1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,760 You are listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible, to contact 2 00:00:07,760 –> 00:00:16,959 us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website at OpenTheBible.org Let’s get to the 3 00:00:16,959 –> 00:00:19,100 message, here is Pastor Colin. 4 00:00:19,100 –> 00:00:26,160 Well, please open your Bible for the last time in this series at Isaiah Chapter 53. 5 00:00:26,879 –> 00:00:33,439 We have spent one weekend in each of the first 11 verses and today we come to the 6 00:00:33,439 –> 00:00:39,119 last verse, verse twelve of this wonderful chapter. The whole of this chapter, the book 7 00:00:39,119 –> 00:00:45,360 of Isaiah was written hundreds of years before the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world. 8 00:00:45,360 –> 00:00:52,480 But through the prophet Isaiah God revealed what would happen in the life and the death 9 00:00:52,480 –> 00:01:00,000 and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This chapter is full of what Jesus has accomplished. 10 00:01:00,720 –> 00:01:06,000 Isaiah tells us that when the son of God came into the world he would be despised, 11 00:01:06,000 –> 00:01:11,919 he would be rejected, he’d be oppressed, pierced, crushed, wounded, 12 00:01:11,919 –> 00:01:18,639 cut off. In eight verses, we saw Isaiah describes the suffering and the death of 13 00:01:18,639 –> 00:01:23,680 the Lord Jesus and then in verse nine he prophesies the burial of the Lord Jesus. 14 00:01:24,239 –> 00:01:29,919 Verse 10, he prophesies the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and then as we saw last time 15 00:01:29,919 –> 00:01:36,720 in verse 11 he announces the work of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ. He will make 16 00:01:36,720 –> 00:01:44,239 many to be accounted righteous. So we have the life, the death, 17 00:01:44,239 –> 00:01:50,239 the burial, the resurrection, and the ascension of the Lord Jesus. What’s left? Well there’s one 18 00:01:50,239 –> 00:01:56,559 great and glorious thing left and that is the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ, 19 00:01:56,559 –> 00:02:05,120 his ultimate triumph as he returns in power and glory and that is the focus of verse 12 20 00:02:05,120 –> 00:02:09,199 that is before us today. Look at these wonderful words. 21 00:02:09,279 –> 00:02:18,000 Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many and he shall divide the spoil with the strong 22 00:02:19,039 –> 00:02:26,000 because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors. Yet 23 00:02:26,720 –> 00:02:34,320 he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors. 24 00:02:35,279 –> 00:02:41,119 Now I’ve called today’s message Celebration because what Isaiah is describing here 25 00:02:41,119 –> 00:02:47,039 is the ultimate triumph of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 26 00:02:47,039 –> 00:02:51,839 And notice that he begins this last verse with the word, Therefore. 27 00:02:51,839 –> 00:02:55,199 So what we’re reading here is really the final outcome 28 00:02:56,080 –> 00:03:02,800 of all that the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. 29 00:03:02,800 –> 00:03:07,360 And the final outcome of all that our Lord Jesus has suffered 30 00:03:08,240 –> 00:03:10,880 is that he will enjoy a great triumph. 31 00:03:11,600 –> 00:03:16,720 And we who are his people will share in it with him. 32 00:03:18,479 –> 00:03:23,919 Now I want you to notice that there is an I and a He 33 00:03:24,720 –> 00:03:26,960 at the beginning of this remarkable verse. 34 00:03:27,759 –> 00:03:32,800 I will divide him a portion with the many. 35 00:03:33,679 –> 00:03:36,080 That’s the English Standard Version. 36 00:03:36,080 –> 00:03:39,039 The Christian Standard Bible translates it this way, 37 00:03:39,600 –> 00:03:43,679 I will give him the many as a portion. 38 00:03:45,039 –> 00:03:48,639 Now the I here is God himself. 39 00:03:49,759 –> 00:03:52,479 This is God the Father speaking, 40 00:03:52,559 –> 00:03:53,199 speaking. 41 00:03:54,000 –> 00:04:01,919 And he’s telling us through the Prophet Isaiah what he’s going to do for his own dearly loved son. 42 00:04:03,279 –> 00:04:05,679 In the light of all that Jesus has done, 43 00:04:05,679 –> 00:04:08,559 all that he suffered, and all that he has endured, 44 00:04:08,559 –> 00:04:11,119 God the Father will divide him 45 00:04:12,080 –> 00:04:12,800 a portion. 46 00:04:13,839 –> 00:04:17,519 Now portion, of course, is simply what is given to you. 47 00:04:17,519 –> 00:04:18,880 That’s what a portion is. 48 00:04:19,440 –> 00:04:24,079 And it seems here that Isaiah is saying that the many, 49 00:04:24,720 –> 00:04:28,480 that is those who come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, 50 00:04:28,480 –> 00:04:32,079 are the Father’s gift to his son. 51 00:04:32,079 –> 00:04:37,440 They are the portion that the Father gives to his son. 52 00:04:37,440 –> 00:04:39,920 Literally translated, this verse says, 53 00:04:39,920 –> 00:04:44,720 I will apportion out to him the many. 54 00:04:45,440 –> 00:04:49,200 I want you to think about this, that as a believer, 55 00:04:50,160 –> 00:04:57,119 you are actually the gift of God the Father to his own dearly loved son. 56 00:04:58,160 –> 00:05:04,239 And Jesus spoke about this repeatedly four times in his prayer in John, 57 00:05:04,239 –> 00:05:07,679 chapter 17, Jesus speaks to the Father 58 00:05:07,679 –> 00:05:12,239 about the people that the Father has given to Him. 59 00:05:13,119 –> 00:05:15,760 John 17 and verse 6, Jesus says, 60 00:05:15,760 –> 00:05:23,359 I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. 