Our Unbelief

Isaiah 53

C.H. Spurgeon terms Isaiah 53 as “the Bible in miniature,”. Today, we are presented with a piercing look into Jesus Christ’s purpose on earth, and how His actions form the foundation of our faith. From His birth to His divine ascension, Isaiah 53 lays bare the reasons why humanity is in dire need of a savior and then shares why Jesus is exactly the saviour we require.

Pastor Colin invites us to understand this pivotal chapter not merely as historical text but as a means to foster and deepen our faith, drawing parallels with the story of the Ethiopian treasurer who discovers the truth of Jesus through these very scripts. We are encouraged to view faith not just as a natural response, but as a miraculous gift from God – a gift that is accessible even to those grappling with doubt. Aligning ourselves with the message of Isaiah, Pastor Colin leads us in a prayer for faith transformation, emphasizing that God’s “strong arm” has the power to surmount our innate disbelief and draw us into a joyful, belief-filled walk with Jesus.

1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,840 Opening Bible of Isaiah 53 2 00:00:02,840 –> 00:00:06,940 You listening to a sermon from Pastor Collins Smith of Open the Bible. 3 00:00:06,940 –> 00:00:12,500 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN365, 4 00:00:12,500 –> 00:00:15,860 or visit our website www.openthebible.org. 5 00:00:16,459 –> 00:00:19,240 Let’s get to the message, here is Pastor Collins. 6 00:00:19,459 –> 00:00:23,959 Well, please open your Bible at Isaiah and Chapter 53. 7 00:00:23,959 –> 00:00:26,900 We are beginning today a new series 8 00:00:26,900 –> 00:00:33,000 in one of the best known and best loved chapters in all of the Bible. 9 00:00:33,439 –> 00:00:38,439 Now, H Spurgeon described this chapter, Isaiah 53, 10 00:00:38,439 –> 00:00:41,599 as the Bible in miniature. 11 00:00:42,459 –> 00:00:46,340 No chapter in the Bible explains more clearly 12 00:00:46,340 –> 00:00:49,139 why Jesus Christ had to come into the world. 13 00:00:49,799 –> 00:00:53,799 And no chapter in the Bible explains more fully 14 00:00:53,799 –> 00:00:56,340 what Jesus accomplished in his birth, 15 00:00:56,340 –> 00:01:01,160 in his life, in his death, in his resurrection and in his ascension. 16 00:01:01,799 –> 00:01:07,800 There are 12 verses in this wonderful 53rd chapter of Isaiah. 17 00:01:08,139 –> 00:01:09,839 You’ll see if you look at the chapter 18 00:01:09,839 –> 00:01:14,699 that the first six verses explain why we need a Saviour. 19 00:01:15,059 –> 00:01:17,459 They show us first our unbelief. 20 00:01:17,940 –> 00:01:21,800 They show us our desire, our verdict about Jesus, 21 00:01:21,800 –> 00:01:27,199 our sorrows, our transgressions, and our iniquity. 22 00:01:27,199 –> 00:01:28,660 Why we need Jesus. 23 00:01:28,660 –> 00:01:31,540 That’s the first half of this amazing chapter. 24 00:01:32,239 –> 00:01:36,599 And the last six verses of Isaiah in chapter 53 25 00:01:36,599 –> 00:01:40,239 show us why Jesus is the Saviour that we need. 26 00:01:40,760 –> 00:01:42,639 We’ll look at his silence 27 00:01:42,639 –> 00:01:46,699 and his submission in the face of false accusation. 28 00:01:47,099 –> 00:01:51,160 His death, his burial, his resurrection, 29 00:01:51,160 –> 00:01:57,660 his satisfaction, and then his glorious and marvelous triumph. 30 00:01:57,660 –> 00:02:04,760 Now, why spend all this time in Isaiah Chapter 53? 31 00:02:04,760 –> 00:02:09,419 Well, the answer to that question is that this chapter 32 00:02:09,419 –> 00:02:13,699 can lead you to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 33 00:02:13,699 –> 00:02:17,860 And we know this because in the New Testament 34 00:02:18,059 –> 00:02:23,000 we have the story of a man introduced as a court official 35 00:02:23,000 –> 00:02:26,899 of Candice Queen of the Ethiopians, 36 00:02:26,899 –> 00:02:31,399 who was in charge of all her treasure. 37 00:02:31,399 –> 00:02:35,820 So this man was the Queen’s treasurer. 38 00:02:35,820 –> 00:02:42,199 He was the chief financial officer of an entire nation. 39 00:02:42,199 –> 00:02:45,860 I’m going to call him for that reason, the chancellor. 40 00:02:45,860 –> 00:02:47,339 And a person who has a job 41 00:02:47,339 –> 00:02:50,639 like this is obviously brilliant. 42 00:02:50,639 –> 00:02:53,500 This man was clearly, highly educated. 43 00:02:53,500 –> 00:02:55,660 He was skilled in investments. 44 00:02:55,660 –> 00:02:59,559 He was a master of fiscal policy. 45 00:02:59,559 –> 00:03:01,160 He has all the trappings of course, 46 00:03:01,160 –> 00:03:03,199 that come with a successful career. 47 00:03:03,199 –> 00:03:08,199 He rides first class in his own personal chariot. 48 00:03:09,800 –> 00:03:14,800 Now in his hand, this man has a scroll 49 00:03:14,800 –> 00:03:16,839 with the words of the prophet Isaiah, 50 00:03:16,839 –> 00:03:20,360 the words that are in front of us today, 51 00:03:20,360 –> 00:03:22,699 and the scroll we’re told was open 52 00:03:22,699 –> 00:03:27,059 at these verses that we’re looking at in Isaiah chapter 53. 53 00:03:28,080 –> 00:03:30,899 God sent a believer by the name of Phillip 54 00:03:30,899 –> 00:03:34,800 to meet this man the chancellor in the desert. 55 00:03:34,800 –> 00:03:36,679 And Phillip asked him, 56 00:03:36,679 –> 00:03:39,020 do you understand what you’re reading? 