The following message by Aleister Beg is made available by Truth for Life. For more information, visit us online at truthforlife.org. Our reading this evening is again from Isaiah and this time from chapter 52. It’s page 52:2 on in um the church Bibles. Page 522 uh Isaiah 52. And we’re going to read from the 13th verse of Isaiah 52.

See, my servant will act wisely. He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him, his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man, and his form marred beyond human likeness. So will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him.

For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender chute, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him. nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. Yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted yet he did not open his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her sheerers is silent so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living. For the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. Though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.

And though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors, for he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Amen. Father, we thank you that into the darkness of our world tonight, this message of joy and peace and comfort in Jesus as a savior is able to resound.

And we thank you for the privilege of being able to tune our voices and take these words and use them as our song. To remind oursel of the truth of who Jesus is and why he came and to stir our hearts in the company of one another to be diligent about bringing this good news to bear upon the lives of friends and neighbors and loved ones.

And so we pray that you will help us as we turn to the Bible, as we turn to the written word and then as it were to the word displayed on your table. We thank you that you’ve given to us a a word that has been once and all delivered in the scriptures. And that there on that table there is the reminder of a work that has been once and for all accomplished.