For this is the will of my Father, notice how clear this is, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick, and I’m glad you’ve been able to join us today. Colin, many of us have asked that question, what is God’s will for my life? And here we have Jesus telling us what His Father’s will really is. Yeah, that’s right. There’s a very important distinction between the will of God that is revealed and the will of God that is kept secret, and it’s important to remember that distinction. That’s in Deuteronomy chapter 29 and verse 29, the secret things belong to the Lord. And so there are many life decisions in which we need to discern by testing, the Bible says, in other words, by exercising wisdom and wise judgment that’s informed by the Scriptures. But alongside what God has kept secret, there’s what God has revealed, and that’s what we’re looking at in the Scriptures together today. And listen to what Jesus says about the revealed will of the Father. This is the will of my Father. Now hold your breath and say, now what’s coming next? That everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life. And Jesus says, I will raise him up on the last day. That’s the will of God, that as you look to the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have eternal life and you will be raised up on the last day. That is a marvelous promise. And we’re going to look at how it applies to us in the program today. Let’s go ahead and do just that. If you can, join us in Isaiah 53 verse 10 today as we continue our message, Resurrection. Here’s Colin. The Christian life at its heart is Jesus living his life in and through you. Now try and take this in. It will help you. In Christ, you are more than a disciple. In Christ, you are more than a servant. In Christ, you are more than a person doing his or her best to follow the example of Jesus. In Christ, you are his offspring. And his life is in you. The Holy Spirit dwells within you. And what that means is that something of the love and the patience and the peace and the wisdom and the strength and the perseverance and the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ are actually in you by virtue of the fact that his presence is in you. He is in you. Nourish this life that is in you. And it will grow. Now this is something very wonderful that Isaiah is telling us here. God’s will prevails. And it prevails through not only the death of Jesus but through the resurrection of Jesus. And it prevails through the resurrection of Jesus because he will bring many children to birth. And then Isaiah gives us a second reason why the will of God prevails through the resurrection of Jesus because he says he will live forever. Look at what he says. He shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days. So the promise is not only that Christ will have offspring. The promise particularly is that Christ will see his offspring. Now people who have children may live to see their grandchildren. Some will live to see their great-grandchildren. But usually that’s about it. But do you see here that with Jesus it is so very different? Isaiah says he shall prolong his days. He’s pointing to the fact that in the resurrection the Lord Jesus Christ lives forever. And he will see his offspring in every generation. This is clearly a reference to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He rose from the grave in the power of a new and eternal life. And he sees his offspring in every generation. He knows each of his children by name. And he is intimately involved in each of our lives. Now again here is something very wonderful for us. The life of Jesus is in his offspring. So what is true of Jesus that he has risen to an eternal life, that he lives forever, will also be true of his offspring as well. Jesus was the first to rise from the dead. But the scripture is very clear that we who are in Christ also will rise. Jesus enjoys an eternal life. And because Jesus himself by his Holy Spirit is in us, we too will live forever. This is the plain promise of Jesus. He said, because I live, you will live also. Brothers and sisters in Christ, can you try and take this in today? It is so wonderful. You will live forever. You’ll live forever. Because you’re in Christ. And his days are prolonged. He lives forever. And what is true of Jesus is also true of his offspring. Now this marvelous promise for the future, we shall rise to an everlasting life. This promise for the future is given to help us now. All the promises of the Bible help us today in the realities that we face. So how does this truth that you will live forever, how does this truth actually help you now? Well, let me give you two examples of the ways in which the Bible applies this truth to the harsh realities that we face in our life in this world. First, the Bible applies this truth to times when we fear the rising tide of evil. We all know what it is to feel distressed over the rising tide of evil in our world. And when we feel that distress, the Bible directs us to look at the world’s defiance towards God from an eternal perspective. Take for example, Psalm 92. Though the wicked sprout like grass, coming up all over the place, and all evildoers flourish. So this is just evil being rampant everywhere. And though that happen, here is what scripture says to us. They are doomed to destruction forever, but you, O Lord, are on high forever. Now do you see that if we look at the world simply from the perspective of our own little lifespans, we very quickly get ourselves distressed and discouraged. We say to ourselves, well, now it looks like evil is taking over. We fear that everything will be lost, and we find ourselves increasingly in the grip of anxiety or of anger. But you see what the scripture says to us at times when we see the rise of evil. Evil and wickedness flourishing. Scripture points this out, that those who defy God are only around for a very short time, and then they are gone forever. Think about it. The enemies who defied God in the seventh century are all gone. The enemies who defied God in the ninth century, where are they? All gone. And the eleventh century, and every other century. See, this is what the scripture confronts us with. Psalm 37 makes this point very clearly. Do not fret over evildoers. You look at that in Psalm 37, verse 1, you say, don’t fret over evildoers. Why? Why should I not fret over them? The answer is given in verse 2, for they will soon fade away like grass. From God’s eternal point of view, the wicked are here today and gone tomorrow. But God is everlasting. Jesus rose to an eternal life. He shall prolong his days, and you are his offspring. You have life everlasting. The wicked will soon be gone, but you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What an encouraging place to pause for a moment. