Austin Bible Church
During the first three hours on the Cross, the humanity of our Lord was sustained by God the Holy Spirit and God the Father. John 3:34; Isaiah 50:7.
“"For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.” (John 3:34, NASB)
“For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.” (Isaiah 50:7, NASB)
During the last three hours on the Cross, the humanity of our Lord was sustained only by the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ applied the whole realm of Bible doctrine He had learned - the Word of God.
In Isaiah 50:4-8, our Lord’s humanity learned Bible doctrine from God the Father. Jesus’ positive volition was tested before the Cross. “For the Lord God helps Me” refers to God the Father helping Jesus Christ to stay alive during the first three hours on the Cross. In doing so, our Lord was able to bear up under maximum pressure without giving way.
“The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me.” (Isaiah 50:4-8, NASB)
In Isaiah 42:3, “A bruised reed” is a reed being crushed and is a reference to the humanity of Jesus Christ bearing our sins. “He will not break” is a reference to His enduring without sinning the substitutionary spiritual death as judgment for the sins of mankind. He did not break under this tremendous burden.
“"A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.” (Isaiah 42:3, NASB)
“He will not extinguish” means that while He bore our sins, He was a “dimly burning wick” when He died spiritually. “He will faithfully bring forth justice” means He faithfully caused justice to be administered so that sins no longer stand between man and God. They were judged at the Cross.
In Isaiah 50:7, “l have set my face like flint” expresses the positive volition of the humanity of Jesus Christ as He faced the Cross. As deity, He couldn’t die. As humanity, He had to use His volition. The whole plan of God would have been ruined if the volition of the humanity our Lord had been negative even once. “And I know” means that He knew from the doctrine that He had in His soul and the sustaining power of God the Holy Spirit, He would make it through the six hours of the Cross.
“For the Lord GOD helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.” (Isaiah 50:7, NASB)
“I will not be ashamed” means He would carry through and accomplish the mission of bearing the sins of the whole world. His friends couldn’t help Him. John 10:18.
“"No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."” (John 10:18, NASB)
In Isaiah 49:2, “He has also made Me a select arrow” refers to arrows that are the truest and will go straight to the target.
“He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver.” (Isaiah 49:2, NASB)
In Isaiah 50:8, “He is near” means God the Father is near to judge. God the Father judged the sins He had just imputed to the body of the humanity of Jesus Christ. He was satisfied with the what the our Lord did on the Cross. The person of Jesus Christ satisfied His righteousness. The work of Jesus Christ satisfied His justice.
“He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me.” (Isaiah 50:8, NASB)
In Psalm 138:2, “You have magnified Your word according to all Your name” means that on the Cross, while being sustained by the filling of the Holy Spirit, the humanity of Jesus Christ was able to apply all of the Bible doctrine in His soul under the greatest testing of all human history. He did not sin once while being judged for our sins. He remained absolutely sinless. God the Father abandoned the humanity of Christ and for the first time, broke fellowship with Him to allow the judgment of bearing the penalty of our sins. Psalms 22:1.
“I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.” (Psalms 138:2, NASB)
“For the choir director; upon Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.” (Psalms 22:1, NASB)
The believer today has the exact same sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit, plus the indwelling of Jesus Christ, plus the indwelling of God the Father. These are the Church Age believer’s grace resources provided by God. Learn all about them from the Word of God. Use them.