You should be careful about believing every report you hear. Many "news" reports are not true. A longtime news reporter for CBS television news is under great pressure right now because he chose to broadcast an unsubstantiated report that proved to be from forged documents.

You should also be careful about refusing to believe reports. You might choose to reject a warning that could save your life. Isaiah asked, "Who hath believed our report?" According to the New Testament book of Romans, this question is a prophecy that the report of the gospel of Christ would be rejected by many people, especially the Jews to whom Christ came. (Romans 10:16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

That report is the gospel. The gospel is defined by Paul:

Interestingly enough, the word, gospel, means "good news." Most news that is broadcast these days is BAD news. I have GOOD news for you. The greatest Old Testament prophecy of the good news of the gospel is in today's scripture reading. I urge you to believe this report. To reject it is to give up hope of salvation in eternity. The Jews wouldn't believe the gospel.

I want us to look this morning in Isa. 53 and other places in scripture at the truths the Jews rejected. Many Gentiles are rejecting the report. Have you rejected the report? I urge you to listen and take heed to A SPECIAL NEWS REPORT Notice what this news report from God tells us. It tells us about,

I. THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD (Isaiah 53:1-3) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Do we really understand what we are talking about when we say, “the incarnation of God?” God literally became a man and walked on the face of the earth as a man. Why would an all knowing all powerful, ever present God do such a thing? How did it happen? Please notice these verses.

    1. His arrival

        A. The virgin birth (Mat. 12:1-25)

    2. His appearance
        A. He appeared on planet earth as a servant

    3. His adoration

        A. How the angles announced his birth to the shepherds in the

             fields. (Luke 2:1-14)

II. THE INABILITY OF THE LAW (Acts 13:39) And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

    1. The law could not bring perfection (Hebrews 10:1) For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

    2. The law could not bring peace with God (Romans 5:1) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

    3. The law could not bring permanent pardon (Hebrews 10:4) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

       A. What can wash away my sins? “Nothing but the

            blood of Jesus.”

III. THE INIQUITY PROBLEM OF OUR LIVES (Isaiah 53:5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

To reject the fact that your main problem is SIN is to reject:

    1. Your own defilement (Isa. 64:6-7)But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

    2. Your own destiny without Christ (John 14:1-6)

    3. Your own deliverance
        A. This is a must.
        B. Christ died for SINNERS.

IV. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LAMB OF GOD (Isaiah 53:6)All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (John 1:29) The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

    1. He satisfied the demands of the law

    2. He set the captives free

    3. He secured believers forever (John 10:27-28)

By current standards of success, Jesus might be considered a failure. Let's look at how Jesus measured up to these standards:

Was he popular? No. He was not well-liked. In fact, after one of his sermons, all of his followers deserted him, except for the Twelve Apostles.

Did he have political power? No. He was a political failure. All levels of government first rejected him. Then they conspired to kill him.

Did he have lots of friends? No. His friends often hurt him, eventually abandoned him, and one of them betrayed him to death.

Did he have money and possessions? No. No house, no "wheels", no world headquarters, no Christian amusement park.

Was he respected by his peers? No. His professional peers (Pharisees) rejected his work.

Despite his apparent failure by these standards, Jesus Christ has changed the lives of millions of men and women across the centuries. How could he, in light of his failures? .

The land of Persia was once ruled by a wise and beloved Shah who cared greatly for his people and desired only what was best for them. One day he disguised himself as a poor man and went to visit the public baths. The water for the baths was heated by a furnace in the cellar, so the Shah made his way to the dark place to sit with the man who tended the fire. The two men shared the coarse food, and the Shah befriended him in his loneliness. Day after day the ruler went to visit the man. The worker became attached to this stranger because he "came where he was". One day the Shah revealed his true identity, and he expected the man to ask him for a gift. Instead, he looked long into his leader's face and with love and wonder in his voice said, "You left your palace and your glory to sit with me in this dark place, to eat my coarse food, and to care about what happens to me. On others you may bestow rich gifts, but to me you have given yourself!"

As we think of what our Lord has done for us, we can echo that fire tender's sentiments. Oh, what a step our Lord took -- from heaven to earth, from the worship of angels to the mocking of cruel men, from glory to humiliation!