61 00:05:24,000 –> 00:05:28,559 Yours they were, and you gave them to me. 62 00:05:29,600 –> 00:05:34,399 So you see, here are people who are given by the Father to the Son. 63 00:05:34,399 –> 00:05:36,000 And what does the son do for them? 64 00:05:36,000 –> 00:05:38,480 Well, he reveals the Father to them. 65 00:05:39,440 –> 00:05:42,559 That is, he, I have manifested your name. 66 00:05:43,519 –> 00:05:48,320 The Son reveals the Father to those the Father has given him. 67 00:05:49,920 –> 00:05:55,359 And then Jesus says that he prays for the people that he has been given. 68 00:05:55,359 –> 00:05:56,799 Verse 9 of John 17. 69 00:06:00,000 –> 00:06:01,440 I’m not praying for the world, 70 00:06:02,480 –> 00:06:08,160 but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 71 00:06:09,359 –> 00:06:11,359 So you see here, this is very wonderful. 72 00:06:11,359 –> 00:06:14,799 The Father gives people to the Son. 73 00:06:15,359 –> 00:06:16,239 His portion. 74 00:06:17,279 –> 00:06:18,720 And what does the Son do? 75 00:06:18,720 –> 00:06:21,359 He reveals the Father to them. 76 00:06:21,359 –> 00:06:23,119 He prays for them. 77 00:06:23,119 –> 00:06:26,559 And then Jesus tells us in this marvelous prayer that he keeps them. 78 00:06:27,600 –> 00:06:28,799 Verse 12. 79 00:06:28,799 –> 00:06:33,119 I kept them in your name, which you have given me. 80 00:06:33,760 –> 00:06:35,519 I have guarded them, 81 00:06:35,519 –> 00:06:39,040 and not one of them has been lost. 82 00:06:40,559 –> 00:06:44,640 So, those that are given by the Father to the Son, 83 00:06:45,359 –> 00:06:49,760 they come to know God because Jesus reveals the Father to them. 84 00:06:49,760 –> 00:06:56,320 He prays for them and he keeps them and he will bring them all the way home 85 00:06:57,279 –> 00:06:58,880 to his own glorious presence. 86 00:06:58,880 –> 00:07:01,040 That’s verse 24 of John 17. 87 00:07:01,040 –> 00:07:06,720 Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me, 88 00:07:07,440 –> 00:07:09,760 what does Jesus desire for those who are given? 89 00:07:09,760 –> 00:07:16,160 That they may be with me where I am to see my Glory. 90 00:07:18,160 –> 00:07:22,079 Now, we may well ask then, who are these people 91 00:07:22,720 –> 00:07:26,000 who are given by the Father to the Son? 92 00:07:26,079 –> 00:07:31,519 Jesus refers to them four times in this prayer on the night on which he was betrayed. 93 00:07:32,079 –> 00:07:35,359 And the Bible gives us the clearest answer. 94 00:07:35,359 –> 00:07:36,799 Jesus himself said, 95 00:07:51,760 –> 00:07:54,160 Do you see very clearly from this verse that 96 00:07:54,799 –> 00:08:00,000 those who come to Jesus are the father’s gift to the son 97 00:08:02,160 –> 00:08:04,239 and those the father gives to the son. 98 00:08:04,239 –> 00:08:07,359 Well they come to Jesus. 99 00:08:08,559 –> 00:08:13,359 The father draws them and the son wonderfully receives them. 100 00:08:14,320 –> 00:08:18,160 And this vast company of people given by the father to the son, 101 00:08:18,720 –> 00:08:20,320 the people who come to him, 102 00:08:21,040 –> 00:08:23,440 the people to whom he reveals the father, 103 00:08:23,440 –> 00:08:26,480 the people he keeps, the people he prays for, 104 00:08:26,480 –> 00:08:28,959 the people he brings all the way into glory, 105 00:08:28,959 –> 00:08:32,500 that they will be with him and see his glory forever. 106 00:08:32,500 –> 00:08:35,119 They are Jesus’ portion. 107 00:08:36,400 –> 00:08:41,359 They are the reward that he receives from all that he suffered. 108 00:08:42,640 –> 00:08:45,679 And the Bible tells us very clearly 109 00:08:45,679 –> 00:08:49,200 that Jesus endured all that he suffered on the cross 110 00:08:50,080 –> 00:08:52,320 for the joy that was set before him. 111 00:08:52,880 –> 00:08:55,280 And what is the joy that was set before him? 112 00:08:55,280 –> 00:08:57,520 Well, that’s what we’re looking at right here. 113 00:08:57,520 –> 00:09:04,000 The gift of the father to him, of a vast company of redeemed people 114 00:09:04,000 –> 00:09:08,799 who will share his joy for all eternity. 115 00:09:12,080 –> 00:09:17,359 There’s an I in this verse and the I is God, the father. 116 00:09:18,320 –> 00:09:22,080 But I want you to notice too, that there is a he in this verse 117 00:09:22,719 –> 00:09:24,960 and the he is God, the son. 118 00:09:26,080 –> 00:09:29,840 He shall divide the spoil with the strong. 119 00:09:30,880 –> 00:09:35,280 Now again, the he here is clearly the Lord Jesus Christ. 120 00:09:36,239 –> 00:09:39,919 And again, it seems most likely that Isaiah is referring 121 00:09:39,919 –> 00:09:46,000 to the strong as the spoil that Jesus, the ascended Lord, 122 00:09:46,000 –> 00:09:47,679 will indeed divide. 123 00:09:48,400 –> 00:09:51,119 Literally translated this verse says, 124 00:09:51,119 –> 00:09:55,200 I will allocate to him that is to the son of God, 125 00:09:55,200 –> 00:10:01,200 the many and the strong, he will allocate as spoil. 126 00:10:02,239 –> 00:10:04,719 In other words, at the end of time, 127 00:10:04,719 –> 00:10:07,919 Isaiah is prophesying, there will be two communities, 128 00:10:09,039 –> 00:10:10,239 two groups of people. 129 00:10:11,200 –> 00:10:14,719 There will be the many who have come to Jesus 130 00:10:15,679 –> 00:10:19,840 and there will be the strong who have resisted Jesus. 131 00:10:21,119 –> 00:10:24,960 The many who come to Jesus are given to him by the father 132 00:10:24,960 –> 00:10:26,400 and he receives them. 133 00:10:27,760 –> 00:10:29,840 But the pictures very, very different 134 00:10:30,479 –> 00:10:33,200 when it comes to the strong who resist him. 135 00:10:34,320 –> 00:10:35,840 They are the spoil. 