57 00:03:39,919 –> 00:03:42,539 To which the chancellor said, well, how can I 58 00:03:42,539 –> 00:03:45,679 unless someone explains it to me? 59 00:03:46,839 –> 00:03:51,839 So Phillip joined the chancellor in his chariot, 60 00:03:51,940 –> 00:03:53,960 and here are two men then 61 00:03:53,960 –> 00:03:58,960 with the words of Isaiah 53 in front of them. 62 00:03:59,240 –> 00:04:01,059 And the chancellor asked Phillip, 63 00:04:01,059 –> 00:04:03,580 now who’s the prophet speaking about, 64 00:04:03,580 –> 00:04:05,639 is the prophet speaking about himself 65 00:04:05,639 –> 00:04:08,259 or is he speaking about someone else? 66 00:04:08,380 –> 00:04:12,199 And then the scripture says Phillip opened his mouth. 67 00:04:13,139 –> 00:04:15,660 And beginning with this scripture, 68 00:04:15,660 –> 00:04:18,119 what we’re looking at here in Isaiah 53, 69 00:04:18,119 –> 00:04:23,119 he told him the good news about Jesus. 70 00:04:23,500 –> 00:04:24,959 So very clearly, 71 00:04:24,959 –> 00:04:29,959 this chapter is all about the good news of Jesus Christ. 72 00:04:31,440 –> 00:04:33,359 Isaiah tells us in this chapter 73 00:04:33,359 –> 00:04:37,799 what Jesus Christ accomplished when he died on the cross. 74 00:04:37,799 –> 00:04:39,579 Look at verse five. 75 00:04:39,579 –> 00:04:43,019 He was pierced for our transgressions. 76 00:04:43,019 –> 00:04:47,299 He was crushed for our iniquities. 77 00:04:47,299 –> 00:04:51,679 Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. 78 00:04:51,679 –> 00:04:55,399 And with his wounds, we are healed. 79 00:04:56,459 –> 00:05:01,459 See, in the Gospels, we’re told what men did to Jesus. 80 00:05:02,799 –> 00:05:05,839 The Gospels tell us that a crown of thorns 81 00:05:05,859 –> 00:05:08,880 was forced onto his head, 82 00:05:08,880 –> 00:05:10,660 that he was nailed to a cross, 83 00:05:10,660 –> 00:05:14,779 that people mocked him as he hung and as he suffered there. 84 00:05:16,339 –> 00:05:21,339 But Isaiah takes us inside what God was doing at the cross. 85 00:05:23,679 –> 00:05:26,320 He tells us with stunning clarity 86 00:05:26,320 –> 00:05:30,779 that God was laying the sins that would have condemned us 87 00:05:30,779 –> 00:05:33,140 on His Son Jesus Christ, 88 00:05:33,140 –> 00:05:35,399 and that through Jesus, 89 00:05:35,839 –> 00:05:39,140 that is peace with God for us 90 00:05:39,140 –> 00:05:42,700 and reconciliation with the Father. 91 00:05:43,559 –> 00:05:44,839 And then Isaiah tells us 92 00:05:44,839 –> 00:05:48,339 not only what Jesus accomplished through his death, 93 00:05:48,339 –> 00:05:52,079 but what Jesus accomplishes through His resurrection. 94 00:05:52,079 –> 00:05:56,380 Verse 10, he shall see his offspring. 95 00:05:56,380 –> 00:05:58,920 He shall prolong his days. 96 00:05:58,920 –> 00:06:03,299 The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 97 00:06:03,299 –> 00:06:04,859 You see what Isaiah is telling us. 98 00:06:04,959 –> 00:06:09,260 Jesus is going to gather a great family. 99 00:06:09,260 –> 00:06:12,160 A family of people who come to be His 100 00:06:12,160 –> 00:06:16,320 from every nation across the face of the earth. 101 00:06:16,320 –> 00:06:19,239 These people are going to live forever. 102 00:06:19,239 –> 00:06:24,239 Their days will be prolonged as Jesus lives forever. 103 00:06:24,540 –> 00:06:27,320 God’s great plan to bring blessing 104 00:06:27,320 –> 00:06:29,100 to the nations of the world 105 00:06:29,100 –> 00:06:34,079 will be accomplished in and through Jesus Christ. 106 00:06:34,200 –> 00:06:37,299 And Isaiah tells us not only what Jesus will accomplish 107 00:06:37,299 –> 00:06:39,920 through his death and through his resurrection, 108 00:06:39,920 –> 00:06:41,359 but what he will accomplish 109 00:06:41,359 –> 00:06:44,299 when he returns in power and in glory. 110 00:06:44,299 –> 00:06:45,160 Look at verse 12, 111 00:06:45,160 –> 00:06:49,559 therefore, I will divide him a portion 112 00:06:49,559 –> 00:06:54,559 with the many, and he shall divide the spoil 113 00:06:54,679 –> 00:06:57,679 with the strong. 114 00:06:57,679 –> 00:07:01,679 Now we’re told in Acts In Chapter 8 in the New Testament, 115 00:07:01,820 –> 00:07:06,339 the beginning with this extraordinary chapter of scripture, 116 00:07:06,339 –> 00:07:10,720 Isaiah 53, Philip told the chancellor 117 00:07:10,720 –> 00:07:14,720 the good news about Jesus Christ. 118 00:07:14,720 –> 00:07:17,559 And through what he learned about Jesus 119 00:07:17,559 –> 00:07:21,559 from this chapter, Isaiah 53, 120 00:07:21,559 –> 00:07:26,559 he came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 121 00:07:26,559 –> 00:07:28,040 He was baptized. 122 00:07:28,980 –> 00:07:31,079 And the Bible tells us that this man, 123 00:07:31,119 –> 00:07:33,600 the CFO of a nation having believed 124 00:07:33,600 –> 00:07:35,480 in the Lord Jesus Christ, 125 00:07:35,480 –> 00:07:39,000 went on his way rejoicing. 126 00:07:40,220 –> 00:07:43,179 Now my prayer for this series 127 00:07:44,019 –> 00:07:46,760 is that what happened to the chancellor 128 00:07:47,859 –> 00:07:50,299 will happen for us. 129 00:07:50,299 –> 00:07:53,700 That we will see what Jesus accomplished 130 00:07:53,700 –> 00:07:55,000 from this chapter, 131 00:07:55,899 –> 00:07:59,320 and that seeing what the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished, 132 00:07:59,320 –> 00:08:04,320 we will find great joy in receiving what he offers. 133 00:08:07,119 –> 00:08:09,880 Now we begin today in verse one, 134 00:08:09,880 –> 00:08:13,799 where Isaiah tells us that unbelief 135 00:08:13,799 –> 00:08:18,600 is the natural response to the good news about Jesus. 136 00:08:18,600 –> 00:08:22,799 Remember that the first six verses of this chapter 137 00:08:22,799 –> 00:08:27,480 are all pointing to why we need a savior. 138 00:08:27,480 –> 00:08:30,380 And the first reason that we need a savior 139 00:08:30,380 –> 00:08:34,679 is that by nature, none of us believes. 