“Believeth Thou This”
(Do You Believe?)
Isaiah: 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgression; he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed.
Isaiah is referred to as the prince of the prophets, mainly because of
his poetic style of writing, also because of the profound truth and
accuracy of the prophetic word. Isaiah’s prophecies were given 700-800
(BC) years before they manifested. He was the son of Amoz, It is said
that when the father of a prophet is mentioned in scripture more than
likely the father was a prophet also. Isaiah means “Yahweh is
salvation”. Jehovah is Yahweh the Great I Am. Isaiah has been called
both the “messianic prophet” and the “evangelical prophet”. He
prophesied for all future ages, predicting both the first and second
advent of Christ. The book of Isaiah is directly quoted 21 times in the
New Testament and attributed in each case to the prophet Isaiah.
Chapter 53 is the greatest single Old Testament chapter prophesying
the Messiah’s atoning work. No text in either testament more
completely sets forth the purpose of Christ’s vicarious death on the
cross than this chapter. The book of Isaiah was written to Judah the
Southern kingdom and Israel the Northern kingdom and is applicable
to us, Israel, God’s people the church. Isaiah portrays the Messiah
(Jesus) as the suffering servant. Have you seen the Passion of The
Christ? I’m not talking about the movie. I’m talking about his
suffering. To have passion for something or a cause, is to suffer for that
cause or something. He was wounded for our transgressions not his but
ours (doctrine of atonement, substitution). Do you know the difference
between a transgressor and a sinner? They’re both sinners, but a
sinner can sin being ignorant of the law, where as a transgressor knows
the law of God but will willfully sin anyway. He suffered for our sins.
He was bruised for our iniquities, our wickedness, our lack of
righteousness. The bible says the heart is full of evil imaginations. The
chastisement of our peace was upon him. He was whipped, beaten,
scourged, and punished so that we could have peace. And with his
stripes we’re healed. “Believeth Thou This?”
I was taught in homiletics that every sermon needs a TAN. That’s an
acronym for Then, Always, and Now. The (then) is what Jesus did,
when he did it, the (always) is the eternal benefit and blessing by what
he did. The (now) is the belief and acceptance of what He has done. “Do
you believe”? You see the last line of the verse is the (now). And with
his stripes we are healed. The (and) is a conjunction meaning there’s a
continuous, perpetual and ongoing. The verb (are) is present tense, and
its active because it gives action and assistance to the object or objective
of being healed. I think we’re ok with the (then) and the (always),
because that’s believing in God, in what God has already done. Our
problem is believing God. Do you believe what God is yet to do? What
He says He will do. Is it possible that we believe, but yet have unbelief?
Many of us stand in need of healing. Why is there so much sickness in
the body of Christ? Jesus is not sick and he certainly doesn’t want his
body to be sick. I’m not saying you’re not ever going to get sick, the
problem is staying sick and not getting well, and (being healed). If you
can believe, all things are possible to him that believes (Mark 9: 23).
When Jesus asked this question, the Father of the demon possessed son
cried out and said with tears “Lord, I believe: help my unbelief”. I
think we have more in common with this father than we’re willing to
admit. Who’s report will you believe? The doctor says you are (sick)
terminal. The word of God says, by or with Jesus’ stripes you are
healed. If you don’t believe you can be healed, or that God is able to
heal you, or that you are healed, then you’re not. So a man thinketh in his heart so
is he.
Believing is fundamental to our salvation, and having faith.
Salvation (Rom 10:9) Faith (Heb 11:6). Faith is essential to your being
healed. All the promises of God are yes and Amen (II Cornith. 1:20).
God has already said yes, and Amen (means it is done!) If when you
pray you believe ; ye shall receive (Matt 21:22) (Psalms 30) O, Lord
my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. (Psalms 103: 2-3)
says we have benefits, being children of God. The benefits are
promises. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy
diseases. ALL means all; high blood pressure, hypertension, stroke,
heart attacks, stress, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, polio,
lupus, diabetes, arthritis, rheumatism, pneumonia, TB, cancer, HIV and
AIDS.
Believeth thou this? I don’t know who I’m talking to, but I believe
someone needs a break-through; someone needs to be delivered, healed
and made whole. You didn’t come to church just to be entertained.
Jesus said they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are
sick (Matt. 9:12). Those of us here today fall in one of two
categories, we’re either lost or sick. The good news is Jesus came
seeking that which was lost, and he’s a doctor who’s never lost a patient.
If you came sick or lost you ought not to leave sick or lost. God has a
blessing with your name on it and you’re next in line for a miracle.
Believeth thou this?
I must be honest and real with you about this. God is not going to
heal you just because you’re sick and need healing. There are some
stipulations, prerequisites, and requirements on your part. The Old
Testament covenant / promise for divine healing is found in (Exodus
15:26) Jehovah / Yahweh – Rapha (“the Lord who heals”). If you
diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in
His sight, give ear to his commandments and keep all his statues, I will
put none of the diseases on you which I brought on the Egyptians. You
have to know God, hear God, and obey God, (diligent obedience).
While sin and disobedience are not always the direct causes of sickness,
man’s fall into sin is the original and underlying cause of all disease.
Let’s fast forward to the New Testament. The New Testament covenant
/ promise for divine healing is found in (James 5: 13-18). Believeth thou this?