Isaiah 53 with Josiah Shipley part 1 - Introduction to the book and background to the chapter

Hey guys, welcome back to 6pm Bible Study. I am Brother Josiah Shipley and I am recording here from Witten Baptist Church.

Great news, Witten Baptist Church, the building at 6773 Macon Road in Memphis, Tennessee is back open.

So on Sunday mornings at 1030 or Sunday evenings at 6pm, you can join us here for finally in person sermons and Bible studies and worship services.

However, due to a lot of requests and a lot of you being from out of town, we have decided that we are going to continue to try to speak publicly with you guys at least once a day.

So we're working on a TV guide, we're updating it right now and we're pretty much set. At least once a day, you're going to be hearing from a member of Witten, whether that's

Pastor or Brother Josiah or Pastor Ben or Miss Vicky Mercedes on the wow moments or whoever, the question and answer sessions, we're going to keep those going, where you're going to be able to hear from Witten every single day, at least once a day.

So what we're going to do on Sunday nights is we're going to pre -record the lesson that I'm going to be teaching in person that night, okay?

And we're going to premiere it at 6pm every Sunday night. So for those of you who are out of state, excuse me, those of you who are from out of state or can't make it here on Sunday nights, we want to continue the ministry of feeding you

God's word the best we can. So every Sunday night at 6pm, just like we have been, these will still be airing on Facebook and then on YouTube, okay?

Witten Media Ministry. So I just want to make that clear, you're still going to be part of our Bible study at 6pm and every day,

Witten will be producing something for the public of all the programs we've been doing and maybe new ones that we're developing.

So with that being said, for those of you, oh, and feel free to still comment even though it's pre -recorded because the next day

I'll get on there and I'll try to apply to every comment as I can to the best of my ability. So for those of you who've been with us the past five or six weeks, we went through Romans chapter 8, we have now finished the book of Philippians, we went through the entire book of Philippians and go back to the

YouTube page, Witten Media Ministry, go to Sunday nights with Brother Josiah Shipley and you can re -watch all those guys, all those lessons on Philippians we did, you can re -watch all of them, verse by verse.

Well, now we're switching gears and we're going to do Isaiah chapter 53, Isaiah chapter 53 and if you have never read or studied this chapter, it is, in my view, one of the most glorious, greatest chapters in the

Bible. I've told you all before, my favorite chapter in the Bible is Romans chapter 8, now it's all God's word and I love it all, but Isaiah 53 is a close second, it's pretty awesome.

So, we've got a lot to do here, but before we do, we've got a lot of groundwork to set for the book of Isaiah.

So let me start by setting the groundwork for the book of Isaiah and we'll take our time with that and then we'll get into the text, okay?

Now I've got a lot of passages we've got to go through tonight, okay? So as I go through them, the best thing you can do, write down the

Bible reference and go back and read them later for yourself. Remember, what I say is not important, what God's word says is paramount, okay?

Alright, so a little bit about the book of Isaiah. Hey brother

Andrew, a little bit about the book of Isaiah, it is a prophetic book, meaning it was written by a prophet, in this case

Isaiah, and when a prophecy is simply

God giving a specific message to a specific person to deliver to a specific people at a specific time, okay?

For example, God gave a specific message, the message of repentance, to a specific person,

Jonah, to give to a specific people, the people of Nineveh, at a specific time, now.

Now Jonah tried to do his own thing, but the will of the Lord ended up happening, and those of you who are believers know exactly what

I'm talking about. You can resist, but God will get his way whether it's the hard way or the easy way, won't he? We can be hard -headed, but the

Lord has a way of melting that heart of stone, doesn't he? Well, oftentimes that prophetic message is showing something that will happen in the future.

So when we speak of messianic prophecies, break it down, messianic, Messiah, Jesus prophecies, these are prophecies about Jesus, okay?

Well, funny thing is the book of Isaiah was written about 700 years before Jesus was born.

Let me say that again. The book of Isaiah was compiled, was written over a span of, man, it was probably written over a span of 70, 60 years or so.

Isaiah lived to be, you know, probably 100. But anyway, the book of Isaiah was written 700 years before Jesus.

