There was a beautiful covenant between the Father and the Son. The Son promised to render Himself as a guilt offering. The Father promised He would raise Him from the dead, and bring about 5 benefits to the Son on behalf of His people.
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The Fruits Of Christ’s Resurrection
Isaiah 53:10-12
Isaiah chapter 53 has been revered by God’s people for 2,700 years. It has been called “the Holy of Holies of the Old Testament.” It is the high water mark of the Old Testament. Martin Luther said that it should be written on parchments of gold and lettered in diamonds. It is the most clear and detailed prophecy of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. In fact, as you read it, you might think you were reading one of the four gospels.
In this chapter Isaiah speaks of the Life, Rejection, Sufferings, Trial, Death, and Burial of Jesus Christ in verses 1-9.
The Life of Christ
53:1 “He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”
The Rejection of Christ
53:3 “He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
The Trial of Christ
53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers so He did not open His mouth.”
The Sufferings of Christ
53:4 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried…
53:5 “by His scourging we are healed.”
53:6 “the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him”
The Death of Christ
53:5 “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities…”
53:8 “He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?”
53:10 “the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief”
53:12 “He poured out Himself to death”
The Burial of Christ
53:9 “His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death”
So, was that the end? Is that all? Do we leave Him as a forsaken, despised, pierced, wounded, oppressed and afflicted sufferer? No, a thousand times no! God wants us to know that in the final analysis Jesus Christ is not a victim, but a VICTOR! Through His mighty resurrection from the dead He is not just a rejected Messianic candidate, but a co-partner in a divine master plan which will not end in humiliation, but in exaltation. And ultimately the work of this Servant will bring not only pleasure to the heart of God, but satisfaction to Himself. .
But where, pray tell, do we find the resurrection of Christ mentioned in Isaiah 53? Let me show you. In Isaiah 53:10 our text informs us, “If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hands.” But wait a minute! We have previously read that He was pierced, crushed, chastened, scourged, oppressed, afflicted, taken away, and cut off out of the land of the living. We read of His grave and His death. How can it possibly be said that He will prolong His days? After a man is dead in the grave how can He prolong His days? Only if He is raised from the dead! That is how He is able to see His offspring! After His mission, rejection, sufferings and death, Isaiah chronicles the tremendous triumphs of Christ’s victorious resurrection.
This morning I want to show you the fruits of Christ’s resurrection. Upon being raised from the dead, Jesus Christ knew of certain infallible benefits which would accrue to Him. Usually we think of the benefits which accrue to us as a result of Christ’s death. Well, the benefits mentioned in Isaiah 53:10-12 accrue to Christ Himself! Notice the certainty of the text. Eight times in these
three verses we see the word “will.” God promises eight times something “will” happen upon Christ’s successful completion of His mission. I want to focus in on five benefits which accrue to Jesus Christ as a result of His finished work and glorious resurrection.
1. He Will See His People
The Bible says that Jesus will see His offspring. Who are these “offspring?” In verse 11 they are called “the many”. In verse 12 they are referred to as “the great,” “the strong,” and “many”. Can we be any more specific as to who these “offspring” are? Well, I believe that Hebrews 2:10 and 2:13 can be of help. There we read, “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their
salvation through sufferings… Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.” These offspring are the many sons who would be brought to glory. They are the children whom God had given Him.
One day in heaven there will be a roll call and our Savior will search to see whether all of His sheep He purchased with His blood are there. At that time, all His sheep will pass under His hand, and He will count them. He will call them all by name, for He knows those the Father gave Him. And my friend, all of His offspring will be there! None will be missing. All those who were ever born of the Spirit will answer in that day, “Present, and accounted for!” Notice His words in John 6:38-39, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” Because of His mighty resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God, He will see every one of His blood-bought, blood-born children in glory! What about you? Will you be there to answer the roll?
2. He Will Accomplish God’s Pleasure For His People
We read in Isaiah 53:10-11 that “the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.” After Christ was exalted to the supreme position in the universe at the right hand of the throne of God, He was given all authority in heaven and earth to execute God’s decrees and counsels. God’s good pleasure now would prosper and succeed in His capable, almighty hands.
Listen to the way the prophet Isaiah describes this truth in 46:9-10, “Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'” In this passage, the purpose of God is parallel to His good pleasure. Thus we see that the purpose of God is the good pleasure of God. When it says that the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in the hands of Christ, it means that God’s purpose and decrees will be accomplished as a result of Christ ruling and reigning in the heavens.
The running of this universe has been turned over to Jesus Christ. He is God’s right hand man and is running the show! We don’t have to wait for Him to return to the earth for Him to begin to reign, for the Scriptures teach that He is reigning right now. As a direct result of His sovereign rule over the entire creation of God, He is bringing to pass all of God’s eternal counsels and decrees. Not one of God’s purposes shall ever be thwarted!
We read furthermore that “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied.” The word “anguish” refers to toilsome labor or work. Jesus Christ had a definite work to do. Now, we might not be satisfied with our paycheck after a hard week’s work, but Christ is going to be satisfied with His! What does the Bible mean when it says “He will see it and be satisfied?” Well, the context demands that the immediate antecedent be the “good pleasure of the Lord.” As a result of Christ’s toilsome labor, He will see the good pleasure of the Lord accomplished,
and this will bring Him supreme satisfaction.
