So a great deal of our time, and our attention, and even our affection gets spent on music, and food, and pets, and travel, and sports, and all of these are good things. But if you are going to believe, you will have to take time to look at the Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. It’s great to have you with us today. So, Colin, what does it mean to look at Jesus Christ? Oh, well, very simply, to listen to what He has said in the Scriptures, to look at what He has done, to hear what He has promised, to heed what He has commanded, and to take on board the invitations that He makes, and then respond to them. You know, people don’t come to faith by accident. Maybe you take an analogy of someone who wants to be married. Well, you know, they’re going to cultivate a relationship over time, and that’s going to involve spending time with another person. It’s going to involve listening. It’s going to involve speaking. A relationship is cultivated. Now, it’s the same with the Lord Jesus Christ. If we’re going to come to living faith with the Lord Jesus Christ, then we’re going to have to speak to Him, that’s what prayer is, and listen to Him. And the way that we do that is by opening the Bible. That’s the whole purpose of our program every day, to open the Bible so that we can hear the voice of God Himself speaking to us in and through His Son, Jesus Christ. So, that’s what we’re focused on today and every day, and it is a wonderful thing to be able to look at the Lord Jesus Christ, especially in this marvellous 53rd chapter of Isaiah that we’re focused on today. So, if you can, I hope you’ll be able to open your Bible to Isaiah chapter 53, verse 2, as we continue our message, our desire. Here’s Colin. What lies behind unbelief? Well, Isaiah is telling us the first thing is that we are distracted by the wrong considerations. Second, what lies behind unbelief is that we are drawn to the wrong priorities. Look at what he says again in verse 2. He had, he’s speaking of Jesus, no form or majesty that we should look at Him. Now, I was fascinated to look this week at a list of the most popular hobbies and interests in the United States of America. Based on a recent survey, here is the list in an ascending order. I’ll give you the top 7. Coming in at number 7, 7th most popular interest and hobby in America, health and fitness, with 29% of respondents to this particular survey. Number 6, travel. Number 5, video games. Number 4, pets. Number 3, reading and writing. Number 2, food. And wait for it, number 1, the most popular hobby or interest in the United States of America, according to this particular survey, music. 52% of people responding to the survey identified that. I have to say, I was absolutely amazed that sports came further down in the list. Though I suspect that that was because there was more than one question about it. If you put together the rankings for watching sports and playing sports, it would have come in at number 3 on the list with 45%. But here you are, here’s a range of the things that get our attention. The priorities to which we give, focus, time, and affection. Things that we actually choose. We have to sleep, we have to work, but here are the things that we choose to do. Here are the things that we are drawn to. Now, Isaiah is telling us why unbelief is the overwhelming response of the world to Jesus Christ. And here he tells us that one reason for this unbelief is that people do not take the time to look at Jesus. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him. So a great deal of our time, and our attention, and even our affection gets spent on music, and food, and pets, and travel, and sports, and all of these are good things. But if you are going to believe, you will have to take time to look at the Lord Jesus Christ. You won’t come to faith simply by some vague or casual impression. So why is it that people don’t spend time looking at Jesus? Well, Isaiah tells us there was nothing about him to particularly attract our attention. We’re drawn to food, we’re drawn to pets, we’re drawn to video games, but not to Jesus Christ. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him. Now, here I’d like to speak directly to the person who does not yet believe. This whole series is an invitation for you to take a serious look at Jesus Christ. Now, I really hope with all my heart that you will do this. But let’s answer this question, why should you? Why should you, as a thoughtful person, take a serious look at the Lord Jesus Christ? I have to answer that question. Let me do it by way of this personal illustration. It’s more than 40 years now since I met and fell in love with my lovely wife, Karin. We were both students in London at the time. And Karin’s father was a musician. He played the violin for the Academy of St. Martin’s in the fields. And that meant that he came through London quite often after touring in various countries abroad. And sometime after we had begun dating, Karin told me that her father was returning from a tour. And that we could meet him when he got off the plane in London before he returned home. Now, everyone in my wife’s family would agree that my father-in-law was a force to be reckoned with. And so I really wanted to make a good first impression. My dad loves cricket, Karin said to me. And he’ll want to know the score when he gets off the plane. Well, cricket began as an English game. And I’m Scottish. And I had no interest in it whatsoever. But before we went to meet our father, I asked someone who would know. I mean, what’s the score in the game? Oh, he said, it’s 200 for four. Well, sure enough, when we met my future father-in-law, he asked what was happening in the cricket. Karin looked at me expectantly