Our Unbelief, Part 2

Isaiah 53: 1-12

Isaiah recognizes a stark contrast between the prevailing doubt and the surety of Jesus Christ gathering multitudes from every nation, gifting them with eternal life.

Pastor Colin will enlighten us on the ‘arm of the Lord’—the divine strength and means by which God manifests His will, even amidst an ocean of skepticism. Isaiah’s inquiry, “To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” underscores today’s fascinating truth: that despite the tide of unbelief, God’s perfect purposes will be fulfilled.

As we ponder these revelations, we’ll find ourselves journeying through Isaiah 53 and reflecting upon the nature of unbelief. It’s an affront to God, a refusal of His command to believe in Jesus Christ, and ultimately, it is a futile resistance against the triumphant destiny ordained by God. Yet, in this discourse, we also uncover the transformative power of faith—a miraculous gift born from God’s grace. If you’ve ever struggled to believe or felt that faith was beyond your grasp, this message is an illumination of hope, as faith is not generated by our efforts, but bestowed by God’s profound generosity.

Despite what Isaiah tells us at the beginning, the overwhelming unbelief that is in the world, Jesus Christ will gather a great company of people from every nation and he will give them eternal life. And so the very obvious question is, how then, in a world of unbelief, will these people come to faith? Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick. And Colin, that’s a great picture of people from all over time and space coming to faith in Jesus. But as we heard yesterday, there is a natural inclination towards unbelief. So how, in fact, do people come to faith? Well, the wonderful statement that Isaiah makes here is he speaks about the arm of the Lord. And of course, the arm speaks about the strength by which a person gets something done. So the arm of the Lord is the means by which he gets his will done. And Isaiah asks the question, to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? It’s a wonderful truth that we’re looking at today. In a world where we’re often aware of many people moving away from faith and away from allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ, that God, by the power of his own arm, will get everything that he has purposed accomplished to his own praise and glory. And the book of Revelation at the end of the Bible makes that very, very plain. And Isaiah points to it wonderfully in the verse of scripture that we’re going to look at today. So let’s look at Isaiah chapter 53, starting at verse 1. Here’s Colin. Now, why is it that unbelief is so offensive to God? You might find yourself saying, really? Why is unbelief that bad? Well, first, because unbelief insults God. The apostle John writes, whoever does not believe God has made him a liar. Suppose you take a trip to Florida. When you come back, you tell your friend about the trip. I went to Florida, you say. And your friend doesn’t look very impressed. Really? Where’s the proof? You say, I’m telling you, I went to Florida. Well, I don’t believe you. Now, that is deeply offensive. Your so-called friend is making you out to be a liar. He or she gives no weight whatsoever to your word. And you see, that is precisely what unbelief does to almighty God. Unbelief hears the word of God and says, I don’t believe it. I don’t believe you, God. And that is deeply offensive to God. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar. And then, unbelief is really offensive to God. Because it not only insults him personally, but it defies his commandment. Again, in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 23. This is his commandment that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ. And love one another just as he has commanded us. Now, do you see this? God commands us to believe in his Son. This is his commandment. And unbelief refuses what God commands. And then, unbelief is really offensive to God. Because it refuses to do the very work that God calls us to do. John chapter 6, Jesus said, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. You see, God says to us in the scriptures, Now, I have sent my Son into the world. He will accomplish everything that is needed for your salvation. What I call on you to do is believe in him. And unbelief refuses to do the first thing that God asks of us. So, I want you to see clearly today. Unbelief is a sin that will keep millions out of heaven. It insults God. It breaks his commandment. It refuses to do what he calls us to do. Unbelief is deeply offensive to God. It will keep more people out of heaven than murder or adultery will. Unbelief is normal. It is sinful. And then you need to know that unbelief is ultimately futile. Unbelief doesn’t change anything. If you put the beginning and the end of Isaiah chapter 53 together, you will get the thrust of the whole chapter. It begins with Isaiah recognizing people don’t believe this. And it ends by telling us what people don’t believe. That Jesus Christ will triumph. That he will be satisfied. That the will of God will prosper in his hand. Christ will share the spoils of his triumph with all of his people. And no amount of unbelief will ever be able to stop him. So, here’s what you need to know about unbelief. It’s normal. It’s sinful. And it is futile. Now, let’s turn secondly to what we need to know about faith. And I want you to look at the second part of this remarkable verse. And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Now, you see the flow of this chapter. Despite what Isaiah tells us at the beginning, the overwhelming unbelief that is in the world. Despite that, Jesus Christ will gather a great company of people from every nation. And he will give them eternal life. And so, the very obvious question is, how then, in