140 00:08:35,500 –> 00:08:40,039 Who has believed what he has heard from us? 141 00:08:41,500 –> 00:08:46,500 And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 142 00:08:47,400 –> 00:08:50,059 That’s the verse that’s before us today. 143 00:08:50,059 –> 00:08:52,000 And I want us to look at it together 144 00:08:52,000 –> 00:08:55,340 from three distinct angles. 145 00:08:55,380 –> 00:08:56,539 We’re going to see first 146 00:08:56,539 –> 00:08:59,559 what you need to know about unbelief. 147 00:09:00,500 –> 00:09:02,640 Then we’re going to see through this verse 148 00:09:02,640 –> 00:09:05,719 what you need to know about faith. 149 00:09:05,719 –> 00:09:08,619 And then thirdly, we’re going to see from this verse 150 00:09:08,619 –> 00:09:10,659 and more broadly in scripture 151 00:09:10,659 –> 00:09:15,520 what you need to know about how to come to faith 152 00:09:15,520 –> 00:09:17,419 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 153 00:09:18,419 –> 00:09:23,419 First, then, what you need to know about unbelief. 154 00:09:23,700 –> 00:09:24,580 Look at this verse. 155 00:09:24,599 –> 00:09:29,599 Who has believed what he has heard from us? 156 00:09:33,179 –> 00:09:36,099 Now, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ 157 00:09:36,099 –> 00:09:38,859 was announced by angels 158 00:09:38,859 –> 00:09:43,859 as good news of great joy for all people. 159 00:09:45,140 –> 00:09:47,419 And you would think that the greatest good news 160 00:09:47,419 –> 00:09:49,020 that this world has ever heard 161 00:09:49,020 –> 00:09:51,619 would be received in this world gladly, 162 00:09:52,460 –> 00:09:57,460 but across the world, in every culture, 163 00:09:57,479 –> 00:10:02,299 the dominant response to the gospel is unbelief. 164 00:10:04,020 –> 00:10:07,080 The first thing therefore that you need to know 165 00:10:07,080 –> 00:10:10,000 about unbelief is that it is normal. 166 00:10:11,760 –> 00:10:16,760 Think about it, a student goes off to university 167 00:10:17,280 –> 00:10:22,280 on a campus where there are 20,000 students. 168 00:10:23,320 –> 00:10:27,739 The vast majority of them are not Christians. 169 00:10:29,200 –> 00:10:32,140 And her closest friends don’t believe. 170 00:10:32,140 –> 00:10:34,659 They’re really good people. 171 00:10:35,679 –> 00:10:38,320 And over time, as she looks at them 172 00:10:38,320 –> 00:10:40,960 and ponders the way in which she’s been brought up, 173 00:10:40,960 –> 00:10:42,919 she begins to think, you know, 174 00:10:42,919 –> 00:10:46,619 I must’ve been brought up in some kind of a cocoon. 175 00:10:47,760 –> 00:10:51,799 I must’ve been raised in a kind of religious bubble. 176 00:10:51,799 –> 00:10:53,419 I mean, after all, 177 00:10:53,419 –> 00:10:56,440 who is there on this campus who has believed 178 00:10:56,440 –> 00:10:58,919 what I have heard? 179 00:10:58,919 –> 00:11:02,679 Well, that’s the question at the beginning of this verse. 180 00:11:04,679 –> 00:11:08,500 I think about a young pastor is very eager. 181 00:11:09,960 –> 00:11:14,080 He goes to plant a church in a town of, 182 00:11:14,559 –> 00:11:16,880 let’s say, 100,000 people. 183 00:11:17,700 –> 00:11:21,280 He wants with all his heart to win the town 184 00:11:21,280 –> 00:11:25,640 for Jesus Christ, and he preaches his heart out. 185 00:11:26,840 –> 00:11:28,919 He starts a sports ministry. 186 00:11:28,919 –> 00:11:31,299 He starts a children’s ministry, men’s ministry, 187 00:11:31,299 –> 00:11:33,900 women’s ministry, evangelistic Bible studied. 188 00:11:33,900 –> 00:11:35,619 At the end of five years, 189 00:11:35,619 –> 00:11:39,299 he has a congregation of just 50 people. 190 00:11:40,260 –> 00:11:45,260 Most people in the town don’t want his message. 191 00:11:46,700 –> 00:11:50,200 And eventually he begins to doubt himself, 192 00:11:51,580 –> 00:11:53,219 if this is really true, 193 00:11:53,219 –> 00:11:56,599 why is it that so few people believe it? 194 00:11:58,659 –> 00:12:00,260 What am I doing wrong? 195 00:12:01,739 –> 00:12:03,419 Why are people not responding? 196 00:12:03,419 –> 00:12:07,700 He’s asking the question of Isaiah 53, verse one, 197 00:12:07,700 –> 00:12:12,380 who has believed what they have heard from us? 198 00:12:14,659 –> 00:12:17,140 Unbelief should never surprise you. 199 00:12:19,119 –> 00:12:22,599 We live in an unbelieving world, 200 00:12:23,799 –> 00:12:28,760 the human heart is wired for unbelief, 201 00:12:28,760 –> 00:12:33,239 that is actually the first effect of sin on us. 202 00:12:34,340 –> 00:12:36,900 First Corinthians chapter two, in verse 14, 203 00:12:36,919 –> 00:12:38,400 the apostle Paul says, 204 00:12:38,400 –> 00:12:43,400 the natural person does not accept the things 205 00:12:43,940 –> 00:12:48,940 of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, 206 00:12:48,940 –> 00:12:53,340 seems like foolishness, so the natural person. 207 00:12:53,340 –> 00:12:55,780 And he is not able to understand them 208 00:12:55,780 –> 00:12:59,619 because they are spiritually discerned. 209 00:13:00,700 –> 00:13:04,659 Now you see, that is exactly what Isaiah experienced 210 00:13:04,659 –> 00:13:07,080 and exactly what he is describing here 211 00:13:07,080 –> 00:13:08,900 in chapter 53 and verse one, 212 00:13:08,900 –> 00:13:12,859 who has believed what he has heard from us? 213 00:13:15,780 –> 00:13:19,700 Now, I think that it would be hard to present 214 00:13:20,679 –> 00:13:25,679 God’s word more persuasively than was done by Isaiah. 215 00:13:26,900 –> 00:13:28,059 I mean, think about it. 216 00:13:28,059 –> 00:13:32,780 Isaiah spoke under the direct inspiration 217 00:13:32,780 –> 00:13:35,520 of the Holy Spirit of God. 218 00:13:36,559 –> 00:13:40,380 And yet the dominant response to this man’s ministry 219 00:13:41,539 –> 00:13:42,619 was unbelief. 