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and the message, Resurrection. And don’t forget, if you ever miss one of our messages, you can always go online to openthebible.org.uk. There, you can go back or listen again to any of our previously broadcast messages. The website address again is openthebible.org.uk. You can also find our messages as podcasts on your regular podcasting site. Search for Open the Bible UK, look for the purple banner, and subscribe to the podcast to receive regular updates. This is the tenth message in our series, The Gospel According to Isaiah, and we’re returning now to the final part of Resurrection. Here’s Colin. The Bible also applies this wonderful truth that you will live forever to times when we feel the shortness of life. You see this, for example, in Psalm 102. David knew all about this, and there’ll be times when we feel this very deeply ourselves. David says in Psalm 102, My days are like an evening shadow. I wither away like grass. Now, older people know what it is to say, where have all the years gone? How could they have passed by so very quickly? But you know, it’s not just those who are older who feel the shortness of life. You lose a loved one, your father, your mother, a sister, a brother, a very close friend, and suddenly because you were very close to this person and they’re gone, you have a profound and new awareness of your own mortality. You’ve not thought about it much before, but now it’s in your mind. One day, I’ll be gone too. You receive a diagnosis of a serious illness, and suddenly you realize that the life that seemed to stretch out long in front of you, it may be shorter than you thought. My days are like an evening shadow. Now, these are the realities of life. Where do you go when that is your reality? Well look where David goes in Psalm 102. My days are like an evening shadow. I wither away like grass, but you, O Lord, are enthroned forever. And then later in the same psalm, as David meditates on this wonderful truth, he says this, he has broken my strength in midcourse. He has shortened my days. And then he says to God, but you are the same, and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure, their offspring. And as the offspring here again, shall be established before you. Now of course, David could not see all that we see this side of the empty tomb, but he knew and he believed that there would be offspring and that it would be well for the offspring. And in the light of the empty tomb, in the light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know why Christ is risen. And when the days of God’s children are shortened on earth, they shall dwell secure. That’s what’s said here in this wonderful verse. They shall dwell secure. They shall be established in the presence of God. They’ll be living, reigning, rejoicing with him forever. You know, the Puritan Thomas Manton said this very beautifully. He said, Christ’s life was not shortened by his death, but prolonged. So shall yours be, if you have an interest in Christ. Try and take that in. Death will not make your life shorter, but longer. You say, how can that be? Well, it will prolong your days because in Christ, it will be for you an entrance into life everlasting. God’s will prevails. It prevails through the resurrection of Jesus. Why? Because the risen Lord Jesus Christ will bring many children to birth. And the risen Lord Jesus Christ lives forever. And then Isaiah points us to this third wonderful truth, that God’s will prevails through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, because he himself, Christ, the risen Lord, will accomplish it. The will of the Lord, Isaiah says, shall prosper in his hand. Try and take this in today. It will strengthen you in whatever you are facing. The risen Lord Jesus Christ ascended at the right hand of the Father. He is not kind of remotely and passively just watching what is going on in the world. He is actively engaged every moment in getting God’s will done. What’s he doing? He’s bringing people to new birth. He’s giving us the strength that we need for the trials that we face. He’s hearing and he’s answering the prayers of his own people. And when it is God’s will, he will bring each and every one of us into his own nearer presence in glory. And notice that Isaiah says, the will of the Lord shall prosper, prosper. See, we look at the world and its defiance toward God, and it looks as if God’s will is barely getting done. But you see, faith sees beyond the chaos of the world around us and believes this promise. The will of the Lord shall prosper in the hand of Jesus. And notice that it’s in his hand, not in ours. All that God has planned will come to pass in and through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That’s what Isaiah is telling us so wonderfully here. We read earlier from the book of Hebrews in chapter four about the marvelous day when the Lord Jesus Christ shall complete his work of bringing many children to glory. And Hebrews paints this marvelous picture. The Son of God himself, the risen Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of the Father, and all of his redeemed children are gathered around him. And there he says, Father, here I am, and here are all the children that you have given to me. They’re all here. I’ve brought every one of them home, and not one of them has been lost. Jesus will get the will of God done. And I want to end today with this, that he tells us very, very clearly what the will of God is. Let me read to you the words of Jesus from John in chapter six. He said, I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. Isn’t that a marvelous assurance for you as a Christian believer? The Lord Jesus died to save you. He lives to keep you, and he will never, never, never let you go. And then Jesus says something else. For this is the will of my Father. Notice how clear this is, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. You couldn’t have a clearer statement of the will of God than that, that if you will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have eternal life. That’s the will of the Father, and Jesus gets it done. This is why he died and why he rose. This is why he gave himself as a sacrifice. This is why he lives now at the right hand of the Father, to get God’s will done. What this means for you is that if you will believe in him, he says, you will have eternal life, and you will be among that great company of people who one day will be gathered around him in the presence of the Father, brought safely home by Jesus Christ himself. The will of God is your salvation, and Jesus will get it done. The will of God is your sanctification, and Jesus will get it done. The will of God is your preservation, and Jesus will get it done. The will of God is your glorification, and Jesus will get it done. The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand, and if your life is in the hand of Jesus, you have nothing to fear. So as we finish our message, Resurrection, it begs the question, is your life in the hands of Jesus? If you haven’t made that step of commitment, you can change that today with a simple prayer of commitment, asking the Father to forgive your sin in the name of Jesus, and committing your life to him. If you take that step, we’d encourage you to go and talk to somebody about it, maybe a trusted Christian family member or a friend, or go along to a local church fellowship. Go and meet with the pastor, or speak to any of the regular members of that church. You’ll receive a warm welcome, and they’ll encourage you in the step that you’ve made. And why not write to us and tell us about it? We’d love to hear from you. You can email us at hello at openthebible.org.uk. We’d love to hear your thoughts about Pastor Colin Smith’s messages, or about anything to do with the program. You can also find us on social media, on X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Search for Open The Bible UK. And when you see one of our posts, please like it, or better still, repost it, so that all your followers will hear about Open The Bible. 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 ask 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. How is it possible for God to forgive us? Find out next time on Open the Bible.