You know, you look at the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Isaiah Scroll, the Great Isaiah Scroll, it is the oldest complete copy of Isaiah that we have, you know, and it's been carbon -dated to precede the death of Jesus by a lot, and we know that that is a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of God.

We know that's not the original scroll that Isaiah wrote down on. So if that scroll is that old, how much more the original one when it was written?

But at any rate, we've got some messianic prophecies about Jesus, and some of them are about his birth and his growing up, which we'll read in just a minute.

Others are about the crucifixion, and I included Psalm 22 here. If you want to read two prophecies about the crucifixion centuries before they ever happened or almost a millennia, read

Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. It's just like a wow. But at any rate, that's what we have here.

Now guys, we've got a lot to cover, but I just want to show you a few things in the book of Isaiah to help set the scene so you know what this book is about, okay?

People often call the book of Isaiah a Bible within a Bible. Well, it's 66 chapters, you know, of course the chapters weren't originally in there.

We added those in there later, which we'll talk about in a minute. But it's 66 chapters, there's 66 books of the

Bible, and it's so large, but it covers a wide range of things.

The first 40 chapters roughly deal with God's judgment and the need for repentance, and the last 26 or so chapters deal with liberation, with salvation, with God saving his people.

So it is kind of a nice picture of the Bible. At any rate, let me just show you a few examples in the book of Isaiah of prophecies coming to be fulfilled, or things you need to know about Isaiah.

Okay, so first off, let's read a couple of these, and you probably will be familiar with these. But these are messianic prophecies dealing with Jesus, and particularly at his birth.

So Isaiah 7, verse 14 says this, Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14, Therefore the

Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be

Emmanuel. This is quoted in the Gospels, and of course, Emmanuel means God with us.

Notice, the name of Jesus is Emmanuel, not God sent somebody to us, Emmanuel means

God with us. Okay? We had a really awesome question and answer session two

Saturdays ago, I think it was, about the triune nature of God, often called the Trinity. Go check that out at Witten Media Ministry if you haven't yet.

Question and answer session, triune nature, it's a pretty good one. Also, Isaiah 9, verse 6 says this,

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. Now keep in mind, this is 700 years before Jesus was ever born.

The government shall be on his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of the peace, there shall be no end. On the throne of David, and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it.

Okay. And this is a messianic prophecy, of course, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.

And this is referenced in Luke. His name shall be, what is the name of Jesus? Wonderful Counselor.

Josiah, I thought the Holy Spirit was the Counselor. Exactly. Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father are all

God. He's called Mighty God. Can you get more clear than that? He's called

Everlasting Father. Now, Josiah, why would Jesus be prophesied as Everlasting Father?

Because Jesus said, I and the Father are one. You see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God the Father, God the

Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all one God named Yahweh, Jehovah. So guys,

Prince of Peace, and we'll read about that in Isaiah 53. What we have is prophecies about Jesus well before they ever happened, establishing who he is.

One more. Let's go to John chapter 12. Let's go to John chapter 12.

All right.

John chapter 12, and I'm going to read, starting, and I'm reading out of the

ESV, starting in verse 37, well, excuse me, part of 36, reading in 37,

John chapter 12. When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Verse 37, though he had done many signs before them, they still did not believe him.

So that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us, and who has the arm of the

Lord been revealed to you? Okay, in John chapter 12, he just quoted Isaiah 53, verse 1, which we're going to read in a minute.

He just quoted that. Therefore, they could not believe, for again, Isaiah says, he has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.

Verse 41, Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.

Isaiah saw whose glory? Jesus. And spoke of who? Jesus. Okay. Now, guys, sometimes

I get excited. I know I go too fast or too deep, and some of you respond to me and say, Josiah, slow it down.

So let me try. Now, in John 12, 40, John just quoted a different part of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 6, okay?

Isaiah chapter 6, and John, in John 12, 41, says that Isaiah is speaking of the glory of Jesus and speaking of Jesus.

So John quotes Isaiah chapter 6 and says that's about Jesus. Now, if you go read the beginning of Isaiah 6, guys,

Isaiah is standing before the throne room of God and says of Yahweh, holy, holy, holy is the

Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is full of his glory. And at the sound of the seraphim singing that song day and night, the doorways of the temple shook.

