FBC Morning Light – September 23, 2023

Christ’s Love and the Call to Imitate God

Good Saturday morning, people of faith. We're going to be reading Isaiah chapter 53 this morning. But before I do that, I want to read a couple of verses from Ephesians chapter 5 for you. Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

The Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53

Now, Isaiah 53. And before I read this, I want to think of being imitators of God here. And there's parts of Isaiah 53 that we might be able to imitate, and there's parts that we clearly cannot. But in the parts that we can imitate, I find one that is extremely challenging to myself, and I want to tell you about that.

Isaiah 53. Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, and yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned, every one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare his generation?

For he was cut off from the land of the living. For the transgressions of my people he was stricken. And they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death. Because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.".

Christ’s Silence Before False Accusation

Well, there's many things here in Isaiah 53 that we simply cannot do and we cannot be. We cannot be the one who bears the sins of all mankind. We can be the ones who have gone astray. That is one that is easy for us to be.

We cannot be the one who is the sinless sacrifice. But there's one thing in here that as I think of being an imitator of Christ that I have great difficulty with doing, and maybe you will be the same way as me, or maybe you have some advice for me.

When it says, he was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. When Jesus received the accusation of the high priests and the false testimony of the witnesses against him at his trials, it says he opened not his mouth against those false accusations.

And I will tell you that when someone makes false accusation against me, I might have an easier time holding back the ocean with a broom than to hold back my defense of myself. And that is, I guess, an embarrassment to me.

So perhaps in the comment section, if you watch on YouTube today, you could give me some advice for how to be more like my Lord when I receive, or when we receive, or when the church receives accusations that are unfounded, that are not true.

Trusting the Heavenly Father Against the Accuser

Now remember, Jesus, when he was then asked, are you the King of the Jews, we were reminded a couple of Sundays ago by a pastor in the Sunday school lesson that that's when he spoke. It is, as you say.

So to affirm the truth about us and to not rail against the accusations that are made, because accusations will be made, we have an accuser who is constantly accusing us before our Heavenly Father, right?

And that accuser has no grounds because of what Christ has done. Help us, or help each other to rely on what Christ has done in the picture that we see here in Isaiah chapter 53. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, may it be that we are more like you, and that as sheep led to the slaughter, that we do not defend ourselves from the false accusation in the manner that is of this world, that we would let you be our shield and our defender first.

It's in your Son's name, Jesus, we pray, amen. Have an excellent day, people of faith.