136 00:10:37,119 –> 00:10:40,400 And that indicates that Jesus triumphs over them, 137 00:10:40,400 –> 00:10:44,080 he conquers them by his own power. 138 00:10:45,039 –> 00:10:49,840 Scripture tells us that God the father has highly exalted 139 00:10:49,840 –> 00:10:53,520 our Lord Jesus Christ and bestowed on him 140 00:10:53,520 –> 00:10:55,919 the name that is above every name 141 00:10:56,640 –> 00:11:01,440 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow 142 00:11:02,000 –> 00:11:05,919 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord 143 00:11:05,919 –> 00:11:08,880 to the glory of God the father. 144 00:11:10,080 –> 00:11:11,520 One way or another, 145 00:11:12,400 –> 00:11:15,280 every person who has ever lived 146 00:11:16,239 –> 00:11:19,520 will one day bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ 147 00:11:20,640 –> 00:11:24,320 some will bow before him because we have come to him 148 00:11:25,039 –> 00:11:26,559 and he has received us 149 00:11:27,520 –> 00:11:31,200 others will bow because they have resisted him 150 00:11:32,080 –> 00:11:33,599 and he has conquered them. 151 00:11:34,880 –> 00:11:39,679 So Jesus will enjoy a great triumph 152 00:11:40,400 –> 00:11:44,799 he will indeed be king of kings and lord of lords 153 00:11:44,799 –> 00:11:46,799 conquerer over all 154 00:11:46,799 –> 00:11:48,719 and he will share his triumph 155 00:11:48,719 –> 00:11:50,239 with his redeemed people 156 00:11:51,440 –> 00:11:53,760 There will be we’re told at the end of the bible 157 00:11:53,760 –> 00:11:56,239 a new heaven and a new earth 158 00:11:56,239 –> 00:11:58,400 it will be the home of righteousness 159 00:11:58,960 –> 00:12:01,200 Christ will bring his people into it 160 00:12:01,200 –> 00:12:04,320 and he will wipe away all tears from our eyes 161 00:12:04,320 –> 00:12:05,520 There will be no more death 162 00:12:06,320 –> 00:12:07,760 There will be no more mourning 163 00:12:08,320 –> 00:12:10,479 no more crying and no more pain 164 00:12:10,479 –> 00:12:12,479 God himself will be with us 165 00:12:13,359 –> 00:12:18,479 and we will share his joy forever and forever 166 00:12:21,039 –> 00:12:23,039 Now here’s the very practical question 167 00:12:23,039 –> 00:12:26,080 that arises from the truth to which Isaiah points 168 00:12:28,479 –> 00:12:29,840 how can you be sure 169 00:12:31,280 –> 00:12:35,119 that you will share in the triumph of Jesus 170 00:12:35,679 –> 00:12:40,640 how can you be sure that you will be in the great company of the redeemed 171 00:12:40,640 –> 00:12:43,280 how do you know that you will make it to heaven 172 00:12:44,559 –> 00:12:48,159 how do you know that heaven will be yours 173 00:12:50,080 –> 00:12:54,960 and Isaiah gives three answers to that question 174 00:12:56,320 –> 00:13:00,719 questions that we as those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ 175 00:13:01,280 –> 00:13:05,760 trust ourselves to him, believe in him, are able to take 176 00:13:06,479 –> 00:13:12,479 so that we will have confidence in regards to the ultimate outcome of our lives 177 00:13:13,840 –> 00:13:19,760 as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you can be sure that heaven will be yours 178 00:13:20,880 –> 00:13:28,239 because of the will of Jesus, because of the death of Jesus, and because of the life of Jesus 179 00:13:29,200 –> 00:13:35,039 All of these are right here in this last verse of Isaiah in chapter 53 180 00:13:36,000 –> 00:13:43,039 First then, the will of Jesus, notice he says, Therefore I will divide him 181 00:13:43,039 –> 00:13:48,400 a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoiled with the strong, 182 00:13:49,359 –> 00:13:54,640 because he poured out his soul to death. 183 00:13:56,799 –> 00:14:02,479 Now, the main point here is that our Lord Jesus Christ died willingly. 184 00:14:03,840 –> 00:14:12,000 Death did not overcome the Lord Jesus, he was the one who poured his soul out to death. 185 00:14:12,960 –> 00:14:16,080 Now Isaiah has described how Jesus was oppressed, 186 00:14:16,080 –> 00:14:19,719 how he was pierced, how he was crushed and wounded and cut off. 187 00:14:19,719 –> 00:14:22,799 And when you read the story in the Gospels, 188 00:14:22,799 –> 00:14:25,119 you read the story of the crucifixion of Jesus, 189 00:14:25,119 –> 00:14:27,919 it just seems that evil has got the upper hand. 190 00:14:27,919 –> 00:14:32,880 It seems that darkness has taken over completely and seems to reign. 191 00:14:32,880 –> 00:14:36,799 But what Isaiah is pointing us to here is the wonderful truth, 192 00:14:36,799 –> 00:14:40,000 that throughout it all, even in the darkest place, 193 00:14:40,000 –> 00:14:44,719 the Lord Jesus Christ himself was in control. 194 00:14:44,719 –> 00:14:51,760 He was in control even at the moment of his own death. 195 00:14:51,760 –> 00:14:56,479 He makes this very clear that the life of Jesus 196 00:14:56,479 –> 00:15:01,479 was not taken, it was given. 197 00:15:01,479 –> 00:15:03,200 He was in control. 198 00:15:03,200 –> 00:15:06,080 He poured out his soul. 199 00:15:07,400 –> 00:15:07,840 To death. 200 00:15:09,200 –> 00:15:12,280 You remember that Jesus said, 201 00:15:12,280 –> 00:15:18,960 I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 202 00:15:18,960 –> 00:15:24,760 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. 203 00:15:24,760 –> 00:15:26,880 I have authority to lay it down. 204 00:15:26,880 –> 00:15:30,280 And I have authority to take it up again. 205 00:15:30,280 –> 00:15:35,400 Only God in the flesh could say such words as these. 