We're going to read together in the scriptures this afternoon from Isaiah chapter 53. Isaiah chapter 53. We have been looking at these words over the last months and this afternoon I think will be the final message in this particular series. So we'll be giving attention to the verse 12. Of course the entire Song, the song of the servant here, is relevant to our Lord's passion and to his resurrection and it comes to a great triumphant note in these closing words. We'll read from the verse 10. 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. He shall prolong his deaths, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall save the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge, or by the knowledge of him, shall my 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 sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Amen. We'll end there, knowing the Lord will add his blessing to the reading. of his precious truth. We'll have a brief prayer together. Our gracious Father, we recognise our absolute need of thee. This afternoon as we come to consider these words together and we look to thee, that thou wilt be pleased to write thy word upon our hearts. And O Lord, we pray that there will be then that word in season. for our waiting hearts, grant that needed help of the Holy Spirit of God, we pray in Christ's great name, amen, amen. This closing verse of Isaiah 53 takes us right back to the beginning of this particular servant song. The song begins in a great note of triumph, and it comes then full circle and ends in an equally great note of triumph. In chapter 52 and the verse 13, it says, behold, my servant shall deal prudently, or my servant shall be successful. He shall be exalted and extolled and very high. And so the song begins with this great declaration of our Lord's exaltation and the rest of the song then is really an exposition of those words. How is it that Christ is exalted? Well, on account of all that he endured as a suffering servant, wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. And so in chapter 53 verse 12, were brought full circle to this great exaltation. And we read of a great division of spoils. A great division of that which is brought back from victory in the battlefield. Verse 12, therefore will I divide him, a portion with the great. And the word great there can refer to the noble and so on. Some have felt that that's what is in view in those words. Going right back to chapter 52 and the verse 15 where it talks about the kings. But the word great here is the same word that's translated many in verse 11. The Lord will justify many. I personally take the view that the great here are the many. That is the Lord's elect, the Lord's people. And so the father says, I will divide him. I will divide onto the son a portion with the great. And then the son, he shall divide the spoil with the strong. And the strong, I believe is this same company of people called the many. Why are they called the strong? The Lord has declared them to be strong. The Lord has made them strong. You think of Gideon. Remember how, when the Lord spoke to him, the Lord said, the Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. The slightly odd thing we could say about that is, when the Lord spoke those words to Gideon, Gideon was actually full of fear. but the Lord would make him to be a mighty man of valor. More importantly, the Lord had declared him to be a mighty man of valor. And remember, God's people here are pictured as soldiers. Christ is the great victor. He has gone out to the battle. That is what verse 12 really is picturing. He has gone out to battle and he has won the battle. And on account of this then, the father honors him. He divides him. a portion with the great, the Lord is honored with his church. But then we also see that the son himself, the great victor, he will share his spoils with the strong, with his own redeemed people. And so these spoils are the rewards of victory. And the text is laying out very clearly, there has been, a great conflict, and Calvary is, of course, this great conflict that has taken place, and in that great conflict, he was victorious. Now, back in biblical times, if there was a battle, and the victory was won, the commander would come back to his home city, and he would come carrying, bearing the spoils. He would come with his soldiers. There would be a great victory parade. There would be great rejoicing in this triumph. And this is what is in view then, in this great triumph parade. The father divides the spoils to his son and to the people the son has redeemed. And the son shares his spoils with his people. They are joint heirs with him. Now, when is this victory parade? When is this verse 12 fulfilled? I personally believe there's a twofold fulfillment to this text. There was a great fulfillment when the Lord ascended up into glory. And so at the very beginning of our time this afternoon, we read there in Psalm 24, and the Lord ascended up into glory. There was the opening up of the gates, as it were, Ephesians 4 verse 8, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive. He led captivity captive. And so the Lord took all the Power of Satan, that power of Satan that had kept sinners bound and the Lord took that captivity and he put it into captivity in a sense. Captivity was now captive. We read