Behold The Servant-King: Following Jesus Through The Prophecies Of Isaiah Series

Behold the Servant-King: Following Jesus Through the Prophecies of Isaiah

Introduction: Seeing Jesus Before He Was Seen

Church, disciples of Jesus Christ, today we stand on holy ground.

Seven hundred years before Bethlehem.

Seven centuries before a manger, a cross, and an empty tomb.

God was already preaching the Gospel.

The book of Isaiah is not merely ancient poetry or distant prophecy—it is a Spirit-breathed portrait of Jesus Christ. Long before Mary said yes, long before shepherds ran, long before nails pierced flesh, Isaiah saw Him.

And if we are going to follow Jesus faithfully in the 21st century, we must know who He truly is, why He came, and what His coming demands of us.

Today’s sermon is not just about information.

It is about revelation.

It is about salvation.

It is about discipleship.

We are going to behold Jesus as:

The Promised Son (Isaiah 7:14)

The Divine Child and Eternal King (Isaiah 9:6)

The Exalted yet Shocking Servant (Isaiah 52:13–15)

The Suffering Substitute (Isaiah 53:1–12)

And as we behold Him, we will hear His call: “Follow Me.”

Key Texts

Isaiah 7:14 (NLT): “All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT): “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 52:13–15 (NLT): “See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.”

Isaiah 53:1–12 (NLT – selected emphasis):

“Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?

…He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief…

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down…

He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins…

The LORD laid on him the sins of us all…

He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone…

When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied…

He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”

SERMON POINT ONE

The Promised Son – God With Us (Isaiah 7:14)

Isaiah 7:14 (NLT): “All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”

Isaiah 7 is set in a time of political terror. Judah is surrounded by enemies. King Ahaz is afraid. Instead of trusting God, he is tempted to trust alliances and human power.

God responds not with condemnation—but with a sign.

The Hebrew word for virgin is ‘almah’, meaning a young woman of marriageable age, but one who has not known a man. Matthew 1:23 confirms its ultimate fulfilment in Jesus.

And the name matters: Immanuel – ‘El immanu’ – God with us.

This is not God shouting from heaven.

This is God stepping into history.

Max Lucado: “Jesus came not to tell us how to live, but to show us how much God loves us.”

That’s the Gospel right there. Christmas is not God giving advice—it is God giving Himself. Discipleship begins when we realise we are not alone. God has come near.

Matthew 1:22–23 (NLT): "All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfilment of Jewish prophecy.

Greek Insight: Parthenos – unmistakably virgin.

God keeps His promises, even when the world feels unstable.

In a world of anxiety, loneliness, and fear—Immanuel means God has not abandoned us.

SERMON POINT TWO

The Divine Child – The King We Follow (Isaiah 9:6)

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT): “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

This child is born human, yet given divine.

Wonderful Counsellor – pele yo‘ets: beyond human wisdom

Mighty God – El Gibbor: warrior God, not a weak saviour

Everlasting Father – source and sustainer of eternal life

Prince of Peace – sar shalom: ruler who restores wholeness