206 00:15:35,400 –> 00:15:39,900 And you know, you see this very clearly in the eye-witness 207 00:15:39,900 –> 00:15:44,440 descriptions that were given in the Gospels of the moment 208 00:15:44,440 –> 00:15:46,840 of the death of Jesus. 209 00:15:46,840 –> 00:15:50,520 He was clearly in complete control. 210 00:15:50,520 –> 00:15:52,760 And this is how we know that. 211 00:15:52,760 –> 00:16:00,460 Matthew tells us that Jesus cried out with a loud voice 212 00:16:00,460 –> 00:16:03,039 and yielded up his spirit. 213 00:16:03,039 –> 00:16:05,340 And Luke in his account records that Jesus 214 00:16:05,780 –> 00:16:09,820 calling out with a loud voice said, 215 00:16:09,820 –> 00:16:12,260 Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. 216 00:16:12,260 –> 00:16:16,059 And having said this, he breathed his last. 217 00:16:17,340 –> 00:16:18,619 Now think about it. 218 00:16:20,299 –> 00:16:24,820 When a person is dying, their voice 219 00:16:24,820 –> 00:16:26,659 becomes weaker and weaker. 220 00:16:27,940 –> 00:16:30,820 Eventually they can only speak in a whisper. 221 00:16:30,820 –> 00:16:33,500 Sometimes it’s really hard to make out 222 00:16:33,619 –> 00:16:35,659 what a person is trying to see. 223 00:16:37,299 –> 00:16:39,580 But do you see that with the Lord Jesus Christ 224 00:16:39,580 –> 00:16:41,059 it was completely different? 225 00:16:42,299 –> 00:16:44,280 Jesus died with a shout. 226 00:16:46,460 –> 00:16:49,619 He entered into death as a conqueror. 227 00:16:51,099 –> 00:16:54,599 He went in there in triumph at the moment 228 00:16:54,599 –> 00:16:57,539 of his own choosing when the work of atonement 229 00:16:57,539 –> 00:16:59,979 that he had done on the cross was finished. 230 00:16:59,979 –> 00:17:02,659 He said it is finished. 231 00:17:02,659 –> 00:17:04,380 And then with a shout, 232 00:17:04,380 –> 00:17:07,780 he breathed his last father into your hands, 233 00:17:07,780 –> 00:17:10,260 I commit my spirit. 234 00:17:10,260 –> 00:17:15,020 The life of Jesus was not taken from him. 235 00:17:15,020 –> 00:17:19,140 He laid it down and he chose to lay it down 236 00:17:19,140 –> 00:17:21,479 when all the work that he came in the world to do 237 00:17:21,479 –> 00:17:26,380 was completed right there on the cross. 238 00:17:26,380 –> 00:17:30,339 Jesus died willingly 239 00:17:31,300 –> 00:17:36,300 and what that means is that Jesus wants to save you, 240 00:17:37,040 –> 00:17:41,079 that’s his will, he chose to do this. 241 00:17:42,020 –> 00:17:44,119 The will of Jesus was regards to those 242 00:17:44,119 –> 00:17:47,000 who come to him in faith is not in doubt, 243 00:17:48,140 –> 00:17:50,239 he wants to save you. 244 00:17:51,119 –> 00:17:55,880 Father, I desire he said that those you have given me 245 00:17:55,900 –> 00:18:00,880 will be with me and that they will see my glory. 246 00:18:01,959 –> 00:18:04,739 That’s the will of Jesus. 247 00:18:05,900 –> 00:18:07,500 And you can be sure of heaven 248 00:18:08,699 –> 00:18:12,660 because the will of Jesus gets done. 249 00:18:15,540 –> 00:18:16,920 How can you be sure that you’re going 250 00:18:16,920 –> 00:18:19,420 to share the triumph of Jesus? 251 00:18:19,420 –> 00:18:21,060 How can you be sure of heaven? 252 00:18:22,180 –> 00:18:24,819 Well, you can be sure of heaven 253 00:18:24,819 –> 00:18:28,439 because of the will of Jesus. 254 00:18:28,439 –> 00:18:31,020 And secondly, you can be sure of heaven 255 00:18:31,020 –> 00:18:34,239 because of the death of Jesus. 256 00:18:34,239 –> 00:18:35,459 Look at what Isaiah says here, 257 00:18:35,459 –> 00:18:38,979 “‘Therefore I will divide him, a portion with the many, 258 00:18:38,979 –> 00:18:41,660 “‘and he shall divide the spoiled with the strong, 259 00:18:42,640 –> 00:18:47,640 “‘because he was numbered with the transgressors, 260 00:18:47,640 –> 00:18:52,239 “‘yet he bore the sin of many.”‘ 261 00:18:53,619 –> 00:18:54,780 Now, again, 262 00:18:54,780 –> 00:18:58,060 Isaiah is reminding us of this central truth 263 00:18:58,060 –> 00:18:59,900 in the whole chapter 264 00:18:59,900 –> 00:19:04,060 of what Jesus accomplished in his death. 265 00:19:04,060 –> 00:19:05,819 He begins by telling us 266 00:19:05,819 –> 00:19:08,459 that Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. 267 00:19:08,459 –> 00:19:10,859 That’s what those who despised him 268 00:19:10,859 –> 00:19:13,540 and rejected him thought of him, 269 00:19:13,540 –> 00:19:15,780 you know, just another transgressor, 270 00:19:15,780 –> 00:19:16,699 that’s what they thought, 271 00:19:16,699 –> 00:19:19,219 just another of these wretched people 272 00:19:19,219 –> 00:19:21,579 for whom there is no place, no room in the world 273 00:19:21,579 –> 00:19:23,380 as we think it ought to be, 274 00:19:24,180 –> 00:19:25,420 that’s what they thought. 275 00:19:26,719 –> 00:19:27,780 But Isaiah says, 276 00:19:27,780 –> 00:19:32,780 yet, he bore the sin of many. 277 00:19:35,739 –> 00:19:39,020 Now, this has been the central theme 278 00:19:39,020 –> 00:19:41,180 of the whole of Isaiah in chapter 53, 279 00:19:41,180 –> 00:19:42,979 and we’ve seen it again and again. 280 00:19:43,979 –> 00:19:45,739 We saw it in verse five, 281 00:19:46,579 –> 00:19:49,260 he was pierced for our transgressions. 282 00:19:49,260 –> 00:19:52,180 He was crushed for our inequities. 283 00:19:52,219 –> 00:19:55,859 Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. 284 00:19:55,859 –> 00:19:59,660 And with his wounds we are healed. 