a world of unbelief, will these people come to faith? And the answer to that question is in the second part of this verse. To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? The first thing that you need to know about faith is that faith is formed by the arm of the Lord. Now, we know from scripture that God is spirit. He has no arms or legs or hands or feet. But remember that in the Bible, God speaks to us in language that we can understand. Thank God for that. We would not be able to understand anything about him at all if he did not do this. And the arm, of course, speaks about strength. And the arm of the Lord, therefore, speaks about the strength by which God gets his work done. So, for example, when God’s people were slaves in Egypt, God said to Moses, say, therefore, to the people of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm. The arm of the Lord is the power by which God gets his work done. And here, Isaiah speaks about the arm of the Lord being revealed. When people believe, it is because the Holy Spirit opens their minds and their hearts to see that there really is a God and that he is very, very great indeed. And that is what happened when Paul preached the gospel in Thessalonica. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 5. He says, our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You see, the arm of the Lord was revealed in his preaching of the gospel. And the result was that these people, they turned from idols. They served the living and true God as they waited for his son to be revealed from heaven. Faith is formed when the arm of the Lord is revealed. That’s what Isaiah is saying here. And what that means is that faith is a miraculous gift of God’s grace. Now, here we come to something very wonderful indeed. If you are a believer, a miracle of God’s grace has taken place in you. The arm of the Lord has been revealed to you. That’s what’s happened in your experience. God has opened your eyes. He’s changed your heart. He has brought you from death to life. He has brought you from darkness to light. Now, perhaps you were brought up in a Christian home. And you say, well, really, my story is very simple. You know, I just received this and I never really rebelled against it. Don’t say just. Because what has happened to you, simple though it may have been, is a miracle of God’s grace. If God had allowed what was in you by nature to take its course, you would have walked away from the faith of your parents long ago. Thousands have done that. Why not you? Well, you see, the arm of the Lord was revealed to you. You came to realize in your own soul there really is a God. And he is very, very great. You saw that this God truly loves you. That he gave himself for you in Jesus Christ. The unbelieving heart that was in you by nature was changed. And God formed faith in you and you believed. Now, God may have done this so quietly early in your life that you hardly even noticed. But make no mistake, if you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, a miracle of grace has taken place in you. The arm of the Lord has been revealed to you. Writing to Christian believers, the pastor Charles Simeon says this, to you then I say that God has conferred upon you the greatest gift that you could possess in this world. Do you see that? If you believe, God has conferred upon you the greatest gift that you could ever possess in this world. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and our new series, The Gospel According to Isaiah. And this message, our unbelief, is what you need to know in coming to faith. And we’ll get right back to the message in a moment. We’ll get right back to the message shortly. Remember, if you ever miss any of our messages, you can go right online, openthebible.org.uk, catch up or go back and listen to any of the previous messages there. Let’s get back to the message now. We’re in Isaiah chapter 53. Here’s Colin. By faith, your sins are forgiven. By faith, your sanctification has already begun. By faith, your eternal and glorious future is absolutely secure. With this gift, you are blessed beyond measure, whatever you face in this world. Now, perhaps at this point, you’re thinking, well, that’s great for those who believe. But what about everyone else? And here, then, I want to look at this marvellous truth from a third angle. We’ve looked at what we need to know about unbelief. We’ve looked at what we need to know about faith. And I want us briefly now to look at what you need to know, then, about coming to faith. How is that then going to happen? And here, I’d like to remind you of the marvellous statement in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 3. And verse 8, where the Apostle Paul says, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God. Now, I want you to try and take that in together today. You see, it would be easy to get the idea that salvation is, well, like buying a car. You know, a trader has cars to sell. You have money to buy. You bring the money. And there is an exchange in which the trader gets the money and you get the car. And in order to buy the car, you have to have the money. No money, no car. Now, you see, some people have the idea that that is how salvation works. That God offers forgiveness and everlasting life. And that faith somehow is the coin with which you purchase God’s salvation. You bring your faith and salvation will be yours. Will be yours. But thank God that is not the message of the Bible. And I hope that’s clear to you from this verse this morning. Where would that leave the person who struggles to believe? Let me speak directly right now to the person in the congregation who says, I find it very difficult to believe. If you knew what I have endured, if you really understood what is on me right now, you would understand why I can’t believe. Believing is