Now, think about this. And I said this in the question and answer session a few weeks ago. The seraphim are created beings, created to do nothing but sing praises to God 24 -7.

And at the sound of their voices, not even God's voice, the sound of their voices, the temple doorway shook.

How much more God's voice? Well, Isaiah 6 is speaking of Yahweh.

And yet here, in John 12, 41, John is saying that Isaiah was speaking of Jesus.

Why? Because the Father and Jesus are one. Jesus is God. Let me just make it as clear as I can say it.

Jesus is God. Okay? All right. So that is a little bit about the book of Isaiah, okay?

So, now that we're 13 minutes in, let's get to our actual text.

So I want you to go to Isaiah 53, but I want you to notice something. Please remember that the chapters and verses were not originally written down.

When Isaiah wrote this or when Paul wrote his letters, he didn't write it with chapters and verses. We added those in later to help us find particular passages in the

Bible. For example, think about if we were trying to find this passage and we didn't have the verses and the chapters on the side to help find it.

It would take us forever to find a passage in a book as big as Isaiah. So I'm glad they're in there because they help us, but we need to remember that Isaiah didn't write this to be broken up by chapters.

So sometimes a thought continues from one chapter to another, and we need to read it as one paragraph, not as broken down verses, okay?

So this passage actually starts in chapter 52, verse 13. So I wrote it up here for you.

The passage we're going to be working on the next three weeks is Isaiah 52, 13 through 53, 12, okay?

Now what I want to do, because we will only get through a little bit of it today, I want to go ahead and read that whole passage.

And I know it's a lot of reading, guys, but there's a lot of work in progress here with prophecy. I want to make sure we have a clear view so that we have the foundation set for the next three weeks, okay?

So I'm going to read Isaiah 52, starting in verse 13, and I'll read through chapter 53.

Here we go. Behold, my servant shall act wisely.

He shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance and his form beyond that of children of mankind.

So he shall sprinkle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths because of him. For that which has not been told of them, they see, and that which has not heard, they understand.

This is chapter 53, now verse one. Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the armor of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground, he had no form or majesty that we should look at him and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

Verse five, listen. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment for our peace was on him.

And by his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one of us to his own way.

And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.

Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep that is silent before that shears, he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And as for his generation who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the transgression of my people.

Verse nine, here's some prophecy. They made his grave with the wicked and with the rich man at his death.

Although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth. Verse 10, yet it was the will of the

Lord, the Lord was pleased to crush him severely and has put him to grief. When a soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring and shall prolong his days and the will of the

Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied.

And by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many be accounted righteous and he shall bear their iniquities.

Verse 12, therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors.

Yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors. Wow. So much to go.

So much to dive into in the next three weeks. So let's get started with verse 13 of chapter 52.

We'll get through a couple verses today and we'll cut it short because it's a lot to consider so far.

So, Isaiah 52 verse 13, all right,

Josiah, you're saying this is about Jesus and I see all the prophecy and I see, I see about the crucifixion.

I see about him being pierced, but how do you know for sure that this is about Jesus? Well, in the new

Testament, John, Paul, Peter, Luke, they all quote this and say it was about Jesus.

So the inspired new Testament writers quote Isaiah 53 and say that was about Jesus. So that helps a lot.

We're using scripture to interpret scripture. And let me, let me say something about that, guys. Use scripture to interpret scripture.

What do I mean by that? Well, guys, if you ever run into a difficult passage, use the other parts of the

Bible to help interpret. Remember, we believe that the Bible is the word of God. And when we say it's the word of God, what we mean is this, that is

God speaking to us through revelation now and that it doesn't contradict itself.

It's inerrant and infallible. And that though it has 40 something writers, it has one author and that's the

Holy Spirit. And though it was compiled and written over 1500 years, it all says the same thing because it has the same author, the

Holy Spirit. It does not change. It does not come back void. That's the word of God.

Amen. So if a new Testament inspired writer tells you that Isaiah 53 was about Jesus, you can rest assured the same

Holy Spirit that inspired them is the same one that inspired Isaiah. Okay. Amen. Amen. Amen.

So we'll get through all that. So Isaiah 52 verse 13 says this, behold, my servant shall act wisely.

He shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted. Okay. Lifted up is an interesting phrase here because the

New Testament speaks of Jesus being lifted up as in being lifted up on the cross and dying.

But also we have him being lifted up in exaltation. Okay. And glory and honor and praise.

So let's look at both those real quick. He was lifted up on the cross, then lifted up in exaltation. Now verse 13 is in the future tense because this is a prophecy, but you're about to see a quick switch to the past tense and we'll talk about why in a minute.

He was lifted up on the cross. I didn't write this one on the board, but I want to read out of John for a little bit.

So John chapter three, John chapter three, a passage that will be familiar to most of us.

John chapter three, we have Nicodemus who in the dead of night went and found

Jesus and was asking him about the gospel.

You know, it says, Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher come from God and no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.

All right. But Jesus tells him, unless someone's born again, he can't see the kingdom of God and Nicodemus didn't understand it.

Well, this is Jesus's explanation of what it means to be born again. Okay. So I'm going to start in verse, let's do verse 14,

John three, verse 14 through 16. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the son of man must be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son and whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Okay. So, verse 14, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, if you don't remember this account, it's

Numbers chapter 21 verses six through 10. There's a lot there.

I'm going to try to not speak too fast because I get excited about that passage. Numbers 21, verse six through 10,

I think it is. Well, the Israelites grumbled and complained and rebelled against God, even though he had just saved them out of Egypt, they rebelled against him.

So God sent poisonous snakes or King James will say fiery serpents to destroy them.

But he provided a way out. Now, Moses made a bronze snake, which by the way, is still the symbol for medical staff.

If you look at the symbol for medical staff on ambulances, whatever, a bronze snake and lifted up on a pole and whoever looked in humility, whoever looked on that snake that was lifted up would be healed.

Now look at the comparison just as, excuse me, just as Moses lifted up that serpent like this and whoever looked to it to be healed.

So the son of man will be lifted up on the cross, Jesus says later in John 12, and whoever looks to him in faith will be healed of their sins.

It's a beautiful parallel. Additionally, it's amazing.

I believe it's first Corinthians chapter nine, but it may be, maybe chapter 10, but I believe it's first Corinthians chapter nine.

You can look it up later and put it in the comments if I'm wrong. Numbers 21 .6,

as we just said, says Yahweh, God, the Lord sent fiery serpents. But Paul in first Corinthians says, let's not test

Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes in the wilderness. You see, numbers 21 says

God, Yahweh sent the snakes. Paul says Jesus did, but it's not a contradiction.

You know why? Because Jesus is God. I need like a little sound effect machine that every time we talk about the deity of Christ, about Jesus being

God, we just click a button and it goes wah, I don't know, something. Here, you can make fun of me in the comments now.

It's just so cool. So lift it up on the cross, right? Jesus says the same things in John chapter 12.

Remember, be writing these references down. They're way more important than my lesson. It's the Bible. John 12,

I'll do 32 and 33. Jesus is talking and he says, and I, when

I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show what kind of death he was going to die, being lifted up on the cross, right?

He'd be lifted up. So finally, back in Isaiah, keep up with me.

Back in Isaiah 52, 13, but here we're not just talking about him being lifted up on the cross.

Oh no, this is way more glorious than that. Behold, my servant shall act wisely and shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted.

Here he'll be lifted up in exaltation. I've got more verses here, guys. Keep them going. If you've been with us the past few weeks in Philippians, you'll remember

Philippians chapter two, verse nine. I'll start in verse five.

Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who existing in the form of God. Morphe Theon did not consider equality with God as something to be used for his own advantage.

Instead, he emptied himself by assuming the form of a slave and take on the likeness of men. When he come as a man in his external form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

Verse nine, for this reason, God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name so that the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess of those in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory and praise of God the Father. Now what's so interesting about that, and you'll remember those of you who are with us in Philippians, is

Isaiah, just a few chapters before Isaiah 45, and if you just want to write it down for later or turn there with me,

Isaiah 45, verse 22 and 23 says this. Isaiah 45, verse 22 and 23.

Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. By myself

I have sworn, and from my mouth has gone out unrighteousness, a word that shall not return. To me, this is to Yahweh, to me, every knee will bow and every tongue will swear allegiance.