220 00:13:43,859 –> 00:13:47,520 Who has believed what they have heard from us? 221 00:13:47,520 –> 00:13:48,380 He says. 222 00:13:50,000 –> 00:13:54,099 Now, these very important words in Isaiah 53 223 00:13:54,099 –> 00:13:58,239 are actually quoted twice in the New Testament, 224 00:13:58,239 –> 00:14:00,640 and that’s very significant. 225 00:14:00,640 –> 00:14:03,739 First, they’re quoted by the Apostle Paul. 226 00:14:03,739 –> 00:14:06,400 Romans, chapter 10, and verse 14, 227 00:14:07,419 –> 00:14:08,280 Paul writes, 228 00:14:08,280 –> 00:14:10,559 how beautiful are the feet 229 00:14:10,559 –> 00:14:13,380 of those who preach the good news, 230 00:14:14,219 –> 00:14:17,140 but they have not all obeyed the gospel 231 00:14:17,140 –> 00:14:18,460 for Isaiah says, 232 00:14:20,440 –> 00:14:21,280 Lord, 233 00:14:22,320 –> 00:14:25,900 who has believed what he has heard from us? 234 00:14:27,559 –> 00:14:29,979 Now, why does the Apostle Paul 235 00:14:30,919 –> 00:14:34,260 quote these words from Isaiah, chapter 53 and verse one? 236 00:14:34,260 –> 00:14:35,840 Well, very simply for this reason, 237 00:14:35,840 –> 00:14:40,000 Paul was the leading pioneer missionary of his day. 238 00:14:40,919 –> 00:14:45,280 He preached the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. 239 00:14:46,340 –> 00:14:47,840 Everywhere he went, 240 00:14:47,840 –> 00:14:50,140 there were some people who came to faith 241 00:14:50,140 –> 00:14:51,760 in the Lord Jesus Christ, 242 00:14:51,760 –> 00:14:54,840 but this man quotes the prophet Isaiah 243 00:14:54,840 –> 00:14:58,419 because he also found that the overwhelming response 244 00:14:58,460 –> 00:15:01,580 to the gospel wherever he went was unbelief 245 00:15:03,880 –> 00:15:06,179 and then even more striking 246 00:15:07,760 –> 00:15:09,460 is that this was the experience 247 00:15:09,460 –> 00:15:12,099 of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. 248 00:15:14,900 –> 00:15:19,159 John says in chapter 12, verse 37 of his gospel, 249 00:15:19,159 –> 00:15:23,280 that though Jesus had done so many signs before them, 250 00:15:23,280 –> 00:15:27,580 they still did not believe in him. 251 00:15:27,580 –> 00:15:32,580 So that the words spoken by the Prophet Isaiah 252 00:15:34,219 –> 00:15:35,820 might be fulfilled, 253 00:15:36,659 –> 00:15:41,659 Lord who has believed what he has heard from us 254 00:15:43,299 –> 00:15:48,119 and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. 255 00:15:50,020 –> 00:15:54,640 Now, try and let this settle into your mind and heart 256 00:15:55,640 –> 00:16:00,640 because you see, optimistic people like to think 257 00:16:01,460 –> 00:16:04,960 that the only reason people don’t believe 258 00:16:04,960 –> 00:16:07,400 is that they haven’t heard a sufficiently compelling 259 00:16:07,400 –> 00:16:09,359 presentation of the Gospel. 260 00:16:11,039 –> 00:16:15,559 But no one could hear a more compelling presentation 261 00:16:15,559 –> 00:16:18,659 of the Gospel than was given by Isaiah, 262 00:16:19,619 –> 00:16:24,619 by the apostle Paul or by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. 263 00:16:28,059 –> 00:16:30,900 And yet it’s clear in the scripture 264 00:16:30,900 –> 00:16:34,580 that the overwhelming response to the ministry of Isaiah, 265 00:16:34,580 –> 00:16:37,020 the ministry of Paul and the ministry of Jesus, 266 00:16:37,020 –> 00:16:38,280 the overwhelming response is what? 267 00:16:38,280 –> 00:16:39,900 Unbelief. 268 00:16:42,059 –> 00:16:44,559 Unbelief should not surprise us. 269 00:16:45,400 –> 00:16:49,840 It is the normal human response 270 00:16:49,840 –> 00:16:53,159 to the gospel however well presented. 271 00:16:55,760 –> 00:16:59,460 Now, the second thing that you need to know about unbelief 272 00:17:00,700 –> 00:17:02,440 is that it is sinful. 273 00:17:03,960 –> 00:17:07,680 Now I wonder, you know, when you hear the word sin, 274 00:17:07,680 –> 00:17:10,439 what comes first to your mind? 275 00:17:10,439 –> 00:17:13,280 Murder, adultery, 276 00:17:13,800 –> 00:17:16,579 stealing, lying. 277 00:17:17,760 –> 00:17:22,579 Well these are all sins against the 10 commandments. 278 00:17:23,839 –> 00:17:26,439 But suppose for a moment 279 00:17:26,439 –> 00:17:30,280 that you were able to keep these commandments, 280 00:17:30,280 –> 00:17:32,280 that you were always faithful, 281 00:17:33,239 –> 00:17:35,959 that you were always content, 282 00:17:35,959 –> 00:17:39,920 that you never stole and that you never lied, 283 00:17:39,920 –> 00:17:42,540 not a single time, not in your entire life. 284 00:17:44,040 –> 00:17:46,900 Now, the Bible is very clear 285 00:17:48,000 –> 00:17:52,040 that even if you had been able 286 00:17:52,040 –> 00:17:56,479 to love your neighbor as yourself throughout your life, 287 00:17:57,599 –> 00:18:01,239 if you remained in unbelief, 288 00:18:01,239 –> 00:18:04,400 you would be lost forever. 289 00:18:05,859 –> 00:18:08,959 And that is made very clear at the end of the Bible 290 00:18:08,959 –> 00:18:12,160 in the book of Revelation and chapter 21, 291 00:18:12,199 –> 00:18:13,359 where we read this, 292 00:18:13,359 –> 00:18:17,680 the cowardly, the unbelieving, 293 00:18:18,900 –> 00:18:23,859 the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, 294 00:18:23,859 –> 00:18:25,760 those who practice magic arts, 295 00:18:25,760 –> 00:18:29,160 the idolaters and all liars, 296 00:18:29,160 –> 00:18:32,760 they will be consigned 297 00:18:32,760 –> 00:18:35,780 to the fiery lake of burning sulfur, 298 00:18:35,780 –> 00:18:39,979 this is the second death. 