in the New Testament of how at the cross principalities and powers were spoiled. They were disrobed. And Satan then, the great one that took sinners into captivity, is now captive. So there is a fulfillment at the Lord's ascension as he took the throne. And the Lord's position and glory then continues on in that fulfillment. Then I believe there will also be a great fulfillment on the day of our Lord's return. On that day, the truth of verse 12 will be manifest to all. And so today, Jesus Christ is exalted, Jesus Christ is reigning, and yet the world, the lost world continues to despise him and reject him. But there is coming a day when the father will very publicly honor his son. The son will share his victory with his people And as we thought last week of those great words in Romans 16, 20, God's people who are called here, the strong, they will lift their feet. And with Christ, they will crush Satan forever. And there will be that coming day then when the father will divide a portion with the great. The sun will divide the spoil with the strong. As I've said, this is on the basis of everything that has gone before. Because Christ was wounded for our transgression, because he has carried our sorrows, wherefore, as Paul said in Philippians, wherefore has God highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. And this last verse of the chapter emphasizes that to us in the The latter part of the verse, there are four clauses describing the Lord's great exaltation. And I want to point these out to you. It says in the latter half of verse 12, number one, he hath poured out his soul unto death. Number two, he was numbered with the transgressors. Number three, he bare the sin of many. And then number four, he made intercession for the transgressors. Now as we take the first three of these, they are pointing forward to the cross and the prophet writes here as if they've already taken place. He hath poured out his soul unto death. He was numbered with the transgressors. He has borne the sin of many. The prophet here is using a style that the prophets often did use, where they were showing the certainness of their prophecy and speaking of it as if it had already taken place. For us today, we look back at those words and we know that the Lord has poured out his soul unto death, he was numbered with the transgressors, he has borne the sin of many. Interestingly, the last clause of the verse has a different tense, a different grammatical tense. I'm not sure why this wasn't brought out in the translation of the authorised version the words there, made intercession for the transgressors, are actually spoken of in a future tense. He will make intercession for the transgressors. So, he has done all of these other things. And he has made intercession, and so, in that sense, the translation is correct, and that is actually part of the tense here, he has made, but then there's more to it. He will continue to make, and he will make intercession for the transgressors. On the cross, the Lord did make intercession for the transgressors. He prayed those great words, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. But today he continues to make intercession. He ever liveth to make intercession. And I believe then Isaiah brings this note of triumph to a great peak. He will make intercession for transgressors. And dear Christian, here is a note of victory. Today, when being downcast, I trust that you will see the comfort that there is not only in this verse as a whole, but in particular in these closing words, Christ makes intercession. I was struck this morning, by the way, these words are put in our hymn book in paraphrase 23, I think it is the paraphrase on Isaiah 53, He with the great shall share the spoil, and baffles all his foes. Though ranked with sinners, here he fell, a conqueror he rose. He died to bear the guilt of men, that sin might be forgiven. He lives to bless them and defend, and plead their cause in heaven. He lives to bless them and defend and plead their cause in heaven. And today then what I want us to consider in the time that is remaining is the victorious Christ interceding. The victorious Christ interceding. As we think of this I want us to consider first of all the focus of Christ's intercession. The focus of Christ's intercession. Our verse says he may it or he will make intercession for the transgressors. And so the text is not saying that there are people who have worked up a great degree of righteousness, people that have made themselves worthy. And as they have worked up enough righteousness, the Lord is satisfied with them. That is not what the text is saying. Rather, what we're being taught here is this. The Lord prays for the unworthy. The Lord prays for those that have no righteousness of their own. I accept I'm stating the obvious here, but the mention here of the transgressors is showing us that there are people who have transgressed. And those that the Lord is praying for are a people who have transgressed. Now that word transgress, transgressors, it refers to having broken away. And it is then a covenantal word. And it has the idea that man is under obligation, but he has transgressed. He has broken away. He has not kept covenant. And so it brings us right back to Genesis chapter three, where Adam sinned in the garden of Eden. And remember how