In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the satisfaction that Jesus had in saving souls and transforming lives. He encourages the congregation to be channels of blessing and to live in a way that brings glory to God. The speaker also highlights the profound message of the death and sacrifice of Jesus, urging the listeners to truly understand and appreciate what Jesus has done for them. He challenges the audience to live with purpose and to consider the eternal purpose that Jesus pursued throughout his life.

I have two scriptures for you tonight. One is found in the scripture that I read to you from the 53rd chapter of the prophecy by Isaiah, and the second is found in the 17th psalm, the 27th psalm, no 17th psalm, and to bring these together, it seems to me, should speak deeply to our own hearts. I read to you from the 53rd chapter in Isaiah's prophecy, and when you come to those astonishing words, he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. There is enough in this word to demand that we should give consistent study to this aspect of God's divine revelation. How it could ever be possible that the Lord from heaven could go through the life that it is, and suffer the death that it is, and then come through at the end satisfied. And yet the psalmist gives us an uplifting thought as he says, as for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness. There are many themes in the word of God which are absolutely beyond our depth. We can examine them in a measure, but to go to the very depths of them is just utterly impossible. But here you have a scripture in Isaiah's prophecy of the 53rd chapter, which I'm sure has been the ground from which thousands have drawn thousands of messages, because it is an inexhaustible theme. From the very opening word to the end of the chapter, it speaks to us regarding the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that great sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. And here in this same chapter, after giving details, as it were, of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ and his substitutionary death, that it says he shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied. Where is there anyone in the wide world who can fathom the depths of the travail through which our Saviour passed? Our too frequent frivolous superficiality is altogether inadequate to enter into this measureless truth. But here it is before us, and we pray God to give us something out of it that shall bring us into a closer fellowship with the Lord himself and a deeper thankfulness in our own hearts, and a deeper longing that our lives shall more definitely show forth his praise. Have you ever searched that scripture, God's challenge to every child of God, that your lives should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light? I'm sure we need to take some of these scriptures and say, well, where am I in the light of such a scripture as this? But this one that I've taken from the 53rd chapter of the prophecy by Isaiah may well read in this way, he shall look out from his sorrow and be satisfied. It is not only a lesson about our Saviour, but it's a great lesson for us, because there are men and women who pass through times of travail, times of testing, and it's a grand thing if we can follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ and see through these times of testing, and then be satisfied, that the Heavenly Father made no mistake at all in connection with his dealings with us. Here we see then the sufferings of Christ seen as the predeterminate will of a gracious God and a Heavenly Father. This is given us in Hebrews, the second chapter of the tenth verse, it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. What does the word of God teach us then with regard to the Saviour's travail? How can I know how much I owe? How much I owe him if I do not know the price he paid to save me from hell? If I do not estimate aright the price he paid when he came as the sinner's substitute to give his life a ransom for many to make it possible for the vilest sinner out of hell who lives to feel his need, to find that he is welcome at the throne of grace, a Saviour's blood to plead. Think right in the very heart of that chapter from which I read is this word regarding that travail, regarding our transgressions. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. There is one estimate of his travail. Or again, his travel is seen in the garden of Gethsemane, you know that chapter in Luke 22 verse 44, being in an agony. He sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. I'm sure no human mind can understand that. Sometimes there are superficial songs sung about following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, but no human mind or heart or feeling can enter there. It is holy ground. But we can go there and watch our Saviour. He sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. And then in Mark the 15th chapter verse 34, where we hear that cry, the cry of the forsaken substitute. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? God had to forsake him to be just in the great work of redemption. God could not spare the one who voluntarily became the sinner's substitute. If he spared him, then no sinner would be spared. It was because the Lord Jesus Christ as the unspared substitute died in your place and mine, that Jesus Christ was able to say, your sins which are many are all forgiven me. And has he spoken that to your heart? If he has, then you'll want to love him more and you'll want to serve him better. You find the same amazing truth in connection with our Lord's death on the cross of Calvary. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and yielded up his spirit. I can understand why in years gone by, there were certain individuals who withdrew themselves from human society and alone they tried to enter into the depth of some of these profound passages from the word of God. Even as we mentioned this morning, how Handel, how he remained alone and almost in his sorrow, even when the servant brought him his food, he did not partake of it and brought it again and again, he did not partake of it. Why? He was lost in wonder and amazement as he sought to enter into the profound teachings with regard to the death of our glorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And out from it all, he brought that amazing hallelujah chorus. And we have entered into it somewhat and rejoiced in its fathomless message for our hearts. And you'll find this that the profoundest messages, the most satisfying word that can ever be preached revolves about a person and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ. And when from the very depth of your heart you can say he loved me and he gave himself for me, then you too have come to understand in a truer measure what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. But what was the purpose of his travail as far as you and I are concerned? Who can tell? The word of God has this to say in Hebrews 13 and 12, Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the suffering, yes. And then I love this thought too in the purpose of his travel as seen in the epistle, Peter's epistle, the first epistle, the third chapter and the 18th verse. I turn to that for a moment. To me it is one of the precious scriptures relative to the Lord Jesus Christ. We're all so very familiar with it and sometimes I'm afraid that we're almost too familiar. But here is the word, for Christ also at once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. That was the real purpose in his tremendous travail for you and me, that he might bring us to God. Why if we were to allow that word to sink into our thinking for a week, I'm sure it would make us far more serious with regard to our Christian living. That one verse would not allow us to live out on the fringe of things, on the circumference, but we want to draw near to the very center and the very heart of the eternal purpose that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit. So there again we have another setting forth of the divine purpose in the travail of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then again I believe that the travail through which our Lord passed bespeaks his estimate as to the value of a human soul. Do you know your value according to the divine estimate? If you do, you won't treat yourself cheaply. But thousands of Christians are treating themselves cheaply, and not only that, but they're treating other Christians cheaply. There's no room for it in the purpose of God. Here you have the scripture which tells me of this in Luke 19.41. Maybe you wouldn't expect to find it there, but I do, where it says he beheld the city and he wept over it. It might be a daring question, but I'd like to ask this question. Have you ever looked over Vancouver and seen those thousands and thousands of lights at night time, and got an estimate of the thousands and thousands of men and women who are hurrying on to eternity without Christ? Have you ever wept? Has your soul ever been filled with anguish concerning the unsaved? Or don't we care? I think again and again, believers are guilty of having absolutely no care with regard to those who know not Christ as Savior. I think it's a solemnizing thought. And yet we're meeting people all the time. We meet them on the ferries. We meet them on trains. We meet them everywhere. We pass them by, no responsibility. We surely have. How are we going to reach the people who never come to church? You can. It's possible for anyone in this congregation to be reaching people Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, the Lord's Day, all over again. And if we are not doing it, pray tell me who will. Or you can send your money and give your money and send somebody out to India, somebody out to Africa, somebody out to some other part of the world. What about the people who write at home? We read here the travail of his soul. I would to God that we all tonight could enter into the travail of the soul of our blessed Lord. I tell you what, that would melt us and break us at the footstool of the cross. There's no room for anything that is paltry in the word of God. No, sir. Is there anything more than that in this passage? Oh, I wish you could dwell with that thought of the Lord Jesus. Though on the mountainside, as he looked over the flashing dome of the temple, he wasn't interested in that. He saw the men and the women, the boys and the girls, and he beheld the city and he wept over it. That spells out the travail of the soul of the Lord Jesus Christ. But it says here, he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. That's another side of it all. Yes, there are always two sides. And here is something of the satisfaction in the heart of the Lord Jesus. And what was the satisfaction in the heart of the Lord Jesus? It was the salvation of precious souls. He saw precious souls in the light of eternity. He saw precious souls with all the amazing possibilities of the Lord God Almighty coming into that human life and that human life, transforming them and sending them out to be channels of blessing, of benediction everywhere. And it's God's will for everyone in this congregation