299 00:18:40,800 –> 00:18:44,500 Do you see how sinful unbelief is? 300 00:18:46,339 –> 00:18:51,300 The unbelieving are listed at the end of the Bible 301 00:18:51,680 –> 00:18:58,540 alongside murderers, idolaters and liars. 302 00:19:00,239 –> 00:19:03,380 Unbelief is sinful. 303 00:19:03,380 –> 00:19:08,619 Now, why is it that unbelief is so offensive to God? 304 00:19:08,660 –> 00:19:09,859 You might find yourself saying, 305 00:19:09,859 –> 00:19:13,500 really, why is unbelief that bad? 306 00:19:15,060 –> 00:19:18,920 Well, first, because unbelief insults God. 307 00:19:20,380 –> 00:19:21,760 The Apostle John writes, 308 00:19:21,760 –> 00:19:27,800 whoever does not believe God has made him a liar. 309 00:19:29,959 –> 00:19:32,560 Suppose you take a trip to Florida, 310 00:19:33,619 –> 00:19:35,160 when you come back, 311 00:19:35,160 –> 00:19:36,859 you tell your friend about the trip, 312 00:19:36,900 –> 00:19:39,260 I went to Florida, you say, 313 00:19:39,260 –> 00:19:42,060 and your friend doesn’t look very impressed. 314 00:19:42,060 –> 00:19:45,400 Really, where’s the proof? 315 00:19:46,280 –> 00:19:49,099 You say, well, I’m telling you. 316 00:19:49,099 –> 00:19:50,439 I went to Florida. 317 00:19:51,599 –> 00:19:54,500 Well, I don’t believe you. 318 00:19:56,579 –> 00:19:58,979 Now, that is deeply offensive. 319 00:19:59,920 –> 00:20:04,920 Your so-called friend is making you out to be a liar. 320 00:20:05,199 –> 00:20:10,199 He or she gives no weight whatsoever to your word. 321 00:20:10,959 –> 00:20:14,680 And you see, that is precisely what unbelief does 322 00:20:14,680 –> 00:20:16,359 to almighty God. 323 00:20:16,359 –> 00:20:19,359 Unbelief, hears the word of God, and says, 324 00:20:19,359 –> 00:20:20,859 I don’t believe it. 325 00:20:22,839 –> 00:20:24,560 I don’t believe you, God. 326 00:20:26,420 –> 00:20:28,579 And that is deeply offensive to God. 327 00:20:29,579 –> 00:20:34,579 Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar. 328 00:20:42,119 –> 00:20:46,660 And then unbelief is really offensive to God 329 00:20:46,660 –> 00:20:50,760 because it not only insults him personally, 330 00:20:50,760 –> 00:20:53,920 but it defies his commandment. 331 00:20:55,119 –> 00:20:57,680 Again, in 1 John, chapter three in verse 23, 332 00:20:57,739 –> 00:21:02,739 this is his commandment that we believe 333 00:21:02,880 –> 00:21:06,000 in the name of his son, Jesus Christ 334 00:21:06,000 –> 00:21:10,020 and love one another just as he has commanded us. 335 00:21:10,020 –> 00:21:11,119 Now, do you see this? 336 00:21:11,119 –> 00:21:14,060 God commands us to believe in his son. 337 00:21:15,760 –> 00:21:17,540 This is his commandment, 338 00:21:18,560 –> 00:21:22,760 and unbelief refuses what God commands. 339 00:21:24,160 –> 00:21:27,140 And then unbelief is really offensive to God 340 00:21:27,140 –> 00:21:30,099 because it refuses to do the very work 341 00:21:30,099 –> 00:21:31,920 that God calls us to do. 342 00:21:31,920 –> 00:21:33,739 John 6, Jesus said, 343 00:21:33,739 –> 00:21:36,199 this is the work of God, 344 00:21:37,319 –> 00:21:41,819 that you believe in Him whom He has sent. 345 00:21:43,060 –> 00:21:45,579 You see, God says to us in the scriptures, 346 00:21:45,579 –> 00:21:49,199 now, I have sent my Son into the world. 347 00:21:49,199 –> 00:21:51,380 He will accomplish everything 348 00:21:51,380 –> 00:21:53,540 that is needed for your salvation. 349 00:21:53,579 –> 00:21:58,079 What I call on you to do is believe in Him, 350 00:21:58,079 –> 00:22:01,260 and unbelief refuses to do the first thing 351 00:22:01,260 –> 00:22:02,780 that God asks of us. 352 00:22:05,219 –> 00:22:07,540 So I want you to see clearly today, 353 00:22:07,540 –> 00:22:12,540 unbelief is a sin that will keep millions out of heaven. 354 00:22:13,579 –> 00:22:15,060 It insults God. 355 00:22:16,060 –> 00:22:17,540 It breaks His commandment. 356 00:22:17,540 –> 00:22:21,660 It refuses to do what He calls us to do. 357 00:22:21,660 –> 00:22:24,479 Unbelief is deeply offensive to God. 358 00:22:24,479 –> 00:22:26,219 It will keep more people out of heaven 359 00:22:26,219 –> 00:22:28,459 than murder or adultery will. 360 00:22:31,260 –> 00:22:32,839 Unbelief is normal. 361 00:22:34,180 –> 00:22:35,579 It is sinful. 362 00:22:37,160 –> 00:22:38,219 And then you need to know 363 00:22:38,219 –> 00:22:43,219 that unbelief is ultimately futile. 364 00:22:45,699 –> 00:22:48,380 Unbelief doesn’t change anything. 365 00:22:49,380 –> 00:22:51,719 If you put the beginning 366 00:22:51,719 –> 00:22:55,439 and the end of Isaiah Chapter 53 together, 367 00:22:55,439 –> 00:22:59,859 you will get the thrust of the whole chapter. 368 00:22:59,859 –> 00:23:02,439 It begins with Isaiah recognizing 369 00:23:02,439 –> 00:23:05,239 people don’t believe this. 370 00:23:06,160 –> 00:23:10,060 And it ends by telling us what people don’t believe. 371 00:23:10,060 –> 00:23:13,959 That Jesus Christ will triumph. 372 00:23:14,920 –> 00:23:17,880 That he will be satisfied. 373 00:23:17,880 –> 00:23:21,099 That the will of God will prosper in his hand. 374 00:23:21,099 –> 00:23:25,339 Christ will share the spoils of his triumph 375 00:23:25,339 –> 00:23:27,359 with all of his people. 376 00:23:27,359 –> 00:23:32,359 And no amount of unbelief will ever be able to stop him. 377 00:23:36,180 –> 00:23:38,619 So here’s what you need to know about unbelief. 378 00:23:40,180 –> 00:23:41,020 It’s normal. 379 00:23:42,619 –> 00:23:43,760 It’s sinful. 380 00:23:46,000 –> 00:23:47,359 And it is futile. 381 00:23:48,859 –> 00:23:53,859 Now let’s turn secondly to what we need to know about faith. 382 00:23:56,839 –> 00:23:59,079 And I want you to look at the second part 383 00:23:59,079 –> 00:24:01,160 of this remarkable verse. 