285 00:19:59,660 –> 00:20:02,459 And then we saw it again in verse six. 286 00:20:02,459 –> 00:20:04,219 All of us like sheep have gone astray, 287 00:20:04,219 –> 00:20:07,079 we’ve all turned and gone to our own way 288 00:20:07,079 –> 00:20:12,079 and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 289 00:20:13,500 –> 00:20:16,099 Last week, we saw it again in verse 11. 290 00:20:16,099 –> 00:20:18,880 By his knowledge shall the righteous one my servant 291 00:20:18,880 –> 00:20:21,719 make many to be accounted righteous 292 00:20:21,739 –> 00:20:26,239 and he shall bear their iniquities. 293 00:20:27,099 –> 00:20:30,579 And now here we have it again in verse 12. 294 00:20:30,579 –> 00:20:34,520 He bore the sin of many. 295 00:20:35,900 –> 00:20:37,339 So here’s the central message 296 00:20:37,339 –> 00:20:39,719 of this marvelous chapter of the Bible 297 00:20:39,719 –> 00:20:44,719 that Jesus stood in the place of sinners 298 00:20:44,859 –> 00:20:49,859 that Jesus suffered and died for our sins. 299 00:20:52,400 –> 00:20:57,400 How do you know that God loves you? 300 00:21:00,060 –> 00:21:04,500 See, some people get all confused 301 00:21:04,500 –> 00:21:08,599 because they try to read the love of God for them 302 00:21:08,599 –> 00:21:12,579 from the circumstances of their own lives. 303 00:21:12,579 –> 00:21:14,300 And so when things are going well, 304 00:21:14,300 –> 00:21:16,459 they feel that God loves them. 305 00:21:16,459 –> 00:21:17,979 And then when things go badly, 306 00:21:17,979 –> 00:21:21,119 well, they think that God must be against them. 307 00:21:22,359 –> 00:21:25,979 How do you know that God loves you? 308 00:21:27,619 –> 00:21:31,780 Well, you see, the Bible answers that question clearly. 309 00:21:31,780 –> 00:21:32,920 Here’s how you know. 310 00:21:34,380 –> 00:21:38,359 God shows his love for us in this, 311 00:21:39,260 –> 00:21:41,880 that while we were still sinners, 312 00:21:42,760 –> 00:21:45,079 Christ died for us. 313 00:21:46,479 –> 00:21:50,459 Greater love, Jesus says, has no one than this, 314 00:21:51,260 –> 00:21:55,859 but that one lays down his life for his friends. 315 00:21:56,599 –> 00:21:58,219 That’s the love of God. 316 00:21:58,219 –> 00:21:59,920 That’s the love of Christ. 317 00:22:01,020 –> 00:22:02,859 He lay down his life for you. 318 00:22:04,459 –> 00:22:05,560 This is love. 319 00:22:06,719 –> 00:22:08,020 Not that we have loved God, 320 00:22:08,020 –> 00:22:12,920 but that God has loved us and sent his Son 321 00:22:13,699 –> 00:22:17,000 to be a propitiation for our sins. 322 00:22:17,760 –> 00:22:22,000 Here’s how you know that God really loves you. 323 00:22:23,660 –> 00:22:28,660 God the Father gave His one and only Son for you. 324 00:22:31,300 –> 00:22:36,300 And God the Son gave Himself for you. 325 00:22:40,560 –> 00:22:43,160 Let me read to you some words from Jerry Bridges 326 00:22:44,160 –> 00:22:48,599 that I think describe the experience of many people. 327 00:22:48,599 –> 00:22:49,439 He says this, 328 00:22:49,439 –> 00:22:52,800 there was a period in my early Christian life 329 00:22:52,800 –> 00:22:55,780 when my concept of God’s love 330 00:22:55,780 –> 00:22:58,880 was little more than a logical deduction. 331 00:23:00,099 –> 00:23:04,180 God loves the world, I’m part of the world. 332 00:23:04,180 –> 00:23:05,780 Therefore God loves me. 333 00:23:06,979 –> 00:23:11,979 He says, it was as if God’s love were a big umbrella 334 00:23:12,780 –> 00:23:15,739 to protect us all from his judgment against sin. 335 00:23:15,739 –> 00:23:17,500 And I was under the umbrella 336 00:23:17,500 –> 00:23:19,900 along with thousands of other people. 337 00:23:19,900 –> 00:23:24,199 There was nothing particularly personal about it. 338 00:23:25,699 –> 00:23:27,359 Then one day he says, 339 00:23:28,560 –> 00:23:29,839 I realized, 340 00:23:31,839 –> 00:23:33,540 God loves me. 341 00:23:36,239 –> 00:23:40,099 Christ died for me. 342 00:23:40,979 –> 00:23:44,619 See, that’s how you know that God loves you. 343 00:23:46,040 –> 00:23:51,040 He gave his son and Christ gave himself for you. 344 00:23:54,319 –> 00:23:58,239 Jesus bore your sins, he really did. 345 00:23:59,380 –> 00:24:03,880 And in Christ you are counted righteous before God. 346 00:24:05,160 –> 00:24:08,079 Because of his sin-bearing death, 347 00:24:08,140 –> 00:24:11,060 it is just as if you had never sinned. 348 00:24:12,280 –> 00:24:15,060 And because of his righteous life when you’re in him, 349 00:24:15,060 –> 00:24:20,040 it’s just as if you had always obeyed. 350 00:24:23,119 –> 00:24:25,439 So, how can you be sure of heaven? 351 00:24:25,439 –> 00:24:27,359 That’s really the question that’s before us 352 00:24:27,359 –> 00:24:30,020 as we think of the ultimate outcome of all things, 353 00:24:30,020 –> 00:24:31,680 the great triumph of Jesus, 354 00:24:31,680 –> 00:24:34,280 how do we know that we’re gonna have a share in it? 355 00:24:35,199 –> 00:24:37,660 Well, heaven will be yours 356 00:24:38,020 –> 00:24:40,979 because of the will of Jesus, 357 00:24:40,979 –> 00:24:43,900 it’s very clear, he gave himself willingly, 358 00:24:43,900 –> 00:24:45,540 wants to save you, 359 00:24:46,880 –> 00:24:47,979 and heaven will be yours 360 00:24:47,979 –> 00:24:50,739 because of the death of the Lord, Jesus Christ, 361 00:24:50,739 –> 00:24:54,900 he really did bear your sins 362 00:24:54,900 –> 00:24:58,739 and he did it in love for you to redeem you. 363 00:24:59,739 –> 00:25:02,500 And then Isaiah gives us this third answer 364 00:25:02,500 –> 00:25:05,959 that heaven will be yours 365 00:25:05,959 –> 00:25:08,660 because of the life of Jesus. 