WHAT THE SERVANT BRINGS
Scripture Text: Isaiah 49:1-6
Introduction: Isaiah 49 is somewhat cryptic; but with a little bit of study it becomes more easily understandable. Let’s just read the passage and then we will take a look at some other passages that will give us a better understanding of what we are reading. For example, some would say that these passages are about Israel. Their evidence might be verse 3. See Isaiah 42:1-7 (Page 547 in the NIV Application Commentary-Isaiah by Oswalt.)
Propositional Statement: Once we understand that Jesus is the Servant spoken of in Isaiah 49; we understand that Jesus’ ministry brings his followers the benefits of position, protection, and deliverance. To the disciples, Jesus remarked that “you don’t know what I am doing.” It was very hard for Peter especially, to accept that Jesus would be crucified. It is a strange concept that the shameful cross could be a glorious victory. A man who dies on a cross no less; bringing position, protection, and deliverance?
I. The Servant Jesus Brings Position When I say position, I mean calling and predestination. Just as Jesus the Servant was called and chosen; so we too are called and chosen. Can you imagine that you are commissioned?
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." (Romans 8:28-30, NASB95)
A. Called – verses 1A. "“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”" (Jeremiah 1:5, NASB95) The Servant has no doubt about his call.
B. Chosen – verses 2B. Select Arrow. Arrows are the tools of the trade for a hunter or for self or national defense back then. They are for a special purpose. The New American Standard says, “select arrow.” As the Servant was a “select arrow” so are we. The Bible says, "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”" (Romans 8:15, NASB95)
Being called and chosen in Christ means that ‘we can find the way that Christ wants us to live out our lives in the fulfillment of His will and calling. …. We can become aware of being a sharpened sword or polished arrow in his hand. This does not mean that we do something earth-shaking; but what may look like simple tasks have more significance. In fact, more significance than we might imagine. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." (Titus 2:11-14, NASB95)
Transition: A characteristic of the verses here in Isaiah is that this is a summation of time. These events, as many prophetic passages occur over a large period of time. If we consider Isaiah 49 a prophetic summation of a large period of time; then we might immediately recognize the huge gulf of time between the prophecy that Isaiah gives about the servant, and the actual time that the Servant appears. There is not communication about the Servant for several hundred years between the prophecies that are uttered when prophets say “thus says the Lord;” and the New Testament revelation that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Another interesting parallel idea is that the same gulf of time changes us from slaves to the law of sin and death; to a time of becoming “children of God” (or as some versions of the Bible say SONS.) We are no longer slaves; but sons. John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name," Galatians says, "So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." (Galatians 4:3-7, NASB95)
What has God called you to? What has he chosen you for? What has he prepared your heart for? Do you consider yourself a slave, or a son? (I like the translation child; because it does not convey gender specifity).
Ephesians explains the majesty of your calling and predestination: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:3-6, NASB95)
II. The Servant Jesus Brings Protection "David said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence. “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies." (2 Samuel 22:2-4, NASB95)
A. Mouth Like A Sharp Sword – verses 2A.
"From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty." (Revelation 19:15, NASB95)
"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, NASB95)
Jesus has the power to (WHAT GOD DOES) "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone, Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness, Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise up her ruins again." (Isaiah 44:24-26, NASB95)
"Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked." (Isaiah 11:1-4, NASB95)
B. Concealed in the Shadow of His Hand – 2A.
"and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by." (Exodus 33:22, NASB95)
"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me." (Psalm 139:7-10, NASB95) When is God’s hand not on your life?
I thought about what Beth Moore said concerning where God is. Is there anytime that God is not with his children? “He even shows up where we don’t want Him!” Think about this…. The cost of knowing Jesus is righteousness, justice, and mercy. Faith without works is dead. A focused faith in Jesus includes exercising the attributes of God. Grace, mercy, forgiveness…. My point is, that sometimes we want vengeance, protection, and all the things that we want for ourselves; but then we do not give that same consideration to others. Everybody likes, or even demands that grace be shown to them; but then does not want the responsibility and hard task of showing that same grace to others. We are like the man who owed the king a great sum of money; but was forgiven his debt. Then the man goes out and chokes the other man who owed him very little. God is there, even then!