384 00:24:02,119 –> 00:24:07,119 And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. 385 00:24:12,439 –> 00:24:15,119 Now you see the flow of this chapter. 386 00:24:15,119 –> 00:24:17,400 Despite what Isaiah tells us at the beginning 387 00:24:17,400 –> 00:24:21,719 the overwhelming unbelief that is in the world. 388 00:24:21,719 –> 00:24:25,540 Despite that Jesus Christ will gather 389 00:24:25,540 –> 00:24:28,619 a great company of people from every nation 390 00:24:28,619 –> 00:24:32,180 and he will give them eternal life. 391 00:24:32,180 –> 00:24:35,459 And so the very obvious question is how then 392 00:24:35,459 –> 00:24:39,300 in a world of unbelief will these people come to faith? 393 00:24:39,300 –> 00:24:42,540 And the answer to that question is in the second part 394 00:24:42,660 –> 00:24:43,719 of this verse, 395 00:24:43,719 –> 00:24:48,719 to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. 396 00:24:51,020 –> 00:24:53,479 The first thing that you need to know about faith 397 00:24:54,800 –> 00:24:59,800 is that faith is formed by the arm of the Lord. 398 00:25:02,359 –> 00:25:05,979 Now we know from scripture that God is spirit, 399 00:25:05,979 –> 00:25:10,979 he has no arms or legs or hands or feet. 400 00:25:11,180 –> 00:25:12,959 But remember that in the Bible, 401 00:25:12,959 –> 00:25:17,520 God speaks to us in language that we can understand. 402 00:25:17,520 –> 00:25:18,619 Thank God for that. 403 00:25:18,619 –> 00:25:21,680 We would not be able to understand anything about him at all 404 00:25:21,680 –> 00:25:24,000 if he did not do this. 405 00:25:24,000 –> 00:25:27,939 And the arm of course, speaks about strength. 406 00:25:28,859 –> 00:25:31,060 And the arm of the Lord therefore, 407 00:25:31,060 –> 00:25:35,739 speaks about the strength by which God gets his work done. 408 00:25:36,739 –> 00:25:41,380 So for example, when God’s people were slaves in Egypt, 409 00:25:41,380 –> 00:25:43,180 God said to Moses. 410 00:25:43,180 –> 00:25:45,800 Say therefore to the people of Israel, 411 00:25:45,800 –> 00:25:50,800 I am the Lord and I will redeem you 412 00:25:50,900 –> 00:25:53,859 with an outstretched arm. 413 00:25:56,880 –> 00:26:00,880 The arm of the Lord is the power 414 00:26:00,880 –> 00:26:05,640 by which God gets his work done. 415 00:26:05,640 –> 00:26:09,079 And here Isaiah speaks about the arm 416 00:26:09,079 –> 00:26:12,219 of the Lord being revealed. 417 00:26:13,380 –> 00:26:18,300 When people believe it is because the Holy Spirit 418 00:26:18,300 –> 00:26:21,219 opens their minds and their hearts 419 00:26:21,219 –> 00:26:23,500 to see that there really is a God 420 00:26:24,660 –> 00:26:29,439 and that he is very, very, great indeed. 421 00:26:29,439 –> 00:26:30,920 And that is what happened 422 00:26:30,920 –> 00:26:34,359 when Paul preached the gospel in Thessalonica. 423 00:26:34,359 –> 00:26:36,780 1 Thessalonians chapter one and verse five, 424 00:26:36,780 –> 00:26:41,660 he says, our gospel came to you not only in word 425 00:26:41,660 –> 00:26:46,359 but also in power and in the Holy Spirit 426 00:26:46,359 –> 00:26:48,400 and with full conviction, 427 00:26:48,400 –> 00:26:50,880 you see the arm of the Lord was revealed 428 00:26:50,880 –> 00:26:53,239 in his preaching of the gospel. 429 00:26:53,239 –> 00:26:56,760 And the result was that these people, 430 00:26:56,760 –> 00:26:59,439 they turned from idols, 431 00:26:59,439 –> 00:27:02,660 they served the living and true God 432 00:27:02,660 –> 00:27:06,839 as they waited for his son to be revealed from heaven. 433 00:27:08,660 –> 00:27:13,660 Faith is formed when the arm of the Lord is revealed. 434 00:27:16,760 –> 00:27:18,520 That’s what Isaiah is saying here. 435 00:27:19,920 –> 00:27:23,119 And what that means is that faith 436 00:27:23,119 –> 00:27:28,119 is a miraculous gift of God’s grace. 437 00:27:28,199 –> 00:27:31,040 Now, here we come to something very wonderful, indeed. 438 00:27:32,040 –> 00:27:35,079 If you are a believer, 439 00:27:35,079 –> 00:27:40,040 a miracle of God’s grace has taken place in you. 440 00:27:41,000 –> 00:27:43,599 The arm of the Lord has been revealed to you. 441 00:27:43,599 –> 00:27:45,959 That’s what’s happened in your experience. 442 00:27:45,959 –> 00:27:50,920 God has opened your eyes, he has changed your heart. 443 00:27:52,040 –> 00:27:54,640 He has brought you from death to life. 444 00:27:54,640 –> 00:27:57,380 He has brought you from darkness to light. 445 00:27:58,339 –> 00:28:02,540 Now, perhaps you were brought up in a Christian home 446 00:28:02,540 –> 00:28:05,359 and you say, well, really my story is very simple. 447 00:28:05,359 –> 00:28:07,880 You know, I just received this 448 00:28:07,880 –> 00:28:11,280 and I never really rebelled against it. 449 00:28:12,219 –> 00:28:14,939 Don’t say just. 450 00:28:14,939 –> 00:28:18,540 Because what has happened to you, 451 00:28:18,540 –> 00:28:23,540 simple though it may have been is a miracle of God’s grace. 452 00:28:24,099 –> 00:28:29,099 If God had allowed what was in you by nature 453 00:28:29,719 –> 00:28:33,599 to take its course, you would have walked away 454 00:28:33,599 –> 00:28:36,599 from the faith of your parents long ago. 455 00:28:36,599 –> 00:28:37,900 Thousands have done that. 456 00:28:37,900 –> 00:28:38,880 Why not you? 457 00:28:38,880 –> 00:28:43,880 Well, you see the arm of the Lord was revealed to you. 458 00:28:46,819 –> 00:28:49,579 You came to realise in your own soul 459 00:28:49,579 –> 00:28:54,579 there really is a God and he is very, very great. 460 00:28:56,900 –> 00:29:00,739 You saw that this God truly loves you, 461 00:29:01,739 –> 00:29:06,599 that he gave himself for you in Jesus Christ. 