366 00:25:09,800 –> 00:25:11,819 Look at what he says at the end here. 367 00:25:11,819 –> 00:25:15,260 Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many 368 00:25:15,260 –> 00:25:17,959 and he shall divide the spoil with the strong 369 00:25:17,959 –> 00:25:21,640 because, well then Isaiah says, 370 00:25:21,640 –> 00:25:26,640 he makes intercession for the transgressors. 371 00:25:28,800 –> 00:25:33,040 He makes intercession for the transgressors, 372 00:25:33,060 –> 00:25:35,859 that’s why the many will be his 373 00:25:35,859 –> 00:25:38,219 and they’ll all be brought safely home. 374 00:25:39,660 –> 00:25:42,500 Now, this word intersede or intercession, 375 00:25:42,500 –> 00:25:47,500 it simply means make to meet, to make to meet. 376 00:25:49,020 –> 00:25:51,119 And you might picture it this way, 377 00:25:52,060 –> 00:25:57,060 that there is a vast chasm between God and us sinners 378 00:25:57,619 –> 00:26:02,099 and the Lord, Jesus Christ stands in the gap. 379 00:26:02,099 –> 00:26:03,939 Here we are transgressors, 380 00:26:03,939 –> 00:26:05,760 that’s the word that Isaiah uses. 381 00:26:05,760 –> 00:26:08,060 And how can transgressors sinners 382 00:26:08,060 –> 00:26:10,839 ever come anywhere near to a Holy God, 383 00:26:10,839 –> 00:26:15,060 let alone enjoy his presence in heaven for forever. 384 00:26:15,060 –> 00:26:17,420 And the answer to that question is, 385 00:26:17,420 –> 00:26:19,939 Jesus stands in the gap. 386 00:26:19,939 –> 00:26:23,819 Jesus intercedes, Jesus makes to meet, 387 00:26:23,819 –> 00:26:25,760 that’s what the word means. 388 00:26:27,660 –> 00:26:28,500 Think about it, 389 00:26:28,500 –> 00:26:33,500 sin once stood between us and God as a barrier. 390 00:26:35,500 –> 00:26:38,599 Now, Jesus stands between us and God 391 00:26:38,599 –> 00:26:41,040 not as a barrier, but as a bridge. 392 00:26:42,359 –> 00:26:43,640 Peter puts it this way, 393 00:26:43,640 –> 00:26:48,560 Jesus suffered the righteous for the unrighteous 394 00:26:48,560 –> 00:26:51,760 to bring us to God, 395 00:26:51,760 –> 00:26:53,000 that’s what he does. 396 00:26:54,199 –> 00:26:57,160 That’s what comes out of all that he suffered. 397 00:26:58,160 –> 00:27:01,479 And notice that Isaiah uses the present tense here, 398 00:27:01,479 –> 00:27:05,359 he makes intercession for the transgressors. 399 00:27:05,359 –> 00:27:08,699 He used the past tense when he was prophesying 400 00:27:08,699 –> 00:27:11,319 what Jesus would accomplish on the cross, 401 00:27:11,319 –> 00:27:13,760 he poured out past tense, 402 00:27:13,760 –> 00:27:16,060 he did this, his soul to death, 403 00:27:16,060 –> 00:27:18,699 he bore the sin of many. 404 00:27:18,699 –> 00:27:21,239 That was Jesus work, dying on the cross, 405 00:27:21,239 –> 00:27:24,300 and it’s done, it’s completed, it’s finished. 406 00:27:25,239 –> 00:27:27,280 But you see when Isaiah comes to speak 407 00:27:27,280 –> 00:27:30,119 about the intercession of Christ, 408 00:27:30,119 –> 00:27:33,979 is bringing us to God, and bringing God to us, 409 00:27:35,140 –> 00:27:37,739 well, he uses the present tense. 410 00:27:37,739 –> 00:27:42,079 Because this is the constant and continuing work of Jesus 411 00:27:42,079 –> 00:27:45,160 and it will be until every one of his children 412 00:27:45,160 –> 00:27:46,839 are brought safely home. 413 00:27:48,140 –> 00:27:50,959 This is what Jesus is doing in heaven right now. 414 00:27:51,520 –> 00:27:55,400 And the scripture speaks about it very clearly. 415 00:27:55,400 –> 00:27:56,880 He’s our intercessor. 416 00:27:56,880 –> 00:27:58,719 He stands in the gap. 417 00:27:58,719 –> 00:28:01,599 He’s the one that causes us to meet with God, 418 00:28:01,599 –> 00:28:03,560 brings us to him. 419 00:28:04,959 –> 00:28:07,400 Hebrews 7 in verse 25. 420 00:28:07,400 –> 00:28:12,400 He is able to save to the uttermost 421 00:28:13,219 –> 00:28:16,260 those who draw near to God through him 422 00:28:16,260 –> 00:28:20,520 since he always lives to make intercession for them. 423 00:28:20,540 –> 00:28:22,300 Isn’t that the greatest encouragement? 424 00:28:22,300 –> 00:28:24,760 To draw near to God through the Lord Jesus? 425 00:28:26,060 –> 00:28:28,339 You draw near to God through the Lord Jesus, 426 00:28:28,339 –> 00:28:30,560 and here’s what you’ll prove and discover, 427 00:28:30,560 –> 00:28:34,000 that he is able to save even the worst. 428 00:28:34,000 –> 00:28:35,819 He’s able to save to the uttermost 429 00:28:35,819 –> 00:28:39,380 because he’s always living to make intercession, 430 00:28:39,380 –> 00:28:41,000 to cause, to meet. 431 00:28:42,780 –> 00:28:46,500 Bringing us to God, he makes intercession for us. 432 00:28:46,780 –> 00:28:50,479 Romans chapter eight and verses 33 and 34. 433 00:28:50,479 –> 00:28:53,859 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? 434 00:28:53,859 –> 00:28:57,180 It is God who justifies, who is to condemn. 435 00:28:57,180 –> 00:28:59,319 Christ Jesus is the One who died. 436 00:28:59,319 –> 00:29:01,380 More than that, who was raised. 437 00:29:01,380 –> 00:29:03,459 Who is at the right hand of God, 438 00:29:03,459 –> 00:29:07,680 and indeed is interceding for us. 439 00:29:09,859 –> 00:29:10,780 Interceding. 440 00:29:10,819 –> 00:29:11,619 So 441 00:29:14,060 –> 00:29:16,219 you know, when you’re hard pressed, 442 00:29:17,739 –> 00:29:20,939 you’ll know what it is to say, as I do, 443 00:29:22,140 –> 00:29:24,119 I need some friends to pray for me. 444 00:29:26,219 –> 00:29:30,260 And when someone says to you I’ve been praying for you, 445 00:29:31,160 –> 00:29:32,780 you actually feel strengthened. 