God had said to him, you have all these trees, you can eat of them. But if the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you are not to eat of it. What did Adam do? Though God had said, if you take the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you will die. Adam transgressed. He broke covenant. Another form of this word refers to rebellion. Again, we can see that in Genesis chapter 3. Now these words together, they have the idea, this emphasis, that sin is inexcusable. Sin is inexcusable. God created man to serve him, but man is broken away in rebellion. When Jacob died, Joseph's brothers planned to say to him in Genesis 50, 17, forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren. the trespass of thy brethren." And using that word, they were very accurately describing their sin. They had surely a family duty, we could say a covenantal duty towards their brother. Their act was one of great rebellion against the home and against their father. Their sin was inexcusable. How right they were to speak of their trespass. We are all transgressors. We are all those that have rebelled. But the gospel is Christ's praise for such. Christ's praise for the transgressor. He prays for his people because they're transgressors. Remember how the Lord said to Peter, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. In Luke 22, 32, but I have prayed for thee. I have prayed for thee. And the Lord was saying, Peter, you are going to transgress. You are going to break covenant, as it were. You're going to be rebellious. You're going to do something that is completely inexcusable. And we think of all that Christ had done for Peter. Was there any way that Peter's sin of denying the Lord could be excused? Not at all. It was inexcusable. But the Lord said, I have prayed for thee. And Christian men today take comfort. Christ is praying for you. You were a transgressor in your unconverted days, and yet still you transgress. Still like Peter, you feel But here is a wonderful truth, Christ said in John 17, I pray for them which thou hast given me. I have prayed and I will keep praying for them. Christ prays for his people, but he prays for unconverted sinners because they are transgressors. Hebrews 7 verse 25 says, wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost. What great words those are. The Lord is well able to save to the uttermost all that come on to God by him. See he ever liveth to make intercession for them. He lives to intercede. Isaiah 53 verse 12. And those in view in this verse are not yet converted. They have not yet believed, they have not yet come. He is able also to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him. And there are those that have not come and the Lord is able to save them and he will save them because he is interceding for them. And here then, there is great warrant to the one that is not converted to come to Christ. And maybe today that describes you. You have never actually received Christ as your own. There has never been true saving faith in your life. Maybe yes, you've done your duty in practice as far as being born into a Christian home is concerned. And yet today, you have never actually come to the Lord. You have never known the reality of saving grace. How can you come? Or even for one that has no background in the things of God whatsoever, how can he come? Is there a warrant for him to step out and believe in Christ? God's word says, absolutely, yes. He ever liveth to make intercession for them. You think of what happened at Calvary. Our Savior prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Forgive them, for they know not what they do. The Lord there was praying for the unconverted. He was praying, for example, for the centurion. He doesn't know what he's been doing today in overseeing this crucifixion. The Lord answered the prayer. He was praying for many that gathered that day that would also gather at Pentecost. As Peter said, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. And as Peter preached, they were pricked to their heart because they had mocked there at Calvary. They had cried out, crucify him, crucify him. They knew not what they were doing. Now, of course, there was a sense in which they didn't know what they were doing. But they knew not what they were doing in the sense that they believed that Jesus Christ was not who he claimed to be. They had all the evidence, of course, of who he was, but in their stubbornness, as in the case of many, in the ignorance maybe of a few others, they did not know what they were doing. Remember how Paul spoke of how, if the princes had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as has been mentioned on the Tuesday evening, sins of ignorance are not sins of innocence. These men were guilty. And there is a sense in which we could say that the sins of the ungodly today are sins of ignorance. We think of the sin of Sabbath-breaking. The vast majority know absolutely nothing about it. We think of the sin of drunkenness. They don't realize it's an offense against God. Or if we're to think of sins that many would readily excuse, pride, envy, malice, scheming. The ungodly will excuse all of those because they don't even realize that it is sin. Having a wrong view of God and a low view of the word of God, they know not what they're doing. They know not