Saved and Satisfied
Saved and Satisfied
Pastor Jim Quigley
“Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”
He is risen! Today we (especially) celebrate the glorious reality that Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. We rejoice that, through this victory, the wrath of God is satisfied—that is, true believers have been saved from God’s wrath which was reserved for their sin. The final two verses of Isaiah 53 point to this magnificent truth. Because Jesus “[bore] their iniquities” (v 11) and “poured out His soul to death” (v 12), He satisfied God’s wrath for the sins of His people. And because He appeased God’s righteous anger, those who trust exclusively in Christ will be “accounted righteous” (v 11). To be “accounted righteous” means to be declared or reckoned right with God and without sin. It’s a legal term with the connotation that all the guilty charges against you have been cleared, and you are counted innocent. We are counted righteous by God only through Jesus’s sacrificial death on the cross, not by any good works that we do. Jesus’s death and resurrection is the only way for ruined sinners to be declared righteous. For sinners to be saved.
There is only one way for you to be one of those whom Jesus counted righteous by His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. And that is through faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You must not rely on your impressive spiritual resume of good works. You cannot rely on your parents’ faith. You cannot argue that you are a good enough person. The Bible is stunningly, unashamedly clear: Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (see, for example, John 14:6; Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 2:4-10, etc.). It is only through faith in Christ that we are saved and satisfied—saved from our sins and satisfied in God.
If you don’t believe in Jesus, would you this morning turn to God, crying out to Him to open your eyes to see and savor Him? Ask God to soften your heart to believe the gospel and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior. And if you still have questions or doubts, I (Pastor Jim) would love the opportunity to talk to you about them.
And if you are a believer, then would you rejoice that you have been saved from God’s wrath. And would you find more and more satisfaction in God who is the ultimate delight and joy of your soul. You are saved and satisfied. Would today—and every day—you rejoice that He is risen!