462 00:29:06,599 –> 00:29:11,599 The unbelieving heart that was in you by nature was changed 463 00:29:13,800 –> 00:29:18,800 and God formed faith in you and you believed 464 00:29:20,540 –> 00:29:23,459 that you became his. 465 00:29:23,459 –> 00:29:28,180 Now God may have done this so quietly, early in your life 466 00:29:28,180 –> 00:29:33,180 that you hardly even noticed but make no mistake, 467 00:29:33,420 –> 00:29:36,699 if you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, 468 00:29:36,699 –> 00:29:40,660 a miracle of grace has taken place in you. 469 00:29:40,660 –> 00:29:44,619 The arm of the Lord has been revealed to you. 470 00:29:45,540 –> 00:29:48,500 Writing to Christian believers 471 00:29:48,500 –> 00:29:53,099 the pastor Charles Simeon says this, 472 00:29:53,099 –> 00:29:58,099 to you, then I say that God has conferred upon you 473 00:29:59,380 –> 00:30:04,380 the greatest gift that you could possess in this world. 474 00:30:06,540 –> 00:30:07,380 Do you see that? 475 00:30:08,380 –> 00:30:13,380 If you believe God has conferred upon you 476 00:30:16,060 –> 00:30:21,060 the greatest gift that you could ever possess 477 00:30:21,280 –> 00:30:23,380 in this world. 478 00:30:24,780 –> 00:30:26,719 By faith your sins are forgiven. 479 00:30:28,160 –> 00:30:31,300 By faith your sanctification has already begun. 480 00:30:32,439 –> 00:30:35,180 By faith your eternal and glorious future 481 00:30:35,180 –> 00:30:37,739 is absolutely secure. 482 00:30:37,739 –> 00:30:41,119 With this gift you are blessed beyond measure 483 00:30:41,119 –> 00:30:44,939 whatever you face in this world. 484 00:30:47,140 –> 00:30:49,640 Now, perhaps at this point you’re thinking, 485 00:30:49,640 –> 00:30:53,979 well, that’s great for those who believe 486 00:30:54,880 –> 00:30:57,880 but what about everyone else? 487 00:30:57,880 –> 00:31:01,780 And here then I want to look at this marvelous truth 488 00:31:01,780 –> 00:31:03,160 from a third angle. 489 00:31:03,219 –> 00:31:06,619 We’ve looked at what we need to know about unbelief, 490 00:31:06,619 –> 00:31:09,479 we’ve looked at what we need to know about faith 491 00:31:09,479 –> 00:31:13,099 and I want us briefly now to look at what you need to know 492 00:31:13,099 –> 00:31:16,680 then about coming to faith. 493 00:31:16,680 –> 00:31:18,619 How’s that then going to happen? 494 00:31:19,640 –> 00:31:20,880 And here I’d like to remind you 495 00:31:20,880 –> 00:31:23,300 of the marvelous statement 496 00:31:23,300 –> 00:31:26,420 in Ephesians chapter two and verse eight 497 00:31:26,420 –> 00:31:27,819 where the apostle Paul says, 498 00:31:27,819 –> 00:31:32,819 For by grace, you have been saved through faith 499 00:31:33,140 –> 00:31:36,739 and this is not your own doing. 500 00:31:37,859 –> 00:31:42,420 It is the gift of God. 501 00:31:43,619 –> 00:31:46,699 Now, I want you to try and take that in together today. 502 00:31:47,900 –> 00:31:51,260 You see, it would be easy to get the idea 503 00:31:51,260 –> 00:31:55,540 that salvation is, well, like buying a car. 504 00:31:55,579 –> 00:31:58,500 You know, a trader has cars to sell. 505 00:31:58,500 –> 00:32:00,300 You have money to buy. 506 00:32:00,300 –> 00:32:03,000 You bring the money and there is an exchange 507 00:32:03,000 –> 00:32:08,000 in which the trader gets the money and you get the car. 508 00:32:09,140 –> 00:32:12,339 And in order to buy the car, you have to have the money. 509 00:32:12,339 –> 00:32:14,780 No money, no car. 510 00:32:16,280 –> 00:32:19,079 Now, you see, some people have the idea 511 00:32:19,079 –> 00:32:21,859 that that is how salvation works. 512 00:32:22,160 –> 00:32:27,160 That God offers forgiveness and everlasting life 513 00:32:27,780 –> 00:32:30,599 and that faith somehow is the coin 514 00:32:31,540 –> 00:32:34,339 with which you purchase God’s salvation. 515 00:32:34,339 –> 00:32:39,339 You bring your faith and salvation will be yours. 516 00:32:42,739 –> 00:32:47,140 But thank God, that is not the message of the Bible. 517 00:32:47,140 –> 00:32:50,140 And I hope that’s clear to you from this verse this morning. 518 00:32:52,640 –> 00:32:57,640 Where would that leave the person who struggles to believe? 519 00:33:01,020 –> 00:33:03,040 Let me speak directly right now 520 00:33:03,040 –> 00:33:05,660 to the person in the congregation who says, 521 00:33:05,660 –> 00:33:09,119 I find it very difficult to believe. 522 00:33:11,579 –> 00:33:14,300 If you knew what I have endured, 523 00:33:14,300 –> 00:33:18,400 if you really understood what is on me right now, 524 00:33:19,280 –> 00:33:22,239 you would understand why I can’t believe. 525 00:33:23,439 –> 00:33:27,140 Believing is something I cannot do.” 526 00:33:30,000 –> 00:33:33,520 Now do you see what you are experiencing 527 00:33:33,520 –> 00:33:36,439 is exactly what is described here 528 00:33:36,439 –> 00:33:38,540 in Isaiah chapter 53 and verse one, 529 00:33:38,540 –> 00:33:41,739 who has believed what he has heard from us. 530 00:33:43,660 –> 00:33:46,619 I know that some people speak 531 00:33:46,660 –> 00:33:49,000 as if believing was easy. 532 00:33:49,000 –> 00:33:50,819 Oh, they say just believe. 533 00:33:52,540 –> 00:33:56,859 But the person who says that really hasn’t understood 534 00:33:56,859 –> 00:34:00,339 that the human heart is wired for unbelief. 535 00:34:02,560 –> 00:34:05,479 Faith is far from easy. 536 00:34:06,880 –> 00:34:09,979 And if the command of God was that we had to somehow 537 00:34:09,979 –> 00:34:14,899 find faith within ourselves and then bring it to Him 538 00:34:14,899 –> 00:34:18,080 as the coin with which we purchase His salvation, 539 00:34:18,080 –> 00:34:21,459 then our situation would be completely and utterly hopeless. 