To this you’ve been called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you might follow in his steps. Now here’s the obvious question. How in the world is that possible? Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m Davy Pick, I’m glad to have you with us today. Colin, it doesn’t seem as if following in Christ’s footsteps would be possible. Yeah, especially when you think about what he endured. Here is someone who has been horribly abused, has suffered physical violence, has been abandoned, has been betrayed, has been denied by one of his closest friends. I mean, the suffering of Jesus is horrific. And you think now, surely anyone who suffers to that degree is going to become angry, is going to become bitter, is going to be filled with a sense of vengeance. And yet you don’t see that in Jesus. When he’s insulted and when people are cursing him, he doesn’t respond in kind. He trusts himself into the hands of his Father who loves him. And here we’re reading that Jesus did these things as an example for us. I mean, that is an extraordinary statement. What a different world this would be if there were people who actually were able to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ when he suffered. And how is that possible? Well, we’re going to look at how God comes to indwell a person who believes by his Holy Spirit. We’re going to look at that if the spirit of Jesus was actually to live in you. And then we’re going to look at how we can trust God to bring about justice, how we can let that be in his hand and thereby become those who exercise and show grace to others even when we’ve been wounded. This is a subject that goes very, very deep in the pain and wounds of our own lives. And it speaks very powerfully to the dividedness and the vindictiveness that so often we see around us in the world. Let’s continue with this as we return to the book of Isaiah in chapter 53 and we continue our message called Submission. Here’s Colin. Like a sheep that before it shears his silence so he opened not his mouth. Now friends, I want to apply this very important verse of scripture to us in three ways today. The first is I want us to see that the submission of Jesus that is the heart of this verse answers a pressing question. I want us to see that the submission of Jesus models a distinct calling. And I want us to see that the submission of Jesus opens a compelling prospect. First then, the submission of Jesus answers a pressing question. Now Isaiah says in verse 5, Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. He tells us in verse 6 that the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. Now someone will say, and you may have heard this charge being made, are you telling me that God the Father punished his dearly loved son Jesus for sins he did not commit? Isn’t that the most grotesque perversion of justice? What kind of father would do this to his own son? And you may have heard this question raised in regard, of course, to the story of Abraham and Isaac. You remember the story of how father and son went up the mountain and Abraham laid his son Isaac on the altar. He was ready to offer his son as a sacrifice to God. What kind of father would do that to his son? It’s a really important question. And I’ve been greatly helped on this by A.W. Pink who points out that Isaac would have been a young man when he climbed the mountain with his father Abraham. So please try and forget any artistic impressions that you may have seen of a young child lying helplessly strapped onto an altar. Isaac was a man in the prime of life and he could easily have overpowered old Abraham who was more than a hundred years old at this time. But Isaac didn’t do that, why? Because Isaac was ready to lay down his own life. And what you have in that remarkable and disturbing story in Genesis and chapter 22 is the story of a father who is willing to give up his son and a son who is willing to lay down his own life and they’re at one in doing what is needed to bring blessing to the world. Now of course God did not allow Abraham to give up his own son. But God did what Abraham and Isaac could only illustrate. God the Father gave up his dearly loved son for us. God the Son gave himself for us. And that surely is the point of verse 7. And that’s why it comes here in Isaiah chapter 53. In verse 6 Isaiah has told us what happened at the cross from the perspective of God the Father. The Lord laid on him the iniquities of us all. And then immediately, so that there’s no misunderstanding, Isaiah tells us what happened at the cross from the perspective of God the Son. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. God the Father and God the Son were at one in doing what it took to redeem you and to redeem me. And you may like to ponder this question, though you’ll never be able to answer it. Which is harder, to lay down your own life or to give up the life of one you love? God experienced both agonies at the same time. God the Father did not spare his own son, but in an agony of heart he gave him up for us all. And God the Son gave himself. The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. He says, no one takes my life from me, I lay it down. And he chose to do it. And he did it because Father and Son were at one in doing all that was needed for this great restoration to be brought about and for you and me to be part of it. The love of God is displayed at the cross because there at immeasurable cost to the Father and to the Son, God accomplished that which is of infinite value to us. He saved us, he redeemed us, he reconciled us to himself. So this submission of Jesus that we see so clearly in Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 7, it answers a very pressing question. And secondly, the submission of Jesus models a very distinct calling. Now if you turn to 1 Peter and chapter 2, you will see that the end of that chapter in the New Testament is really an apostolic exposition or explanation of the verses that we are looking at in Isaiah and chapter 53. 