Feb
11
A Savior not satisfied
Filed Under Bible, Christian Living, Holiness
He shall see the labor of his soul, and be satisfied. [Isaiah 53:11].
The first sermon I ever preached was on Isaiah 53, and I think I have destroyed all recordings. Ever since, I have been captivated by that statement in v.11. Isaiah portrays Messiah as stricken, smitten and afflicted, led as a lamb to be butchered. BUT, he shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied. His suffering was not purposeless and ineffectual. There is no need to pity Jesus the Suffering Servant. There is a joy set before him–the joy of bearing and removing the sin of his people and making intercession for them. He did what he set out to do. He cried from the cross, ‘It is finished!’ He fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law.
But Isaiah speaks of the satisfaction as future, not past or present. In a sense, Jesus is not yet satisfied. We will sing this coming Lord’s Day in public worship, ‘Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one.’ God is at work. Redemption accomplished is not yet fully applied. The full number of the elect has not yet come in. There are others whom Jesus wants to put in our pews as worshipers. I am thankful that I am not what I once was, but I am just as thankful that it has not yet been revealed what I shall be either!
Today I found a similar meditation on Paul Tripp’s blog, and think it’s worth sharing with you…
The One on whom we wait is a dissatisfied Messiah. He will not relent, he will not quit, he will not rest until every promise he has made been fully delivered. He will not turn from his work until every one of his children has been totally transformed. He will continue to fight until the last enemy is under his feet. He will reign until his kingdom has fully come. As long as sin exists, he will shower us with forgiving, empowering, and delivering grace. He will defend us against attack and attack the enemy on our behalf. He will be faithful to convict, rebuke, encourage, and comfort. He will continue to open the warehouse of his wisdom and unfold for us the glorious mysteries of his truth. He will stand with us through the darkness and the light. He will guide us on a path we could never have discovered or would never have been wise enough to choose. He will supply for us every good thing that we need to be what he’s called us to be and to do what he’s called us to do in the place where he’s put us. And he will not rest from his work until every last microbe of sin has been completely eradicated from every heart of each of his children!
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