540 00:34:21,459 –> 00:34:23,820 You don’t have the coin with which to pay 541 00:34:25,699 –> 00:34:29,479 if you feel that you do not have it in you to believe. 542 00:34:29,479 –> 00:34:31,760 I have to say to you today, you’re right. 543 00:34:32,560 –> 00:34:35,360 You don’t have it in you. 544 00:34:35,360 –> 00:34:38,899 But the good news is that God is able 545 00:34:38,899 –> 00:34:41,239 to give you what you do not have. 546 00:34:41,239 –> 00:34:43,699 And that’s what is in this marvelous verse. 547 00:34:43,699 –> 00:34:47,100 For by grace, you have been saved through faith, 548 00:34:47,100 –> 00:34:49,899 and this is not your own doing, 549 00:34:49,899 –> 00:34:53,479 it is the gift of God. 550 00:34:53,479 –> 00:34:56,679 Do you see that the faith 551 00:34:56,679 –> 00:35:01,620 by which we receive God’s marvelous gift of salvation 552 00:35:01,620 –> 00:35:05,580 is not some capacity that resides in us? 553 00:35:05,580 –> 00:35:07,820 None of us has that. 554 00:35:07,820 –> 00:35:11,139 By nature, our hearts are wired for unbelief. 555 00:35:11,159 –> 00:35:15,959 Here’s the good news, faith is the gift of God. 556 00:35:15,959 –> 00:35:18,459 And that’s why there is hope today 557 00:35:18,459 –> 00:35:23,399 for every person who struggles to believe. 558 00:35:23,399 –> 00:35:27,899 You say that you can’t believe, 559 00:35:27,899 –> 00:35:33,219 and I’m saying to you from Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 1, 560 00:35:33,219 –> 00:35:38,820 that God’s arm is stronger than your unbelief. 561 00:35:38,820 –> 00:35:48,399 God’s spirit can overcome the power of unbelief in you. 562 00:35:48,399 –> 00:35:52,500 You know our Lord, Jesus, on one occasion 563 00:35:52,500 –> 00:35:57,580 said how hard it is to enter the kingdom of heaven. 564 00:35:57,580 –> 00:35:59,520 He didn’t say it’s easy. 565 00:35:59,520 –> 00:36:02,300 He said how hard it is. 566 00:36:02,300 –> 00:36:06,219 It is easier, Jesus said, for a camel 567 00:36:06,219 –> 00:36:09,219 to go through the eye of a needle 568 00:36:09,219 –> 00:36:12,919 than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. 569 00:36:12,919 –> 00:36:15,679 That’s how hard it is. 570 00:36:15,679 –> 00:36:17,360 And when Jesus said this, the Bible 571 00:36:17,360 –> 00:36:20,620 records that the disciples were absolutely astonished 572 00:36:20,620 –> 00:36:22,419 and they asked the obvious question, well, 573 00:36:22,419 –> 00:36:24,500 then who can be saved? 574 00:36:24,500 –> 00:36:26,639 How could anyone be saved if it’s that hard? 575 00:36:29,179 –> 00:36:32,979 And Jesus looked at the disciples 576 00:36:32,979 –> 00:36:42,719 and he said with man it is impossible, but not with God 577 00:36:42,719 –> 00:36:50,879 for all things are possible with God. 578 00:36:50,879 –> 00:36:57,300 God saves and the first thing he will save you from 579 00:36:57,340 –> 00:37:03,219 is the power of your own sinful unbelief. 580 00:37:03,219 –> 00:37:08,899 So if you find it hard to believe here’s what I want to encourage you to do today. 581 00:37:08,899 –> 00:37:15,060 Draw near to God and tell him what you know to be true. 582 00:37:15,060 –> 00:37:20,080 I don’t have it in me to believe. 583 00:37:20,159 –> 00:37:28,899 And then ask God to save you from the power of your own sinful unbelief. 584 00:37:28,899 –> 00:37:33,780 And God will hear you and God will answer you. 585 00:37:33,780 –> 00:37:41,399 And by his strong arm he will save you. 586 00:37:41,399 –> 00:37:49,560 The arm of the Lord is revealed in and through the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ 587 00:37:49,560 –> 00:37:55,419 which is what we’re looking at right here in Isaiah chapter 53. 588 00:37:55,419 –> 00:38:02,379 And as you look to Jesus to give you what you do not have, 589 00:38:02,379 –> 00:38:07,439 God’s arm will form faith in you. 590 00:38:07,439 –> 00:38:17,800 Now, that’s what happened for the Chancellor as Isaiah chapter 53 was explained to him 591 00:38:17,840 –> 00:38:22,739 sitting in a chariot, riding through the desert. 592 00:38:22,739 –> 00:38:28,780 Faith was formed in him as he read Isaiah 50. 593 00:38:28,780 –> 00:38:33,379 And my prayer for us today and for these weeks that lie ahead of us 594 00:38:33,379 –> 00:38:39,520 is that what happened for him, will happen for you. 595 00:38:39,520 –> 00:38:41,780 Let’s pray together. 596 00:38:41,800 –> 00:38:49,780 Our Father in heaven, form faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 597 00:38:49,780 –> 00:38:57,300 as we look to him and all that he has accomplished. 598 00:38:57,300 –> 00:39:05,600 Father in your mercy, bring us to the place where we are able to say with gladness, 599 00:39:05,600 –> 00:39:12,459 I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 600 00:39:12,459 –> 00:39:20,699 Father, thank you that your strong arm has been revealed in our Saviour. 601 00:39:20,699 –> 00:39:28,199 Grant that in looking to him, we may walk by faith and live by faith 602 00:39:28,199 –> 00:39:34,120 all the days of our lives until faith is turned to sight 603 00:39:34,120 –> 00:39:42,399 and then we enter into the joy of his triumph, forever and forever. Amen. 604 00:39:43,360 –> 00:39:47,100 You’ve been listening to a sermon with Pastor Colin Smith, of Open the Bible. 605 00:39:47,100 –> 00:39:52,239 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN-365 606 00:39:52,239 –> 00:39:57,239 or visit our website, openthebible.org

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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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