Well that's interesting, in Philippians chapter two it says to Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will swear allegiance or confess.

But here it says to God, to Yahweh, hmm, wah wah, ding ding, because Jesus is

God. So notice Jesus being highly exalted in Philippians 2 .9.

He's being highly exalted, okay. So in Isaiah 52 .13

it says my servant shall be high lifted up and shall be exalted. Guys, one day, it hasn't happened yet, and those of us, you know, we live in the world, we know that this has not happened yet, but one day every knee will bow.

Of those that are already in heaven, those that are still on the earth, and those that are already in hell, every knee will bow and every tongue will swear allegiance and confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord, curiaus, to the glory and praise of God the Father. Okay, so he will be exalted, he will be lifted up,

Isaiah 52 verse 14. As many were astonished at you, his appearance was so marred or so disfigured that he didn't even look like a human, he was beyond human semblance.

His form was beyond that of the children of mankind. In other words, Jesus was so beaten, so marred, that he didn't even look like a human anymore.

Now, this next part is going to get pretty graphic, but it is what's in scripture, so parents just be aware, this next part is kind of violent, that's the

Bible. First off, in verse 14, notice that it switches to the past tense, even though this is 700 years before it happened, we'll talk about that in a minute.

Note that we are made in the image of God, and that image is marred or disfigured due to our sin. Well, here,

Jesus' humanity is so disfigured that he doesn't even look like a man, he's so beaten up.

If you've never read it, we're going to read an account of why

Jesus looked so disfigured. It wasn't just the crucifixion part, it was the whole thing.

So I'm going to read out of Mark 15, Mark chapter 15, and I'm going to start in verse 16.

Maybe some of you have never paid attention to this part. Mark 15, starting in verse 16,

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace that is the governor's headquarters. And they called together the whole battalion, it was like several hundred soldiers.

Verse 17, They clothed him in a purple cloak and twisted together a crown of thorns, and they put it on him.

They began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.

And when they had mocked him, they stripped off the purple cloak and put on his own clothes and led him out to crucify him.

The soldiers were mocking Jesus, they were putting on purple, the color of royalty, they were beating him over the head with a reed, they put a crown of thorns, they were mocking him, right?

Oh, you're a king, here's your crown of thorns, digging into his head, beating him over the head and pretending to bow down and worship to him.

Before they did this, Jesus was scourged or whipped.

This was a judicial punishment the Romans gave out. And they used, when they whipped guys, it wasn't just a whip, it was the cat of nine tails.

It was a whip with bone and metal fragments at the end, so that when it whipped into the flesh, the

Roman centurion would put his foot on the stump and rip it out, so it would dig into the flesh. So that whip dug into the flesh of Jesus and they pulled it out and it tore the flesh with it.

And it would wrap around to his chest and all that stuff, so it was literally ripping the flesh off of Jesus where you could see bone.

That's the reality, that's what Pilate, Pilate had him scourged, had him whipped in that sense with the cat of nine tails.

After that, the Romans pretended to worship him and beat him. And this is what

Jesus went through. The soldiers cast lots for his clothes, then they crucified him, and we are now at verse 25.

And it was the third hour and they crucified him, and the inscription of the charge against him read, the king of the

Jews. And with them they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. Verse 29, those who passed by derided or mocked him.

They shook their heads and said, aha, you said you'd destroy the temple in three days and rebuild it.

Save yourself and come down from the cross. Verse 31, the chief priests and scribes also mocked him and said, he saved others, but he can't save himself.

Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see and believe. Those who were crucified with them also reviled him.

Yeah, keep in mind both of the thieves on the cross mocked Jesus, one of them repented later.

Guys, even that mocking, even reading it does something in my soul that doesn't sit right with me. But guys, that's what

Jesus went through. So he was whipped, he was torn flesh from him, he was beaten, the guards beat him, the

Romans and Tyrians beat him, crown of thorns, all that before he was crucified. And remember when you were crucified, okay, you got a nail here, a nail here, a nail between your feet, you normally died of asphyxiation, you normally died of suffocation, okay?