and with some confidence. I said, it’s 200 for four. To which he said, yes, but who’s batting? I didn’t have that rather vital piece of information. And it was abundantly clear to my father-in-law that I didn’t know the first thing about his beloved game. So I decided that I needed to learn about cricket. I started to watch cricket highlights. I asked questions about it of people who knew a great deal about the game. A new interest was born. And you know, it wasn’t too long before I could honestly say that I shared my father-in-law’s great passion for cricket. Now, here’s the question. What changed? For years, there was nothing whatsoever about cricket that attracted my attention. Nothing at all. What changed? The answer was that when I met Karin, I had something at stake. Now, you may have had very little interest in looking at Jesus. You may say to Dave, now why should I be interested in him? And here’s my answer to that question. You have something at stake here. You really do. You have a soul that will live forever. You are accountable to the God who made you. One day you will stand before him. The Bible makes that very clear. And Jesus gives you this promise. That if you will confess him before men, he will confess you before his Father in heaven. If you will take your stand with him, he will take his stand with you. So, there’s room in your life for music, and for food, and for reading, and for pets, and for video games, and for travel, and for sport, and for all kinds of other interests, and all kinds of other hobbies. But all of these things are going to pass away. You know that. But your soul will live forever. So, make room for Jesus Christ and look at him. That’s what Isaiah chapter 53 is all about. People don’t believe. Why? Because we’re distracted by the wrong considerations and because we’re drawn to the wrong priorities. But if you will look honestly at the Lord Jesus Christ as he is presented to us in the scriptures, you will soon see that he is the Savior that you need. And when you see that he is the Savior that you need, you will be well on your way to believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and our message, Our Desire, part of a larger series, The Gospel According to Isaiah. And if you ever miss one of our messages, don’t forget you can always go online, catch up, or go back and listen again. Our website is at openthebible.org.uk You can also find Open the Bible as a podcast. Go to your favorite podcast site and look for Open the Bible UK. Subscribe for regular updates. Back to the message now. We’re in Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 2. Here’s Colin. So, we’re looking at this very important question. What lies behind unbelief? Why do so many people not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? And we’re seeing the answers that Isaiah is giving to us here in this verse. We are distracted by the wrong considerations. We are drawn to the wrong priorities. And then one more thing that’s very clear in this verse. We are driven by the wrong desires. Look at what he says. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him. And no beauty that we should desire him. Now, the Bible never gives us a description of the physical appearance of Jesus. Of course, artists throughout the years have tried to make an impression. But the Bible never gives us a description of the appearance of Jesus. When Isaiah says here that he had no beauty, he is simply telling us that there was nothing especially outstanding about the appearance of Jesus. He looked like any other person. If you had been walking through the market and had passed Jesus, you would not have been attracted to his appearance more than any other person that you walked past. There was not some kind of halo around his head. He really did become like us in every way, except that he was without sin. But notice that Isaiah’s point here is that he had no beauty that we should desire him. So he’s bringing in our desires. He’s now down to the level of the will. He’s telling us what we want, what we go after, what drives us. And he brings in our desires to explain why there is so much unbelief in the world. What lies behind unbelief? We are driven by the wrong desires. Now, the relationship between what we desire and what we believe is brought out very, very clearly in some words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John. Jesus said to the Pharisees who refused to believe in him, How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Now, you see what Jesus is saying here? He knows the heart and he says to them, Now, the great passion of your lives is to be affirmed by each other. That’s the thing you want. That’s what drives you. But you’re not seeking the praise or the commendation that comes from God. And that is why you don’t believe. And more than that, Jesus says, And not just why you don’t believe, as long as you are driven by the desire to be affirmed by other people, as long as that’s the most important thing in your life, you can’t believe. You can’t. How can you believe, he says, when you receive glory from one another? So someone says here today, I can’t believe. And you know the Lord Jesus Christ then from this verse would say to you, You’re right. You can’t. And here’s why you can’t. You are driven by a passion to be affirmed by other people, and you have no great interest in the commendation that comes from God alone. Now, do you see what Isaiah is telling us in this remarkable verse? He’s brought before us this extraordinary reality that the largest part of the world does not believe the greatest good news that the world has ever heard. And why is this? What lies behind unbelief? And the answer that Isaiah gives to us in