We learn from Psalms 121 that God is with us the whole journey; and that there are benefits to knowing Him. Let’s look at that Psalm …. "He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever." (Psalm 121:3-8, NASB95)
God’s children "are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:5, NASB95)
The exhortation for us is: "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23, NASB95)
Transition: Phillipians tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; meaning that we work at it. But, God has also promised, through His Divine Protection, that the salvation that He has began in us, will be completed. Not only has God called His Servants to position and protection in His Servant Christ Jesus; but He has also given us deliverance. Deliverance in the Bible means ‘to rescue.’
Look at the second part of verse 3 in Isaiah 49: “In Whom I will show My Glory”
Remember how I said that these verses in Isaiah reflect a large summation of time? Here in this verse, we find the Servants entire purpose: to show God’s glory. How does the Servant show God’s glory? The answer is: the Cross!
(Frame the timeline of Isaiah 49)- “Can you imagine the difficult lives of those who were taken into captivity to Babylon; and then Isaiah comes along with these encouraging words which we find out are about the man who is to rescue them? The section of Isaiah from Chapter 49:1 thru 52:12 contains the repeated message: God has not cast his people away! “This section is also marked by an increasing intensity of anticipation. Somehow God is going to deliver his people…. (The NIV Application Commentary-Isaiah, Oswalt).” The section of chapter 54:1 thru 55:13 is “marked by an invitation to participate in a deliverance that is seen as accomplished (NIV Application Commentary-Isaiah, Oswalt).” So let me ask you now….. What is in the section between these chapters? Isaiah 52:13 thru 53:12? The change from anticipation of deliverance to participation is realized because the Servant of the Lord gave his life so that God’s people may be restored.
A man who we subsequently find out has spent his strength for nothing and vanity? A man who ultimately dies on a cross! It was a sad day when Jesus died, such a shameful death, even death on a cross. To some, Jesus is still on the cross. Should we see the cross as a pitiful and sorrowful death; or should we understand something more about it? “The people of Isaiah’s day were left with a message. We can imagine them saying…. “Alright, we’re listening and we can believe that God and will restore us from Babylon by means of Cyrus. But who can restore us to God?
1 Corinthians 1:18-21 says, " For the word of the cross is foolishness ……. to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."
Let’s read Acts 2:23: "this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death." It sounds as if the wise and clever idea of the world was to get rid of this man Jesus and quash the glory of God. But, Acts 2:24 says, “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power." While Jesus was still in the grave, the wise and clever had their way and were content with their victory. The death of Christ on the cross! With their own ideas about what brand of law they could live with; they proudly strutted by the general populace. What did Jesus do with that law; but “cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross (Col. 2:14). But, because of Jesus’ great power, it was impossible for anything else to occur but Jesus to be raised from the dead. Colossians 2:15 confirms the glory of the cross and what it means for those who would oppose Jesus. It says, "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him."
Paul says, "But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14, NASB95)
-What verses might give us a clue that Isaiah 49 might be referring to the cross? Let’s read Colossians 1:27, "to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
III. The Servant Jesus Does Bring Deliverance "He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification." (Romans 4:25, NASB95) Have you toiled in vain? Do you need vindication from the injustices of this world? Are you unsatisfied with the mundane drudgeries of everyday life? Do you need vindication, or do you simply need deliverance? I like what Beth Moore had to say about this. She wrote, “If your like me, God is not the one keeping the record. You are. You keep playing the record over and over. You may think that your honoring God with misery over your past mistakes, but your not. Just like I did, your walking in unbelief—not trusting what He promised to do if you’d repent (MasterWork, LifeWay, 2010).”