446 00:29:32,780 –> 00:29:34,900 Here’s someone who knows God, 447 00:29:34,900 –> 00:29:39,300 who is coming before him on your behalf, 448 00:29:39,339 –> 00:29:43,140 and asking that you will receive the help that you need. 449 00:29:43,140 –> 00:29:46,099 You’re strengthened just to know that, 450 00:29:46,099 –> 00:29:49,579 that a friend prays for you. 451 00:29:50,739 –> 00:29:53,520 And now I want you to try and take this in 452 00:29:55,060 –> 00:29:56,939 that the Son of God himself, 453 00:29:57,859 –> 00:30:02,859 the Lord Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father, 454 00:30:03,020 –> 00:30:08,020 and he is interceding for you. 455 00:30:08,020 –> 00:30:12,380 He speaks to the Father on your behalf 456 00:30:13,619 –> 00:30:18,619 and he brings all your needs before the Father in heaven. 457 00:30:20,900 –> 00:30:22,579 You know, Thomas Manten said, 458 00:30:23,420 –> 00:30:28,119 it is a great privilege for us to pray to God, 459 00:30:29,540 –> 00:30:31,699 but it is a much greater privilege 460 00:30:31,699 –> 00:30:34,979 to have God praying for us. 461 00:30:34,979 –> 00:30:36,260 Can you take that in? 462 00:30:37,199 –> 00:30:40,839 That the Son of God intercedes for you? 463 00:30:42,199 –> 00:30:44,060 Now of course, this does not mean 464 00:30:44,060 –> 00:30:47,060 that Jesus is on his knees in heaven, 465 00:30:47,060 –> 00:30:50,260 agonizing as he once did in the Garden of Gethsemane. 466 00:30:50,260 –> 00:30:53,699 No, we know he’s on the throne in heaven. 467 00:30:53,699 –> 00:30:55,079 He’s the ascended Lord. 468 00:30:55,079 –> 00:30:57,339 He is at the right hand of the Father 469 00:30:57,339 –> 00:31:00,900 and all authority and power has been given to him. 470 00:31:00,900 –> 00:31:05,140 What he commands in heaven happens on earth. 471 00:31:06,099 –> 00:31:09,319 But you see, this is the wonderful good news. 472 00:31:10,479 –> 00:31:13,380 That when you find yourself in trouble, 473 00:31:13,380 –> 00:31:16,020 when you don’t know what you’re going to do next, 474 00:31:16,020 –> 00:31:18,979 the Lord Jesus Christ speaks with authority 475 00:31:18,979 –> 00:31:20,859 in the presence of the Father, 476 00:31:20,859 –> 00:31:24,979 and his word releases all the resources 477 00:31:24,979 –> 00:31:28,780 of heaven that you need. 478 00:31:28,780 –> 00:31:32,739 It’s the intercession of Jesus Christ 479 00:31:32,739 –> 00:31:36,479 that makes the Christian life possible. 480 00:31:37,819 –> 00:31:38,900 Think about it. 481 00:31:40,439 –> 00:31:45,439 Suppose that after he died and rose from the dead, 482 00:31:46,260 –> 00:31:50,540 the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven 483 00:31:50,540 –> 00:31:52,219 and then simply retired. 484 00:31:54,219 –> 00:31:58,699 Suppose he simply sat back and kind of watched 485 00:31:59,680 –> 00:32:01,219 to see how we’d get on, 486 00:32:02,099 –> 00:32:05,000 making our best attempt to live the Christian life. 487 00:32:06,119 –> 00:32:08,380 Well, you know, under these circumstances 488 00:32:08,380 –> 00:32:09,900 there wouldn’t be a single one of us 489 00:32:09,900 –> 00:32:10,839 would make it to heaven. 490 00:32:10,839 –> 00:32:12,459 We’d all be completely overwhelmed 491 00:32:12,459 –> 00:32:14,380 by the world, the flesh, and the devil. 492 00:32:16,599 –> 00:32:20,359 So thank God, the Lord Jesus Christ is not in retirement, 493 00:32:21,319 –> 00:32:26,319 he is actively engaged every moment of every day, 494 00:32:27,319 –> 00:32:32,319 bringing the needs of all of his children before the Father 495 00:32:33,300 –> 00:32:35,680 so that all the resources of heaven 496 00:32:35,680 –> 00:32:37,880 are released according to your need. 497 00:32:37,880 –> 00:32:39,979 You will have all that you need 498 00:32:40,959 –> 00:32:43,280 to get through all that you face 499 00:32:43,280 –> 00:32:46,839 until you arrive in the glorious presence 500 00:32:46,839 –> 00:32:50,180 of your Lord Jesus in heaven itself. 501 00:32:50,579 –> 00:32:54,420 You know, there’s a wonderful phrase 502 00:32:54,420 –> 00:32:57,040 in the diary of Robert Murray McShane 503 00:32:57,040 –> 00:32:58,400 that has really helped me, 504 00:32:58,400 –> 00:33:01,979 just in his notes about his own Christian life. 505 00:33:01,979 –> 00:33:03,099 He says this, 506 00:33:04,640 –> 00:33:07,959 I ought to study Christ 507 00:33:07,959 –> 00:33:09,660 as an intercessor. 508 00:33:10,719 –> 00:33:13,780 I think, okay, why is that so important? 509 00:33:13,780 –> 00:33:17,760 Why did McShane feel that it was really important 510 00:33:17,760 –> 00:33:19,219 for him to teach? 511 00:33:20,540 –> 00:33:23,920 And take in this truth that Jesus interceded for us. 512 00:33:23,920 –> 00:33:25,079 Well, here is his answer. 513 00:33:25,079 –> 00:33:26,459 He says, 514 00:33:26,459 –> 00:33:31,459 if I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, 515 00:33:33,079 –> 00:33:37,420 I would not fear a million enemies. 516 00:33:39,280 –> 00:33:40,520 And you know that’s true. 517 00:33:42,119 –> 00:33:45,800 If you could hear the Lord Jesus Christ 518 00:33:45,800 –> 00:33:48,420 praying for you by name, 519 00:33:49,199 –> 00:33:52,699 praying that you will be given the strength that you need. 520 00:33:54,219 –> 00:33:56,199 If you could actually hear the Son of God 521 00:33:56,199 –> 00:33:57,599 interceding for you, 522 00:33:57,599 –> 00:33:59,819 you wouldn’t fear a million enemies. 523 00:34:02,199 –> 00:34:04,719 The Son of God does intercede for you. 524 00:34:06,260 –> 00:34:07,839 No, you can’t hear him, 525 00:34:09,580 –> 00:34:11,060 but he is interceding. 526 00:34:12,379 –> 00:34:16,179 And what Jesus asks for, gets done. 527 00:34:17,139 –> 00:34:19,919 And so, everything that you need 528 00:34:19,919 –> 00:34:23,800 for all that you face will be yours. 