You're hanging and you have to pull yourself up to take a breath, guys, and the nails in your hands, right, you had to,

I know it's graphic, but it's the Bible, you had to pull yourself up, take a breath, and then hang, and it would rip a little more.

The next time you had to take a breath, so you died because you had no more strength to lift yourself up to breathe.

Well, now we see why Isaiah says he was so disfigured he didn't even look like a human being. That's how disfigured he was.

Now if you notice in verse, back in Isaiah, in verse 52 -14, the whole rest of the passage is in the past tense.

Now why would Isaiah prophesy about something that will happen 700 years in the future, but use the past tense as if it's already happened, like it's already happened?

Because our God is outside of time, and though he works within time, he's outside of it.

When he declares something to happen, it happens in time, because he's outside of time. Revelation says

Jesus Christ is slain from the foundation of the world. Remember, God wasn't surprised with Adam and Eve.

God's plan will take place. An example of this is Acts chapter 4, I'll read just a short passage.

Acts chapter 4, verse 26 -28. Acts chapter 4, verse 26 -28, and it says this.

The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed

Messiah. Verse 27, for truly in this city, this is a few months after the crucifixion,

Peter and John are talking, and they're praying, in this city were gathered together against your holy servant

Jesus, whom you anointed, Herod and Pilate, the Jews and the Gentiles, came together against your

Messiah to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

In this city, Herod, Pilate, the Jews and the Gentiles, the Roman soldiers, came together against your

Messiah Jesus to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

Guys, why can Isaiah chapter 52 and 53 speak of the crucifixion in the past tense?

Because in the mind of God, it had already happened. Herod and Pilate, the

Jews and the Gentiles, did whatever they wanted to do. They were not controlled. But it was all according to God's predestined plan, okay?

All according to God's predestined plan. Just like Genesis 50 -20, they planned it for evil, but God planned it for good, for good.

So, it's all in the past tense because in the mind of God, it's already happened. Just like our salvation.

And let's see, let's do one more, verse 15. So, from that bloodshed, from that gore, so he shall sprinkle many nations.

Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, and for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard them understand.

He shall sprinkle many nations, or many nations shall be blessed by him.

He shall sprinkle many nations, verse 15. Sprinkle, to make pure with blood. Guys, in Levitical law, the priest would sprinkle blood on the altar and on the utensils to purify it, to make it holy, okay?

Well, Jesus' blood, notice, by sprinkling it on many nations, not just Jews, but Gentiles too, be sprinkled on many nations.

Hebrews 9 -22 says, so according to the law, well, I'll just quote it, according to the law, almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

So, through Jesus' blood being shed and sprinkled, by the blood of Jesus, we have been purified, we have been justified, that is, rendered innocent.

We have been declared righteous, and we have been set apart as holy. We're going to get more into that next week with imputation, but we're going to leave off right there.

So that was 52, verses 13, 14, and 15, and what we're about to read next week in Isaiah 53, it's all, for the most part, it's going to be in the past tense, talking about the crucifixion, and how

God's plan will prevail, alright? Okay guys, sorry if I seemed a little scattered, but I was getting it all together, go back and listen to and read the references that I gave here, okay?

Read Isaiah 53 for next week, we're going to be on this for a couple weeks, okay? This is important stuff, and put it in the comments,

I'm going to respond to every one of them I can, and we'll keep building off of it. Anything that wasn't clear, or any questions you have, put them on the comments,

I'll read through them, probably tomorrow, okay? Happy Sunday to all of you,

I love you all very much, we're going to keep this going, we're going to keep this going. Every week, 6pm on Sunday, I'll have this here for you guys, okay?

Isaiah 53 is where we're at, Witten Media Ministry, Witten Media Ministry on YouTube, you can find all of our old videos if you've been missing the past few weeks, okay?

Or if you're in the Memphis area, come in person, 6pm, we'll be in here reading the

Word, we're going to be doing Isaiah 53 just like we're doing on here. Tomorrow, Monday, I think it's at 10am, be sure to join in live for Pastor Ben's time out session,

Monday morning at 10am, and then I believe Pastor Jeff will be Tuesday night, so we're going to continue bringing the

Word, bringing the message from somebody different every day. I love you all very much,