to be a benediction in the area where you live. It's God's will that you should be a channel of blessing. And that's what he wants every one of us to be. And I believe that as we look out over the world today, we see the war areas here and there, the trials, the troubles, the tribulations. We're watching this area where it can be burst into some battle almost in a moment, some fiery conflagration. And we stand back as though we had a bit of interest or no responsibility. Yes, we have. Our responsibility, yes, is regarding ourselves. It's regarding our families. It's regarding our church. It's regarding our community. It's regarding our city. It's wherever we are. We have responsibilities. And the Lord Jesus found his supreme satisfaction in the salvation of the lost. He shall look out as from the agony of Gethsemane, satisfied. Could I but think of that long enough to enter into the meaning of it? He shall bow his head in death on the cross, satisfied. Why? Because he saw the value in the precious souls redeemed. He knew that his precious blood could secure the eternal salvation of men and women on their way to perdition. And tonight, if you're a believer in Christ, and if you are a rejoicing Christian, it can only be on the ground of the finished work of the Lord Jesus, his precious blood shed for you upon the cross of Calvary. This should melt us into submission to the will of God and woe us to his side that we may live to his glory. Satisfied to see those who were once rebels, now saints and heirs of God. Isn't this astonishing? You go to the ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles and you read of that fiery opponent of Jesus Christ, Saul of Tarsus, a rebel of rebels and then melted down on the Damascus road and run to the feet of Jesus Christ. And Lord, what will thou have me to do? Who did the work in his heart? The Holy Spirit of God did it and only the Holy Spirit of God can do it. But when the Lord Jesus Christ saw in that transformed soul, the matchless work of redemption and his matchless grace, he says, I'm satisfied. I'm satisfied. Or do you think that the Lord Jesus looks out on you tonight and says, I'm satisfied. I'm satisfied. Are you sure? Go over some of these scriptures and see whether you think that the Lord can be satisfied with you. It's so nice, isn't it, to read that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Grand scripture from the eighth of Romans. But what does it mean to us? An heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus, a joint heir with Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, forgive me for being so cold to such infinite truth. And we have been cold too. You know, we talk about praying for a revival. But the Lord knows the church of Jesus Christ needs it. I'm going here and there these days. I've been to Bible conferences in England and Ireland and Scotland and Wales and in America and Canada. And a week today I'll be starting a Bible conference yonder in Idaho and taking three Bible conferences. You know what my message is? My message is on the deepening of the spiritual life of the individual believer. And I remind people everywhere that Charles Penny, one of the greatest preachers that ever lived, I suppose, at the end of his life, he said, if I could have my life over again for every message I preached to the unsaved, I'd preach ten for the saved. Why? Because he knew that the trouble lies with God's people, not with the ungodly, not with the communists outside. If believers, if God's people were aflame to the glory of God, the people outside would soon want to know all about it. When the very fire of God burns in your soul, you'll attract somebody to you, sure enough. And when any church is truly dedicated to the will of God and enters into the depths of the travail of Jesus Christ for one lost soul, what am I doing being so cold about the salvation of the lost? What are you? I tell you these things, they get digged deep down into my own heart, and I pray the Lord to keep continuing doing that. I wouldn't want to drift into coldness and indifference regarding these tremendous truths. And as he sees the multitudes who constitute the one true church of Jesus Christ, sharing in his glory at the last, Jesus is unsatisfied. Oh, what a vast host that is going to be, the host of the redeemed. And when they're all gathered into the realms of glory and the Lord Jesus Christ surveys them all, he shall see of the travail of his soul, and he shall be satisfied. Because he's going to see that the result of all the sorrow and the rejection and the agony and the shedding of his precious blood on Calvary, he's going to see the result of it all, in the redemption of the lost to Christ. You know that scripture in Hebrews 12 and 3 where it says, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, that's it. There was an eternal purpose in the mind of the one who came as the babe of Bethlehem. He pursued that eternal purpose all through his life. Yes, to the garden of Gethsemane and to Calvary and to the tomb and to the resurrection morning. I ask you what kind of a purpose have you? When you get up tomorrow morning, Monday morning, have you got a purpose? What are you going to do through the day? You go through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and come back here again. But what are you going to do all those days through the week? Have you any purpose? What about Mr. Brown over there and Mr. Thomas over there, Mrs. somebody over there, all these people all around us? I'm sure there's work for us to do. And I believe that the Lord is calling us to this work. Who for the joy that