by common criminals that deserve what was taking place, but he had done nothing wrong, right? So I believe when it's saying that he made his grave with the wicked, I think what it's saying personally is that he was killed like a common criminal, the difference being he had no deceit, he had done no violence. If you have a different interpretation, that's fine. That's kind of the way I see that verse. As I said, the book of Isaiah, I should say, it's a bit confusing, right? I mean, there's a lot of things that can be interpreted different ways. I think that's why it's saying that, though, in that verse. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. Now, it's interesting when it says he shall see his seed because ask yourself this question, is this a spiritual seed or is this a physical seed? Because generally when you think of seed, you would think of a physical seed, but did Jesus have a wife? We're not Mormons or whatever. Religion's going to teach something weird like that. I'm not sure if the Mormons, I don't think the Mormons teach that, but they teach weird things like that, right? He wasn't married. He didn't have kids. So it's not talking about a physical seed that gets passed down. What it's talking about is a spiritual seed, right? What it's talking about is me. What it's talking about is you. It's referring to us. I mean, he was looking at his spiritual seed that would come into this world and cared about us specifically. And so it's kind of a reminder that God cares about each and every one of us. And of course, I think that if you live during this time period and you saw the death of Jesus and you talked to him after the resurrection, that could probably impact you in a more powerful way than maybe what we experience in our lives. But this is kind of a reminder to us. You know what? He died and cared about each and every one of us. And he considers and thinks about us personally. He even talks about how he prayed for those that would end up getting saved before he even died. I mean, he cares about each and every one of us. And so verses like, You're my friends if you do whatsoever I command you, that's not just for them during that time period. That promise is true of us that we can be the friend of God when we are obedient to his will and doing what he says. It says, He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. And I believe by his knowledge is referring to that if you have the knowledge of Jesus Christ, you put your faith on Jesus Christ, you believe in him for salvation, then you are justified, you're declared innocent, all your sins are forgiven. It's by having the knowledge of Jesus Christ and what he did and believing that. Therefore I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Now, we'll look at one last place because this verse is quoted in Mark 15. Mark 15 says he was numbered with the transgressors. Mark 15. So you'll often see those pictures if you pull up the resurrection of Jesus. If you go to Google, you'll probably see a picture of three crosses. Right? And he was numbered with the transgressors, as the Bible says. The Bible says that he was crucified, and there was two men that were crucified beside him. And he was numbered with the transgressors, as the Bible says. And it says in Mark 15, verse 26, and the superscription, Mark 15, verse 26, and the superscription of his accusation was written over the king of the Jews, and with him they crucified two thieves, the one on his right hand and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which sayeth, and he was numbered with the transgressors. Now, if you lived before the death of Jesus and you read Isaiah 53, there are all kinds of different opinions on a lot of the verses you can come to because you wouldn't really be sure on a lot of stuff. It's very open for interpretation. And I do think there's things in this chapter that are open to interpretation, but there's no doubt that when you read this, I mean, the New Testament is quoting Isaiah 53 quite a bit. He is numbered with the transgressors, and what you're seeing is that Isaiah 53 is prophesying about Jesus Christ. And so, look, in the Old Testament, it's very obvious in many places that Jesus Christ would come, he would die and pay for our sins. This is a clear prophecy of Jesus Christ. And, of course, I don't go to Isaiah 53 when I give the gospel. It's not in my normal routine. Maybe if I lived in an area where there were a lot of Jews or a lot of Muslims, maybe I would try this out and see how it would go, showing them Isaiah 53. But Isaiah 53 is a clear prophecy of the death of Jesus Christ. And, you know, of course, we're on Easter Sunday. We're focusing more on the death of Jesus and their kind of linked events there, the death and then the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But, you know, as it says in this chapter, I mean, he came to die for our sins, and he was up there because of what we did wrong. And, of course, the payment's already been made. It's not like if you sin tomorrow, that means he's going to feel more pain or whatever in the future. But you should still have the idea that, you know what, when you've done wrong, every sin you commit, he actually paid for on the cross. And you're basically making his crucifixion worse because he has more and more sins than he's paid for. And he did nothing wrong. There was no guile in his mouth. And he died like a common criminal because he was dying for each of our sins. And that should motivate you to try to do what's right and obey God's will. Let's close in the water of prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today on Easter Sunday. And thank you for the death of your son, Jesus Christ, and, of course, his resurrection, God. Help us to remember the significance of this in our lives, God. Help us to use this to motivate us to serve you and obey your will, God. Help us to be more zealous over these next 12 months rather than less zealous, God. I ask you to help us just to continue to stay dedicated as a church, God, and ask you to bless this church and all the families in this church, God. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Hymn number 38. Hymn number 38. Let's sing the song, Hallelujah We Shall Rise. In the resurrection morning when the tongue of God shall sound We shall rise, we shall rise Then the saints will come rejoicing and no tears will e'er be found We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise In the resurrection morning when the saints will come rejoicing We shall rise, we shall rise In the resurrection morning what a feeling it will be We shall rise, we shall rise When our fathers and our mothers and our daughters we shall see We shall rise, Hallelujah, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise In the resurrection morning when the saints will come rejoicing We shall rise, Hallelujah, we shall rise In the resurrection morning that's when God is to be We shall rise, we shall rise I shall see my blessed Savior who will reignite for me We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, in the resurrection morning when the saints will come rejoicing We shall rise, we shall rise In the resurrection morning we shall give Him in the air We shall rise, we shall rise And be carried out to glory to our home so bright and clear We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, in the resurrection morning when the saints will come rejoicing We shall rise, we shall rise In the resurrection morning when the saints will come rejoicing We shall rise, we shall rise We shall rise, we shall rise And be carried out to glory to our home so bright and clear We shall rise, we shall rise