this amazing verse is that behind unbelief lie these three realities, that we are distracted by the wrong considerations, we are drawn to the wrong priorities, and we are driven by the wrong desires. No one will be able to say on the last day, It’s God’s fault that I didn’t believe. No one will be able to say on the last day, I never had a chance. You can’t claim inability as a defense. God sees behind that, and God knows the reality. If you wanted the praise and the commendation that comes from God alone, you would seek Him, and if you really were to seek Him, you would find Him. But you don’t do that. Why? Because you are driven by the wrong desires. That’s why you don’t believe. Now, we’ve looked then at what lies behind unbelief. Let’s then draw from that very briefly in these last moments what then leads to faith. And there are two things very clearly that you can do that will lead to faith. The first is to take an honest look at yourself. Ask yourself this question honestly, Why do I not believe? Could it be that I’ve been distracted by the wrong considerations? Could it be that in my life, I have been drawn to the wrong priorities? Could it be that the reason that I do not believe is that I am driven by the wrong desires? Take an honest look at yourself. And if you do, you will soon come to the conclusion that you are a sinner who needs a Savior. And when you see that, you’ll be well on your way to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What can you do that will lead you to faith? When you come to faith, you take an honest look at yourself. And here’s the second thing you can do. Take an honest look at Jesus Christ. Ask yourself this question. Think about it. If it is true that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Lord of glory, who has always been at the right hand of the Father’s side, could there then be anything more beautiful than this? That He should leave heaven and be born in a stable? That as a young child, He should become a refugee fleeing to another country? That He should grow up like a young plant without attracting attention to Himself? That He should live in an unfashionable and despised town? That He should labor in a carpenter’s shop? That He should make friends with people that no one else was drawn to? That He should become the friend of sinners like us? And that He should lay down His own life as a sacrifice for His friends? Look honestly at yourself. Look honestly at the Lord Jesus Christ. And here is what you will see. You will see that you are a sinner who needs a Savior. And you will see that Jesus Christ is the Savior that you need. That’s Pastor Colin Smith on Open the Bible, with the message called Our Desire. Maybe as you listen, you’ve come to the point where you realize that Jesus is the Savior that you need. If you don’t know Him in that way, you can change that today. Just talk it over with the pastor of your local church or maybe with a trusted Christian friend or family member. Ask them to pray with you as you ask Jesus to forgive your sins, past, present and future, and come to live within you by the Holy Spirit. And tell us about it in an email to hello at openthebible.org.uk or message us on social media, Twitter or X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Just search for Open the Bible UK. We look forward to hearing from you. Open the Bible is supported by our listeners and we want to thank you for that. If you’re able this month to set up a new donation in the amount of £5 or more, we’d love to send you a free gift. It’s a book by J.I. Packer, entitled Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. So Colin, the book is about evangelism and God’s sovereignty, why is this book so important? Well, it has been very important in my life. I read it first many years ago and the mark of a good book in my view is it’s one you keep going back to. And this is one that I do keep going back to because Packer speaks so clearly about this really important issue of evangelism and the sovereignty of God. And the issue is simply this, that the Bible quite clearly proclaims that God has done more than make salvation possible. God actually saves people. Salvation is of the Lord and that’s the sovereignty of God. God saves and believers know this by instinct that though I have made a decision to follow Christ, God somehow laid hold of me and has wonderfully turned my life around. But of course, the question that then arises is, well, if it’s God who saves, then why don’t we just leave him to do it? And of course, that would cut out evangelism altogether. So how does our responsibility to share the gospel with people who don’t yet believe relate to the wonderful truth that God is in the business of saving people, evangelism and the sovereignty of God? Packer’s book helped me on seeing how these things don’t fight each other. They actually complement each other and they hold together very wonderfully. It’s beautifully written. It’s very clear. And I’m really excited that we’re able to share this with folks who listen to the program. If you find it a tenth as helpful as I’ve found it, you will be greatly blessed. Well, we’d love to send you a copy of this book if you’re able to set up a new donation to the work of Open the Bible this month in the amount of £5 or more per month. You’ll be joining many other listeners who are supporting the work that we do, both online and on the radio. Full details of the offer on our website, openthebible.org.uk. For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick, and I very much hope you’ll be able to join us again soon. Have you ever wondered about the decision process that results in a person rejecting Jesus? Find out more next time on Open the Bible.