Jesus Exalted & Victorious

[Read Isaiah 53:1-12]

We don’t like suffering. Nobody likes to suffer, but we live in a culture that is particularly averse to any form of suffering. We aren’t used to it. When suffering comes our way we try to push it aside—out of view. We try to ignore suffering by entertaining ourselves. We try to ignore suffering by dressing it up in makeup and pretty clothes. We try to pass over suffering—push past it—by “positive thinking.” 

We are particularly averse to suffering because we are pretty comfortable. Even in the midst of this pandemic, we are comfortable. Although some grocery stores have some empty shelves, they are surprisingly still well stocked. We find ourselves complaining because we can’t buy our particular brand of cereal or toilet paper, while there are other countries worried about starvation. We’re comfortable and not used to suffering. 

That can affect the way we celebrate Easter Sunday. When it comes to Easter Sunday, we want to head right to the “good stuff”—right to the “good news.” We don’t want to dwell anymore on the cross and suffering. We don’t want all of that “negativity” in our lives. We just want to hear about the resurrection.

Yet, we can’t do that as Christians. We cannot skip the cross and head for the resurrection. We can only get to the resurrection THROUGH the cross. As we head to the resurrection THROUGH the cross, we realize that suffering isn’t defeat for the Christian. For the Christian, suffering is the path toward victory. 

Isaiah 53 continues to remind us of that truth. It won’t let it slip from our minds. Each week, each verse, it keeps drilling this truth into our minds: “…he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12, NIV). This chapter will not allow us to ignore the death of Jesus Christ. It’s in every single verse of this chapter. It keeps coming back to us over and over again. Jesus willingly laid down his life unto death. He poured it out as an offering of sin for us. He willingly was mocked and disgraced—considered a sinner—on our behalf. He suffered for us, and his suffering LOOKED like defeat on the outside. The world looked upon his suffering and shouted, “We have won! He has been defeated! He is nothing but a disgraced sinner!” 

Yet, his death was not defeat. His death led to the salvation of many: “For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12, NIV). His death was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He carried the weight of our sin and sorrow. He now makes intercession for sinners—he prays for sinners in the presence of God. He advocates on their behalf. 

As we’ve repeatedly mentioned throughout this series—because we need to be continually reminded—we receive this gift of salvation in Jesus Christ by faith alone. If we want to receive the benefits of Jesus’ life and death, we must look to him in faith and trust him for our salvation alone. We cannot trust in our own ability, in our own works, or in our own power. None of that will save us. We can only receive this salvation—the forgiveness of our sins and righteousness in Christ—through faith in trust in Jesus Christ. 

This is why we cannot skip the cross on the way to the resurrection. It was through his death on the cross that Jesus conquered and was victorious. It was through his suffering that Jesus was exalted. There are a couple beautiful passages in scripture that emphasize this point. 

In Hebrews 2 it says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebrews 2:14–15, NIV). By his death, Jesus conquered sin and death. By his death, Jesus freed us from our slavery and fear of death. We no longer have to be controlled by this fear. We no longer have to wander around this world, afraid of death and dying, because Jesus has won the battle. Through this death, he has conquered death and Satan. They are defeated foes. Through his suffering Jesus achieved victory. 

Colossians 2 says something similar: “having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:14–15, NIV). Jesus Christ, took the debt we owed because of our sin, and nailed it to the cross. And through his death he disarmed the authorities and made a public spectacle of them. He triumphed over them BY the cross. That’s powerful! By the cross, Jesus achieved victory. Not only did he achieve victory, but he did a victory dance in the end-zone. He took his defeated foes—death and Satan—and made a public spectacle of them—he paraded them around as defeated foes. He wanted everyone to know that he has conquered these things and we no longer need to fear them. They have been defeated BY the cross. Jesus’ suffering was not defeat. Jesus has achieved victory THROUGH his suffering. And his resurrection from the dead was God’s great AMEN to this victory. 

That’s the picture painted for us at the beginning of Isaiah 53:12. It says, “Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong…” (Isaiah 53:12, NIV). There’s a beautiful aspect to this where the Father is now speaking about the Son. The rest of this passage was in the third person, but this part is in the first person. The Father is looking upon the Son and saying, “Because he has poured his life out unto death, I will make him a great, victorious, conquering King.” Or, as it says in Philippians: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11, NIV). 

Yet, this passage in Isaiah 53 is difficult to translate. All of the commentators I read this week said this passage should be translated differently than the NIV. One recommended this translation, “I will apportion to him the many, and the strong he will apportion as spoil.” What did Jesus receive as the conquering King? What did he win in his victory? He won for himself a people—“the many.” That’s what Jesus won in his victory on the cross. He not only won salvation, but he won for himself all those who would turn to him in faith. He won a people for himself. He purchased them with his own blood. He purchased YOU with his own blood and adopted YOU into his family. That’s what he won through the cross. That was his victory! 

That’s a powerful truth to hold onto in the midst of any—and every—storm that comes our way. Look at how Paul applies this truth to our lives: “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.” (Romans 14:8–9, NIV). This is why Christ lived and died: so that he would be Lord over the living and the dead, so that he would purchase a people for himself—a people who belong to the Lord. So, Paul says, that means if we live, we live to the Lord; if we die, we die to the Lord. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we can be confident that we belong to the Lord. We are His. We are His people. He has purchased us with his own blood. He conquered sin and death and Satan on the cross so that he could win US in the victory. So, let us live and die to Jesus Christ because we belong to him. 

When we understand that, we see suffering very differently. We can no longer see suffering as defeat. Suffering and death no longer have power over us because Jesus Christ has defeated them and paraded them around in victory. So, Paul says, since we are Christ’s and He is ours, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35–39, NIV). We are more than conquerors because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has conquered them all through his death and resurrection. We are his people and NOTHING is powerful enough to remove us from His hand—not even death. 

For the Christian, death does not cause a separation between us and Christ, but brings us more fully into His presence. Death leads us into the fulfillment of our salvation. Death is not defeat for those who believe in Jesus Christ. We can scream out, ““Death has been swallowed up in victory. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54–57, NIV). Death has no victory over us. Death has been conquered. Sin defeated. Satan chained up, locked in a pit. Jesus parading these conquered enemies down the street for the world to see, followed by his prized possession—the people he purchased with his blood. 

This does not mean we will never struggle and suffer in this life. Many of you already know that. Many of you find yourself in the midst of your own struggle right now. Many of you are suffering right now—maybe not because of the Coronavirus, but because you’ve been laid off, feel isolated and lonely, feel disconnected. Many of you were suffering from other things before this virus started spreading. Yet, in the midst of our suffering, we must remember that suffering is not defeat. Suffering is the path to victory. In the midst of our suffering—through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection—we can find victory. Jesus gives us the victory! 

Jesus told his disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV). We will have troubles in this world. We will find ourselves in the midst of suffering at times. Yet, Jesus said we can have peace in the midst of that suffering. We can take heart in the midst of that suffering. We do not need to be afraid and downcast and defeated in the midst of suffering. Because Jesus has overcome the world. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus has overcome. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has all authority in heaven and on earth. He has defeated sin and death and Satan. And he has done it all so that he could win a people for himself—a people who can never be separated from him. NEVER. 

So, in the midst of our current trials, or in the midst of any future trials you may encounter, Take Heart! Jesus has overcome the world!