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 21, we read these words, For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you might follow in his steps. Now Peter is telling us here very clearly that the submission of Jesus stated so clearly in verse 7 of Isaiah 53 that this is actually a model for us. Jesus aligned himself completely with the will of the Father and God calls us to do the same. So Peter is writing to Christian believers and he says, To this you have been called. In other words, as a Christian, you have a distinct calling from God. We share this calling together, to follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ and to do it especially when we suffer. Now we all suffer, of course, in many ways, but Peter is speaking especially about times when we, like Jesus, suffer injustice. Verse 19 he says, It is a gracious thing when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. Unjustly. Jesus suffered unjustly and that will be part of our experience too. Now here’s the question. What would it look like to follow the example of Jesus when we suffer? Now I want you to notice that Peter identifies two temptations that come to us when we suffer unjustly. The first is the temptation to revile. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. Now this word revile, of course, is where we get our word revulsion, which gives you a sense of it. To revile another person is to treat them with absolute disdain and contempt. To renounce them. To view them with absolute disgust. To revile. And if you suffer unjustly, you will be tempted to revile the person who caused you to suffer. Anger and resentment will come knocking on the door of your heart and bitterness, hardness of heart and even hatred will not be long behind. That’s the first temptation that will come to you when you suffer unjustly. And notice the second that Peter makes very clear. It is to threaten. When Jesus suffered, he did not threaten. Now think about how Jesus could have threatened the soldiers who nailed him to the cross. You’re doing this to me now, but the day of judgment is coming. Just you wait. But Jesus didn’t do that or anything like it. Instead, as they nailed him to the cross, he said, Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing. Jesus was repeatedly wronged. He suffered one injustice after another and he was innocent more than any of us could ever be. But he did not threaten and he did not revile. And Peter says to this, you’ve been called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you might follow in his steps. Now here’s the obvious question. How in the world is that possible? How is it possible for a person who has suffered serious injustice not to be filled with anger, bitterness, a desire for revenge? How is it possible for ordinary people like us to become like Jesus in his suffering? We’ll come back to hear the answer to that question in just a moment, so please stay with us. This is Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called Submission, part of our series The Gospel According to Isaiah. And if you ever miss one of our broadcasts, you can always go online, go back, catch up, and again, go to openthebible.org.uk. All of the previous messages are available on the website, so by the time the series finishes at the end of this month or thereabouts, the whole series will be available on the website. Back to the message now, here’s Colin. How is it possible for ordinary people like us to become like Jesus in his suffering? And that takes us to the last thing that I want us to see in this remarkable verse today, that the submission of Jesus opens a compelling prospect. And friends, it’s on my heart that if ever there was something needed in our world today as a distinctive witness to Jesus, this is it. If you were to pick one word that described the mood of our times, I wonder what word you would pick. I think I would choose the word angry. And I want you to imagine this for a moment. Imagine a community of people who follow the example of Jesus in how he suffered. Imagine the impact of that. Imagine the impact of a community of people who, when they suffer, do not become bitter when they’re treated unjustly. They don’t revile. They don’t threaten. They choose to love rather than hate. You say, how is that possible? And the answer surely is twofold in the scriptures here. It’s possible when the Holy Spirit lives within you. Following the example of Jesus is not something that any of us can do in our own strength. But you know, it is possible when the Holy Spirit lives within you. Peter uses a very striking phrase, and he uses it twice here. First in verse 19, he says, this is a gracious thing. A