A. Toiling in Vain– verses 4A. Let me ask you this perplexing question…. and it is only perplexing because we have a hard time understanding; and even imagining how Jesus could have been so much like us, yet also God. I am not talking about unbelief or sin here. Do you really think that Jesus was never discouraged or felt frustrated?
Some theologians want to soften the theology here by saying that Isaiah was simply projecting a prophetic view upon the coming Messiah; but that does not mean that the Messiah actually felt exactly everything that was prophecied. I am not sure that argument works, because then the prophet Isaiah would then be considered inaccurate, and God gave him the very words to use.
Was Jesus ever frustrated? Could he possibly have any feeling of what we go through on a daily basis as we walk this earth? Imagine the scene in the Garden of Gethsemene, and Jesus “said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Here is where it really gets to be a challenge) And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners." (Matthew 26:36-45, NASB95)
In John 11:33, it says that Jesus, “was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,” Further Jesus understood the tragedy of death. Despite the later resurrection of Lazarus here, we must understand that death was not just a triviality. The reality of it hit the heart of Jesus and in verse 35, “Jesus wept.”
Psalms 127 talks about the frustration that we sometimes go through: Vanity in building houses that will not stand. Having watchmen that can’t possibly guarantee our safety. Rising up early and retiring late to get ahead; instead of understanding that Jesus is the One who gives us what we need.
We question whether Jesus the Servant can possibly understand what we go through? What does the Servant Bring? Hebrews tells us that, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15, NASB95)
Oswalt says, “There is no hint of blindness or rebellion in this Servant. Even though his servanthood seems futile, he knows that God will not fail him (NIV Application Commentary, Oswalt).” (This is a recurring theme that will grow from Isaiah 50 thru 53.)
Living our lives trusting Jesus does not mean that we will never feel futility or pointlessness. The clear implication of verse 4 is that Jesus felt this way. How many times did he have to say, “ye of little faith.” “When the disciples failed to grasp the most simple spiritual truth for the fourteenth time, he must have felt that way (NIV Application Commentary, Oswalt).”
“At the end of a hard day of verbal jousting with religious leaders who ought to have been the most responsive and were yet the most recalcitrant, he must have felt that way. …. And when great crowds of people who used to follow him began to drift away, there is something almost plaintive in his question to the disciples, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”
Despite the difficulty, Jesus never lost confidence, and neither should we. He was obedient to his Father in all things. “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of Heaven and earth!”
B. Yet the Justice Due to Me is With the Lord– verses 4B. The Servant relates that in spite of the seeming difficulty of accomplishing anything; that the justice due Him is with the Lord. And again, I might mention the futility that some wise men might count the cross as….
Can you count the frustration that you feel as with the Lord? Can you count on Him to hold your difficulty? Can you entrust the injustices that you have experienced to God? Will you allow Jesus to vindicate you? Isaiah 35:4-6 says, "Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah." (Isaiah 35:4-6, NASB95)
Transition: Verse 4B- And My reward with My God. Jesus knew that salvation is our reward. He knew specifically here that God is the only one who gives His children Justice and Reward. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." So what must be believed here?
Conclusion: Once we understand that Jesus is the Servant spoken of in Isaiah 49; we understand that Jesus’ ministry brings his followers the benefits of position, protection, and deliverance. To the disciples, Jesus remarked that “you don’t know what I am doing.” It was very hard for us to accept that the crucifixion of Jesus could be a victory; but that is how God sent the revelation of who He is to us. It is a strange concept that the shameful cross could be a glorious victory. A man who dies on a cross; bringing position, protection, and deliverance?
(I brought a video for you to watch (The Skit Guys-God Chisels Us/Sermonspice.com) concerning God chiseling our lives down in ways we would not expect. Although it is somewhat witty, it makes several good points. Prayfully consider how God might be changing you. What he might be exposing you to.) Compare the