was set before him, and there can easily be a joy set before you, and that is in the winning of the loss of Christ, the joy of the Lord, the satisfaction of the Lord will be the satisfaction as of the sower reaping the harvest, the vast harvest. He shall see of the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied. It will be the satisfaction of the shepherd when he has gathered every sheep into the fold, and it's all complete. And then I love that thought, where the Lord Jesus himself, those that thou hast given me, I have lost none. Yes, they'll all be gathered in at the last and he shall see of the travel of his soul and he shall be satisfied. I know that that's an endless theme, but I must leave that and I want to give some thought of the other aspect, or the other side of the truth that I have to present. Not only he shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied, but also this, as it relates to you and as it relates to me. As for me, this is something personal. It's personal for you as a believer tonight. It's in Psalm 17 and verse 15. But as for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. Before you go to bed tonight, will you read that over? And will you say now, I like to think of a person going to the mirror, look into the mirror and have a good talk with yourself. Take a scripture like this or both these scriptures and talk to yourself about them. You know, it was Whittier who on one occasion said, stand still my soul and I will question thee alone. Tricks God and me. It would do us good to question ourselves sometimes. It's easy to question that man over there and that man over there and somebody else. Leave them alone. There's enough inside here to be questioned, criticized and brought to the high standard of the word of God. And if every believer will do that, you won't be waiting for a revival. You are not waiting for God to send a revival as much as God is waiting for you to fill the conditions of revival. And when believers walk according to the conditions of revival, and this book tells you about it, then there will be a revival. I like the thought though, here is a personal anticipation. Ask of me, have you got this anticipation in your mind tonight? Something you're really expecting or it will fill your heart with joy. Uncertainty too. It's face to face. I will behold thy face in righteousness. I wonder whether we dare, whether we dare look into the face of Jesus now. The disciples couldn't on the mount of transfiguration that prostrated themselves before him as the very glory of deity shone through his person. And if we could get along with the Lord Jesus and leave all Vancouver outside just for a little while and talk it over with him, then come out of your room. You'll be ready then to talk to Vancouver. But you can't do it until you come down here. And I tell you what it will do for you, it will just bring you down, down, down until you lose any thought of lording yourself or wanting the approbation and the approval of men and women. You'll be satisfied if he will say to you, well done, well done, good and faithful servant. Or if only at the end of the road he can say that to you, well done, well done, good and faithful servant. You'll be satisfied. You will. You'll be satisfied. You'll find your satisfaction in that I'm sure. But here is a sinless beholding with no veil between. I will behold thy face in righteousness. Yes, there's a day coming where I will never be afraid to look into the face of Jesus, that glorified face. Nor will not be afraid then. Face to face with Christ my Savior. Face to face what will it be when with rapture I behold him, Jesus Christ. Who died for me. Or don't you feel at times that you can burst into song and sing, I love him. I love him because he first loved me. And purchased my salvation on Calvary's tree. I think there's real joy in knowing the Lord Jesus is your closest companion, your Savior, the one who died for you, the one who understands you, the one who knows your greatest weakness and yet loves you. The one who knows all your sins and yet loves you. That's the kind of a friend I want. And thank God I have him. And you too? Ah yes, if you haven't got him as your friend tonight, what are you going to do without him? That's the great, the serious question for everyone. But here we see the goal and the glory which is in Christ. With his likeness. I shall be satisfied when I awake in his likeness. Well you know that's God's purpose for you tonight. You go to the Epistle to the Romans, the 8th chapter and read again, the 28th chapter and the 29th chapter. And here in the 29th chapter you'll see what the purpose is, the eternal purpose, that you shall be conformed to the image of his Son. Will you think that over before you go to bed? Is that God's purpose for me, that I shall be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ? It's that kind of a thought that makes life real to you. There's reality, there's nothing trivial in life. There's nothing simply transient. Everything belongs to eternity. There's the full weight of the will of God in all that comes into your life. But we just shut God out of our program and we see the little thing here and the little thing there and we go on our way and think we understand it. No, you can't understand it. Not until you bring your life and your circumstances and all those horrible thoughts that sweep into your mind, all that goes to make up you, bring it into the presence of this one, Jesus Christ. He'll transform your life, he'll fill you with power and grace and send you out to live to his glory. God and you is sufficient. Yes, but