the seriousness of what they're doing. They do not realize that it is transgression, that it is rebellion, and that it's inexcusable. Is there hope for the sinner? The hope is not that God would turn a blind eye to their sin, but the hope is that as Christ prays for the transgressor, that the transgressor would come and see that the Lord has provided salvation for him. Man needs a mediator. And this one that is in view is this mediator. He is the one that the father has honored because he is God. And he is the suffering servant because he is man. Here is the mediator that the sinner needs. The focus of Christ's intercession, he prays for the transgressor. I want to see then secondly the grounds of Christ's intercession. The grounds of Christ's intercession. Christ prays on the basis of his finished work. I mentioned these four clauses at the end of the verse 12. These first three that I have mentioned that really can be taken together. They are all to do with Calvary. The first three are all fulfilling Old Testament types concerning the cross. If we think for a moment of those words, he hath poured out his soul unto death, and the sense is he has poured his life out. Remember how this is wonderfully confirmed in the shedding of the Lord's precious blood, that as the Lord's side was pierced, out flowed the blood and the water And as the blood was shed, it was confirming that he had poured out his soul. These words are emphasizing that this was voluntary. It's not the soldiers poured out his soul onto death. He hath poured out his own soul onto death. Christ did this voluntarily. And remember how his death was a voluntary act. He bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Now as we think here of pouring out his life, as I've said, this is confirmed in the pouring out of the blood. The life of the flesh is in the blood. And the pouring out of the blood then signified the outpouring of his life. In the Levitical offerings, there was a pouring of blood. For example, in the sin offering, there was a pouring of blood at the bottom of the altar. In the drink offering, there was a pouring of wine upon the sacrifice. And that wine symbolized the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord confirmed that at the table when he said, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you, or poured for you. And so the pouring of the blood and the pouring of the wine had pointed forward to this. Christ's life was outpoured. But then, number two, he was numbered with the transgressors. He was counted with the transgressors. Wasn't this true all through our Lord's ministry? He was numbered with transgressors in his birth. Remember how at the very time the Lord was born, There was a census being conducted. And I'm sure as a count was taken, there was no recognition that this newborn is distinct from everyone else gathered in Bethlehem at that particular time. It wasn't the Lord numbered with transgressors through his life. He was accused of being a winebibber, gluttonous, a Samaritan, having a devil or a demon, operating by the power of Beelzebub. And in all of this here was the accusation, you're a sinner, numbered with the transgressors. But then these words bring us to the cross. And as Christ hung between those two thieves, he was numbered with transgressors. Mark applies the words in this way. Mark 15, 27 speaks of the Lord being crucified between the two thieves. And then verse 28 of Mark 15 says, this was in fulfillment of scripture. He was numbered with the transgressors. And the Lord himself applied the words of this clause to himself. Luke 22, 37, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me. And he was reckoned among the transgressors. And as he hung there between those two criminals, he himself was considered by man to be a transgressor. Treated as if he was a criminal. But men and women, there's a fulfillment greater than that. And that is that the father reckoned him to be a transgressor. And so this word, numbered, has not just to do with consideration, but it is also, it has a legal aspect to it. And we are reminded then of how sin was imputed to Christ. Led on, And so then not only did man reckon Christ to be a transgressor, but God the Father reckoned him to be a transgressor. That his sin was laid upon him. Christ endured the wrath for that sin. And therefore he was reckoned. a transgressor. Again, that is pointed to in the Old Testament types when animals were taken and slain. Did those animals have sin and guilt? They didn't. The lamb was without blemish and without spot. And yet as it was taken, as hands were laid upon it and sin confessed, it was seen to have sin led upon it. Guilt was seen to be imputed to it. This is pointing to this. He was numbered with the transgressors. And then thirdly, he bare the sins, sorry, the sin of many. He bare the sin of many. He lifted it and carried it away. He is the scapegoat of Leviticus 16. Sin applied, Christ has taken it and carried it far away. Our sins and iniquities are remembered no more. Now, all of these statements are emphasizing Christ's priestly work. He is the sin bearer. He is the offering for sin. And on that basis, Christ makes intercession. You see, in the Old Testament, when the priest offered the burnt offering, for example. His work was not done. He had performed one aspect of