529 00:34:26,219 –> 00:34:29,219 Then the very last thing in this remarkable chapter 530 00:34:30,139 –> 00:34:31,580 is that Isaiah tells us 531 00:34:31,580 –> 00:34:36,580 that he, Jesus, makes intercession for the transgressors. 532 00:34:40,820 –> 00:34:43,379 Now Christian brother and sister, 533 00:34:43,500 –> 00:34:47,620 look, this is the most marvelous truth 534 00:34:49,280 –> 00:34:53,219 that our many sins and our many failures 535 00:34:53,219 –> 00:34:57,760 in the Christian life will not keep us out of heaven. 536 00:34:59,219 –> 00:35:00,459 Thank God for this. 537 00:35:03,639 –> 00:35:08,659 C.S. Lewis wrote a letter to a former student of his. 538 00:35:09,120 –> 00:35:12,820 Evidently she had written to Lewis 539 00:35:12,820 –> 00:35:17,560 and it seems from Lewis’s reply to her letter 540 00:35:17,560 –> 00:35:21,100 that she had been through some kind of a fall 541 00:35:21,100 –> 00:35:23,659 or failure in our Christian life 542 00:35:23,659 –> 00:35:28,439 and she’d become desperately discouraged, defeated, down. 543 00:35:30,899 –> 00:35:35,820 She describes herself as being in a trough and Lewis wrote 544 00:35:36,719 –> 00:35:40,679 and Lewis wrote to her to encourage her to get up 545 00:35:40,679 –> 00:35:43,219 and to press on and to keep going 546 00:35:43,219 –> 00:35:46,219 as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ 547 00:35:46,219 –> 00:35:47,540 and this is what he said. 548 00:35:48,820 –> 00:35:53,800 No amount of falls will really undo us 549 00:35:54,939 –> 00:35:57,739 if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. 550 00:35:59,060 –> 00:36:00,780 We shall he says, of course 551 00:36:00,780 –> 00:36:04,500 be very muddy and tattleed children 552 00:36:04,520 –> 00:36:06,379 by the time we reach home 553 00:36:07,620 –> 00:36:11,379 but the bathrooms are all ready. 554 00:36:11,379 –> 00:36:14,260 The towels are put out 555 00:36:14,260 –> 00:36:18,320 and the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard. 556 00:36:18,320 –> 00:36:23,159 The only fatal thing is to lose one’s temper 557 00:36:24,340 –> 00:36:25,300 and to give up. 558 00:36:28,300 –> 00:36:31,959 If you’re discouraged today, 559 00:36:32,919 –> 00:36:35,439 here’s why you should not give up. 560 00:36:37,199 –> 00:36:39,040 You keep pressing forward 561 00:36:40,000 –> 00:36:44,179 because God the Father has given people to his Son 562 00:36:44,179 –> 00:36:48,060 who will be his portion and his joy forever. 563 00:36:48,959 –> 00:36:53,959 And we who believe are the Father’s gift to his Son. 564 00:36:55,179 –> 00:36:59,320 And Jesus will bring all who he has been given 565 00:36:59,320 –> 00:37:01,679 safely home to glory. 566 00:37:02,820 –> 00:37:07,820 We know this because he gave himself willingly for us, 567 00:37:07,899 –> 00:37:12,360 because he really did in love bear our sins, 568 00:37:12,360 –> 00:37:15,139 all of them on the cross. 569 00:37:15,139 –> 00:37:18,159 And because right now and always, 570 00:37:18,159 –> 00:37:21,820 he lives to make intercession for us. 571 00:37:22,780 –> 00:37:27,360 Therefore, you will have all that you need 572 00:37:27,699 –> 00:37:30,800 for all that you face until the day 573 00:37:30,800 –> 00:37:33,439 when faith is turned to sight, 574 00:37:34,320 –> 00:37:39,280 and you then enter into the presence of your glorious Lord 575 00:37:39,919 –> 00:37:43,040 with great joy forever. 576 00:37:44,540 –> 00:37:45,540 Let’s pray together. 577 00:37:49,340 –> 00:37:54,340 Father, may the most discouraged person here today 578 00:37:54,679 –> 00:37:59,679 be lifted by the marvelous truth of all that is ours 579 00:38:02,120 –> 00:38:04,000 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 580 00:38:05,620 –> 00:38:09,459 May the person who has not yet believed 581 00:38:09,459 –> 00:38:12,919 see what can be hers or his 582 00:38:12,919 –> 00:38:16,520 through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 583 00:38:16,520 –> 00:38:19,379 and stop putting up resistance 584 00:38:19,379 –> 00:38:24,000 and instead bow the knee gladly and freely to Christ 585 00:38:24,000 –> 00:38:25,379 and come to him. 586 00:38:27,439 –> 00:38:31,879 Father grant that the person who doubts 587 00:38:31,879 –> 00:38:34,439 and is unsure of your love 588 00:38:35,860 –> 00:38:38,840 may have a profound awareness today 589 00:38:40,199 –> 00:38:42,679 that in the cross of Christ, 590 00:38:42,679 –> 00:38:47,679 your love is unfathomably revealed 591 00:38:48,459 –> 00:38:53,459 and that your love surrounds us in all things forever. 592 00:38:59,679 –> 00:39:03,159 Thank you that our Lord Jesus who gave himself for us 593 00:39:03,159 –> 00:39:07,840 and died for our sins lives to intercede for us. 594 00:39:08,679 –> 00:39:10,139 Thank you that he will bring 595 00:39:10,139 –> 00:39:14,459 all that the Father has given to him all the way home. 596 00:39:15,459 –> 00:39:20,459 So grant to us peace, joy, assurance, and trust 597 00:39:23,239 –> 00:39:28,239 as we look to our Savior until faith is turned to sight 598 00:39:28,600 –> 00:39:30,860 and we enter into all that he has prepared 599 00:39:30,860 –> 00:39:33,100 for us, forever and ever. 600 00:39:34,239 –> 00:39:37,399 Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray these things, amen. 601 00:39:40,139 –> 00:39:41,399 You’ve been listening to a sermon 602 00:39:41,399 –> 00:39:43,800 with pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible 603 00:39:44,000 –> 00:39:49,000 to contact us call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 604 00:39:49,239 –> 00:39:52,719 or visit our website openthebible.org.