What then is this good pleasure of the Lord that He is going to see? It must mean that He is going to see God glorified. Jesus is going to see divine justice satisfied. He is going to see Satan’s kingdom destroyed. Jesus will see God’s kingdom established. He is going to see every one of His offspring. He is going to see an innumerable multitude saved from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. Jesus will see the Holy Spirit poured out in the earth. He is going to see the gospel go forth in all the earth. He is going to see gospel churches planted all over this planet. He is going to see the kingdoms of this world become His own kingdom. He is going to see every one of His sheep brought home to His fold. He is going to see every enemy become His footstool. He is going to see the graves emptied on resurrection day. He is going to see death destroyed. He is going to see all the nations standing before Him in judgment. He is going to see the new heaven and the new earth. Furthermore, He is going to see every creature in heaven and in earth bowing before Him confessing that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. That’s what He is going to see! And when He sees it, He will be satisfied! Because He has risen, He will see all the Father’s good pleasure perfectly fulfilled in time.
3. He Will Justify His People
In Isaiah 53:11 we read of the glorious truth of justification by faith. “By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.”
Notice, first of all the appropriation of our justification. We read that it is by “His knowledge” that the many will be justified. Now, this does not mean the knowledge that Christ possesses. Rather, it refers to our knowledge of Him. We appropriate our justification by coming to know Christ. What does it mean to know Christ? It means to possess saving faith. It is to have a personal revelation of Christ made to you from God. Thus, you don’t just know a few facts about Christ, but rather, you know Him. A divine, saving relationship has been established. Our text declares that when a sinner comes to know Christ through genuine saving faith He is justified.
The next question that must be addressed is, “What does it mean to be justified?” A more important question could not be asked! To be justified means to be declared righteous by God. It is to be given a right standing in God’s presence. It is to have every sin taken away and the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to your account. Notice that justification is appropriated by knowing, not doing (Rom. 3:28; 4:4-5). It is received by believing, not behaving, and is obtained by trusting, not performing. The battle cry of the reformers was this very truth — justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Are you one of the many who have been justified by coming to know Him?
Notice, secondly the grounds of our justification. Our text speaks of the righteous life of Jesus Christ. The Servant is here referred to as “the Righteous One.” Now, that may seem like a minor detail, but the perfect righteousness of Christ is absolutely essential for our justification. If we are to stand in perfection before God we must be clothed with the righteousness of Another. Praise be to God, that is exactly what we have in Christ. He was our representative, not only in His death, but also in His life. Christ not only died for us, but He also lived for us. He exchanged places with us. When we believe upon Him, we receive His perfect righteousness while He takes our sin.
There is another ground of our justification mentioned in this passage as well. It is the sin-bearing death of Christ. It is stated in this way, “My Servant will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.” Christ bears our sin upon His own shoulders and carries away our iniquities. How can God justify a guilty sinner? There is only one way. He must take away their sin, and He did that at the cross. There He made an end of sin, and put away iniquity.
Now, a dead man can’t declare anyone righteous. Jesus Christ had to be raised from the dead in order to pronounce all His believing people just in His sight. Oh, what a glorious fruit of His triumphant resurrection.
4. He Will Be Glorified By His People
“Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great.” Interestingly enough, the word for “great” here is the same Hebrew word translated “many” in verse 11. What our passage is most likely teaching us is that as a reward for Christ’s perfect obedience and death, the Father would allot Him a portion among all of the millions of sons He would bring to glory. But what portion would the Father give Him? Isaiah 52:13 answers that question for us. There it says, “He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted.” Jesus Christ was awarded the supreme position in the universe as a reward for His faithful work at Calvary. In fact, Jesus Christ is going to be the centerpiece of heaven. All the adoring eyes in heaven will be riveted upon Him there. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev. 5:12). For all eternity He will be the focus of our adoring worship. We won’t be able to take our eyes off of Him! For all eternity we will look upon His pierced hands and feet
and remember that the only reason we are there is because of Him. One certain and infallible result of Christ’s mighty resurrection is that He will be glorified for all eternity by His believing people.
5. He Will Share The Spoils of Victory With His People
Isaiah tells us that “He will divide the spoil with the strong.” The word “spoil” describes all that a general takes after a military conquest. These spoils might include horses, food, tents, and prisoners of war. Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection was a great Champion. “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him” (Col. 2:15). Christ has triumphed over sin, Satan, death and hell. In His victory He has taken some spoils. These spoils include such things as forgiveness of sins, the gift of eternal life, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, the adoption as sons, the gifts of repentance and faith, spiritual gifts to serve Him and His church, and the glorification of our bodies in the last day.
Now from His exalted position in heaven, Jesus divides these gifts to His people. Ephesians 4:8 says “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” Everything that Christ has received as the fruit of His death and resurrection He grants to us. We are co-heirs with Him! In Hebrews 1:2 we are told that Christ is the heir of all things. If then we are co-heirs with Him, what does that make us? We too, are the heirs of all things. No wonder that Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:22 “all things belong to you”. Have you ever considered how rich you are?
Conclusion
Usually, we think of Christ’s resurrection and focus on the benefits we receive from it. This morning I want you to think of the benefits that Jesus receives from it.
He will see His people!
He will accomplish God’s pleasure for His people!
He will justify His people!
He will be glorified by His people!
He will share the spoils of victory with His people!
Now you will quickly see that that which benefits Christ also benefits us.
If He will see His people, that means that you and I will see Him!
If He will accomplish God’s pleasure for His people, that means that His saving work cannot fail!
If He will justify His people, that means that we will never condemned, now or eternally!
If He will be glorified by His people, that means that we will have the pleasure of bringing glory to our Savior!
If He will share the spoils of victory with His people, that means we will be the blessed beneficiaries of what Christ purchased at Calvary! “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”
Brothers and Sisters, I call upon you this morning to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. He is alive forevermore. He is worthy of your worship!
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