gracious thing. When mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. He says it’s a gracious thing. Now that’s more than simply you being gracious. It means that something has been given to you that you did not have in yourself. The Holy Spirit is reproducing in you the very likeness of Jesus. And then this is so important that Peter says it again in the very next verse, verse 20. For if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this is a gracious thing. In the sight of God, it’s something that’s given to you. You’ve received something that you would not have had simply in and of yourself. When you act like Jesus, you give evidence that the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God himself lives in you. And the compelling prospect of a community of people who follow the example of Jesus, it’s possible not only when the Holy Spirit lives in you, but secondly, when you know that God is just. If you’re going to follow the example of Jesus, this is what you need to know. You have to know in a world of so much injustice that there really is a God who is just. And do you see that that’s what Peter says right here about Jesus? When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten. How? He continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. You see what Peter is saying? How was it that Jesus did not revile? How was it that he did not threaten? How was it that he overcame the dark powers of anger and bitterness and resentment and hatred that threaten to possess our souls when we are treated with injustice? Well, he overcame it because he knew that God is just and he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. And notice this was not like a decision that was made in one point of time and then it was all fine there afterwards. No, Peter makes it very clear. He continued to do this. He had to do it again and again and again. When he was betrayed by one of his own disciples, Jesus trusted himself to the Father who judges justly. And when he was falsely accused, he trusted himself into the hands of the Father who judges justly. When there was no justice for him in the court of Pilate, what did he do? He trusted himself into the hands of the Father who judges justly and when he endured unimaginable physical pain, what did he do? He trusted himself into the hands of the Father who judges justly. There will be justice for me. And there was. On the third day, the Father raised him up from the dead and exalted him to the highest possible place. Now as we bring this to a conclusion today, let me ask you this very practical question. What is going on in your life that might tempt you to become angry, resentful, or even bitter toward God or towards another person? What is there going on in your life that may face you with these temptations? We all suffer in various ways and we all face injustice at various points in our lives. Now how are you going to respond? God calls you to do what Jesus did. He aligned himself with the will of the Father and that’s why he did not revile and that’s why he did not threaten, shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given to me? God’s Holy Spirit is given to you so that you may follow the example of Jesus. And here’s how you gain victory over the dark powers that threaten your soul. You trust your suffering into the hands of God. You believe that he is just, that he will do what is right, and you leave him to deal with those who oppress and afflict you. And then you ask that by his Holy Spirit he will give you all that you need so that you will be able to shine like a light in this dark and angry world because you follow the example of Jesus. You’ve been listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and the message Submission, one of the 12 messages in our series The Gospel According to Isaiah, which is a comprehensive series about Isaiah chapter 53. And remember if you ever miss one of the series you can always go online, catch up or go back and listen again. Go to openthebible.org.uk. There you can stream any of the previous messages right through from the beginning. Also on the website you’ll find Open the Bible Daily. This is a series of short two to three minute reflections written by Pastor Colin Smith and read by Sue MacLeish. I asked Sue about the subject for the next series of Open the Bible Daily. Well over the last two months we’ve reflected in some detail on just one Old Testament chapter, Isaiah 53, Isaiah’s extraordinarily prophetic account of the life and death of Jesus. For the September and October reflections, Pastor Colin takes us to the New Testament to look closely at St Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians. There’s a great deal to think about here and as always there’s a pertinent thought or question to carry into each day. You can find Open the Bible Daily on our website openthebible.org.uk. Go to resources and then click on Open the Bible Daily. There’s a new reflection every day. If you click on Listen Now you can also read the text of each reflection as Sue reads it. For Pastor Colin Smith and Open the Bible, I’m David Pick and I very much hope you’ll join us again soon. Everything that happened in the arrest, trial and sentencing of Jesus was prophesied by Isaiah hundreds of years before it happened. Discover what Isaiah actually wrote next time on Open the Bible.