his ministry, but there was another aspect of his ministry. That is, he must take the codes of the altar, and he brought them into the holy place, to the altar of incense. And there, on the altar of incense, As the incense would apply, there would rise up this cloud, and the priest would pray. He was praying on the basis of the sacrifice. So the priest had a work of offering, as well as praying, interceding, and one depended upon the other. And here, men and women and young people, we are pointed very clearly to Jesus Christ. He is the sacrifice. He is the offering. He is our priest. But on that basis, he is the high priest that prays, the high priest that makes intercession, the high priest in the Old Testament had a breastplate with beautiful gemstones But there in the breastplate were the names of the children of Israel. What did it signify? That Jesus Christ carries us, his people, upon his heart. He bears us up before the throne, and as the priest, he is praying on the basis of his sacrificial work. The Old Testament high priest, he had the names of the children of Israel upon his shoulders. The Lord bears us up before the throne in heaven. He bears us up in prayer on the basis of what he has done. And Christ then, he prays for you, dear believer. He prays for you specifically on the basis of his finished work. His work, you see, in being the sin bearer, For he now does so, being numbered with the transgressors, bearing the sin of many. That is past and done. But this last clause is ongoing. And here is another reason why the tense then, verbally, grammatically, is different. One aspect of Christ's priestly work is done, he is now sat down. But he continues to pray. And therefore, dear Christian, did it end your failure? And I'm sure you can multiply examples of your failure. May you see Christ. He prays on the basis of his finished work. The focus of his intercession, the grounds of it. And I want to see finally the reward of Christ's intercession for surely this great Climax of the text he will make intercession for the transgressors He does it That there will be this great reward day This day when all the spoils are presented with him When his church his bride is presented as a spotless bride when all the rewards of his great victory and battle against Satan are presented There is the great reward. And the Lord shares his spoils with his seed. This has already been fulfilled. In Luke 11, the Lord there spoke of the strong man, Luke 11 21. But there comes into the palace of the strong man, one that is stronger than he. He taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted and divided his spoils. And you see today, that is being fulfilled every time the Lord goes and takes a sinner out of the grip of Satan, brings him into his own kingdom. Christ is dividing the spoils. Christ is depleting Satan. Christ is rewarded even for his intercession. As we come towards the close in Luke 23, the Lord prayed there on the cross, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. And I've never noticed this until I was preparing this message, that the words that immediately follow are these, they parted his garment and cast lots. Now, what is so significant about that is that back in Psalm 22, what Luke is referring to there, Luke 22, 18, they part my garments among them. The word part there is actually this word divide from Isaiah 53, verse 12. I will divide him a portion with the great divide, the spoil with the strong. And so this parting of the garments, the Hebrew word that's used for it is the word describing the dividing up of the rewards of victory. Now the soldiers had no desire to fulfill scripture when they parted those garments. Nor did they have any desire to set forth a beautiful gospel picture. But the picture is this. Christ prayed, Father forgive them. And today Christ in heaven is praying, Father forgive them. And as he prayed, the clothing of Christ was taken and it was allotted. It was the dividing of the spoils. Now, of course, the reality is greater than the picture. In that today, when the Lord grants to his people all the benefits of his work, It's not that he divides them up and gives us one piece and another person another. All of Christ's righteousness is the possession of every believer. And of course it is Christ's righteousness that is pictured there in those garments. Christ prayed. And Christ then is rewarded in seeing us dressed in his garment unto the glory of the Father. which is ultimately the reward that he longs for, that the father would be honored. And I will close then with Psalm 2 verse 8, where Christ is challenged to pray, ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. And isn't that Isaiah 53 verse 12, ask of me, make intercession. If you ask of me, the father says, I will give you this portion. I will apportion onto you. I will give you the dividing of the spoils. I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance. I will divide him a portion. Praise God today, Christ is honored. Christ is glorified. Praise God, Christ is exalted. Today, if you're still in your sin, I urge you to come to the exalted Christ flee from the defeated Satan. As you think of all that Satan offers you, it cannot last, it cannot endure. Come then today to the great victor. We trust the Lord will bless his word to all our hearts. Amen.