without God you can't do a solitary thing. Jesus Christ said without me he can do nothing. That's true. But too many of us try. We've got enough wisdom to carry on anyway. We know just listen, we know that, don't know a thing. Not in this program at any rate. And here is the believer's experience when in the celestial city satisfied. Now sometimes we are not satisfied now, but there's a day coming when we shall be, we shall be satisfied, when? When we awake in his likeness. And that one thought will cause many of the trivialities to sink away from your thinking. You measure your thinking in the light of some of these scriptures and you'll find that you can easily discount this and discount that. Leave it out. There's just one glorious person to fill your vision and fill your heart with a passion and that's Jesus Christ. He's the one who fills out all of Isaiah 53. The whole Bible, he fills it all. There's no Bible without Jesus Christ. There's no message without Jesus Christ. He is the one who fills it all. I shall be satisfied when I awake in his likeness. And so that is the purpose of God, conformity to his own precious will. And you know I like the thought too that likeness to Christ is something that can be increased in now. You know that scripture in 2nd Corinthians 3 and 18. But we all with unveiled face beholding as in the mirror the glory of the Lord are being transfigured from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. There's another scripture to meditate upon and it's an amazing scripture. But we all with unveiled face. What does it mean? You go to the mirror with a cloth over your face. How much do you see? No. The mirror's there. You are there but there's something between. You can't see yourself. You go into the presence of God with your mind and heart just clogged up with sin. Unconfessed sin. You'll never see him. Go to the word of God with something that has rolled itself in between you and the Lord. You can read the Bible through and through and never find a thing. But here is a scripture that gives the answer. But we all with unveiled face beholding as in the mirror the glory of the Lord are being changed, being transfigured from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. But here again it's a measureless subject. I'll leave it with you. Praying that the Lord will bless every one of you in this church, everyone here and over the whole person. You pray for Brother Phillips. I know that he's just as anxious as anybody to get started again. He has been unwell but the Lord has a great program before you I feel sure. And I know that we all love him so much and we just pray that the Lord will raise him up to health and strength again and send him out or use him in his own appointed way that God shall be glorified in his life. Here is a word of certainty and then I must conclude. And that is 1 John 3 and 2. Beloved now are we the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. How wonderful, how wonderful. One moment in the presence of our glorious Lord will be a sufficient compensation for all the toils you have ever been called upon to pass through. You know those words of Terstegian who said, Wouldst thou know if Jesus loves thee, if he loves thee well, see him suffer brokenhearted all the pains of hell, smitten, bearing in thy room all thy guilt and all thy doom. Unto me, the base, the guilty, flows that living flood. I, thine enemy, am ransomed by thy precious blood. Silent at thy feet I lie, lost in love's immensity. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. I shall be satisfied when I awake in his likeness. Our Heavenly Father, we thank thee for the precious privilege of gathering about an open Bible. How we would bless and magnify thy holy name for thy wondrous love, thy patience, oh how patient thou art being, how tender in all thy loving kindness, how watchful thou hast been over all our interests. Lord forgive us where there's been so much coldness of heart, so much thoughtlessness as to the price our Savior paid for our redemption. We've been so inconsiderate of our glorious Lord who went through the agonies of the Garden of Gethsemane. We have not been sufficiently acquainted with our Lord crucified for us, but Lord help us tonight to put ourselves afresh at thy disposal that we may be able to say with thy servant of long ago, he loved me and he gave himself for me. And our Father, if there's one in the congregation whose heart needs to be stirred, whose love has grown cold, Lord deal with that heart. Lord save us from the treachery of Satan who would try and get us into some indifferent attitude. Lord bless thy people, come mightily upon them we pray thee, and oh Lord send us forth with a greater passion than ever to live to the glory of the one who loved us and gave himself for us. In the name of the Lord Jesus we ask it, amen. I think we have a concluding hymn, what is it? 235, thank you, 235. Would you be willing to accept Jesus on the terms of his word? Do you need to sing those words? I need Jesus, yes we certainly do. But would we be willing to accept him in the light of Isaiah 53? Would we be willing to accept him in the light of Gethsemane and Calvary? Would we? What does it mean to walk with the Jesus of the Bible? Not the Jesus of mere human theory, but the one revealed in the written word. Until your very soul cries out, I love him. We're going to sing the second verse. I now may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the love of God our Heavenly Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit remain with each one of us now and until we meet our Savior face to face. Amen.