something I cannot do. Now, do you see, what you are experiencing is exactly what is described here in Isaiah chapter 53 in verse 1. Who has believed what he has heard from us. I know that some people speak as if believing was easy. Oh, they say, just believe. Oh, they say, just believe. But the person who says that really hasn’t understood that the human heart is wired for unbelief. Faith is far from easy. And if the command of God was that we had to somehow find faith within ourselves and then bring it to him as the coin with which we purchase his salvation, then our situation would be completely and utterly hopeless. You don’t have the coin with which to pay. If you feel that you do not have it in you to believe, I have to say to you today, you’re right. You don’t have it in you. But the good news is that God is able to give you what you do not have. And that’s what is in this marvelous verse. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God. Do you see that the faith by which we receive God’s marvelous gift of salvation is not some capacity that resides in us? None of us has that. By nature, our hearts are wired for unbelief. Here’s the good news, faith is the gift of God. And that’s why there is hope today for every person who struggles to believe. You say that you can’t believe. And I’m saying to you from Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 1, that God’s arm is stronger than your unbelief. God’s spirit can overcome the power of unbelief in you. You know, our Lord Jesus on one occasion said how hard it is to enter the kingdom of heaven. He didn’t say it’s easy, he said how hard it is. It is easier, Jesus said, for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. That’s how hard it is. And when Jesus said this, the Bible records that the disciples were absolutely astonished and they asked the obvious question, well then who can be saved? How could anyone be saved if it’s that hard? And Jesus looked at the disciples and he said, with man it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God. With God. God saves. And the first thing he will save you from is the power of your own sinful unbelief. So if you find it hard to believe, here’s what I want to encourage you to do today. Draw near to God and tell him what you know to be true. I don’t have it in me to believe. And then ask God to save you from the power of your own sinful unbelief. And God will hear you. And God will answer you. And by his strong arm, he will save you. The arm of the Lord is revealed in and through the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is what we’re looking at right here in Isaiah chapter 53. And as you look to Jesus to give you what you do not have, God’s arm will form faith in you. Now, that’s what happened for the chancellor as Isaiah chapter 53 was explained to him sitting in a chariot riding through the desert. Faith was formed in him as he read Isaiah 53. And my prayer for us today and for these weeks that lie ahead of us and my prayer for us today and for these weeks that lie ahead of us is that what happened for him will happen for you. And that’s the prayer of all of us at Open the Bible. You’re listening to the message, Our Unbelief, part of our series, The Gospel According to Isaiah. Remember, if you ever miss any of our messages, you can always go online to openthebible.org.uk and catch up, go back and listen again. You can also get Open the Bible messages as podcasts. Go to your favorite podcast site and search for Open the Bible UK. Subscribe to receive regular updates. There’s also a link to the podcasts on our website. Open the Bible is supported by our listeners. That’s people just like you. If you feel you’d like to get involved in this way, this month we’d like to offer you a free gift. If you’re able to support the work of Open the Bible in the amount of £5 per month or more, we’d love to send you a book called Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. It’s by J.I. Packer. Colin, who is this book for? Well, if there’s someone in your life who you would long to see come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, this book is going to be wonderfully encouraging for you. I’m thinking now about someone I would love to see come to faith in Christ. So I asked the question, now what can I do? Well, I can pray for this person. You know, I can share the gospel with this person. But, you know, when you see that someone you care for in your life really has no openness at all and has proved very resistant, perhaps over many, many years, you have a profound sense of, you know, only God himself is going to be able to turn this person around. And that’s why the sovereignty of God is really, really good news. That God is able to take a person as hardened against the gospel as Saul of Tarsus was and literally turn him around and make him anew. God is able to do that. So grasping the sovereignty of God is actually the greatest encouragement and incentive for praying and for evangelism. I found this book to be wonderfully encouraging. It has helped to sustain in me a hope for people who’ve been long away from the things of the Lord Jesus Christ, because the sovereignty of God actually motivates us to pray and to reach out with the gospel. I think it’d be a wonderfully encouraging book for anyone who really cares about a loved one or a friend who is far from God. 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 in the amount of £5 per month or more. For full details or to give online, go to openthebible.org.uk For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick and I hope you’ll be able to join us again soon. Why is unbelief the dominant response to the gospel? See what the Bible says next time on Open the Bible.

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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