At the elementary school where Becky Barnes teaches in Arizona, they had a problem with students throwing rocks. The principal made an announcement over the intercom warning students that anyone caught throwing rocks would be taken home by him personally. Later that day, during afternoon recess, a teacher admonished a kindergartner for throwing a rock.
“Didn't you hear what the principal said this morning?” the teacher said in disbelief.
“Yeah,” replied the lad, grinning from ear to ear. “I get to go home in the principal's car!” (Becky S. Barnes, Arizona, “Small Talk,” Today's Christian Woman; www.PreachingToday.com)
That little boy was in trouble, but he still found something to be excited about. He found hope, and that’s what Christmas and the coming of Christ is all about. It’s finding hope in the midst of our troubles.
Jesus, our hope, came to this earth in the midst of troubling times just as it was predicted by the Old Testament prophets. 700 years before Christ, the people of Israel were facing severe judgment from God because of their idolatry. Isaiah, the Prophet, had warned them that the Babylonians would come, destroy their country, and take those who didn’t die as slaves and prisoners. Yet, even as they faced certain judgment and destruction, Isaiah gave them a reason for hope in four “servant songs” that describe the coming of God’s Special Servant to bring deliverance and joy in the midst of trouble.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Isaiah 42, Isaiah 42, where we find the 1st of those “servant songs” and discover how we can find hope in our troubles today.
Isaiah 42:1-4 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law (ESV).
That is, those in the remotest parts of the earth will hope in His rule. Our hope (yes, even here in Lyons, Kansas, America) is found in God’s Gentle Servant who will not stop until he brings justice to the entire earth. So if you want to find hope in the midst of your troubles…
EMBRACE GOD’S GENTLE SERVANT.
Receive and accept Him into your life. Welcome Him as your Lord and King.
Now, that Servant is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Matthew 12:15-21 makes that very clear. There, Matthew quotes this passage that I just read to you and says this is about Jesus! Jesus is the One “in whom [God] delights” (vs.1). At his baptism, the heavens opened, the Spirit of God descended like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:16-17).
God embraces His son! That’s the meaning of the Hebrew word translated “uphold” in verse 1. It literally means to take hold of something or to grasp it. Well here, God is seen holding His Servant—embracing the one He has chosen to bring justice to the world. And…
You need to embrace Him too as the One who can make things right in your own life. He doesn’t shout or raise his voice to establish his authority (vs.2). He is not like many world rulers (or even some parents) who have to scream and yell to get people to pay attention. No! “His authority is in his character more than in His command” (David L. McKenna, The Communicator’s Commentary: Isaiah 40-66, p.436).
He is quiet and gentle. Verse 3 says, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.” In other words, He doesn’t eliminate those the world considers useless. He doesn’t destroy the life that is dying out. Instead, he saves it. He restores it.
And He will restore your life if you let Him if you embrace Him as your Lord. He won’t force Himself on you, no. In your bruised and broken condition, you have to let Him take control of your life if you want to save it.
He is not like most world rulers who have to force their will on people. His is a quiet, gentle strength that simply invites people to trust Him with their lives. Yet in the end, that quiet, gentle strength is stronger than any force or army the rulers of this world can muster.
In his book The Faith, Chuck Colson describes the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. D-Day was the largest seaborne landing in history. More than 150,000 U.S. troops were committed to the initial invasion, employing 6,900 vessels, 4,100 landing craft, and 12,000 airplanes. Within two weeks the British deployed an additional 314,547 men, 54,000 vehicles, and 102,000 tons of supplies, while the Americans put ashore an additional 314,504 men, 41,000 vehicles, and 116,000 tons of supplies at Omaha. Ten thousand tons of bombs were dropped on German defenses.
In the first hours at Omaha, more than 2,400 died. Over the next few weeks, as the battle progressed inland, the U.S. would eventually lose 29,000 men and more than 100,000 wounded and missing, while the British gave up 11,000 of its finest, and Canada 5,000. And all this was just the initial set of invasions. The Battle of the Bulge and other potentially catastrophic reversals were still to come, but the invasion of Normandy was so massive and successful, that it allowed the Allies to turn every counterattack into another victory. Colson writes, “As if preordained, the outcome was clear; the evils of Hitler and fascism would be conquered.”
Colson then goes on to compare the invasion of Normandy with the invasion of God on Christmas Day. He writes:
“In one sense, the great invasions of history are analogous to the way in which God, in the great cosmic struggle between good and evil, chose to deal with Satan's rule over the earth—He invaded. But not with massive logistical support and huge armies; rather, in a way that confounded and perplexed the wisdom of humanity.
“It was a quiet invasion. Few people understood what was happening. Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew that she was with child… a virgin… pregnant with the Son of God.
“Most of the people in Palestine at the time of Jesus' birth were expecting a Messianic invasion like we saw at D-day – conquerors in armor bringing a sword to set the people free from oppression.
“Jesus only added to the bewilderment of the people who knew Him when He announced: “The time has come… The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15). Was this the time the Jews had waited for, for so long? Liberation? And who was this ordinary Nazarene carpenter to say he was bringing in the Kingdom of God?” (Chuck Colson, The Faith, Zondervan, 2008; www.PreachingToday.com)
He certainly didn’t seem like the powerful King they were expecting.
Herod, the one who styled himself as “The King of the Jews” tried to maintain his control with force. When the three wise men left without telling him where the new baby king was born, he went berserk and ordered the murder of every male child two years old and under in the district. Frederick Buechner says, “For all his enormous power, he knew there was someone in diapers more powerful still” (Frederick Buechner, Peculiar Treasures, HarperOne, 1993, pp. 55-56; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s Jesus, whose gentleness is more powerful than the forces of any earthly ruler.
Jesus is the quiet, gentle ruler, who will not stop until “he has established justice in the earth” (vs.4). One day, the whole world will come under His rule. He died on a cross and rose again to redeem people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). But He is very patient, waiting for you and me to invite Him to be our King and Savior.
My dear friends, if you want to find hope in the midst of your troubles, do just that; embrace God’s Gentle Servant as your King and Savior. More than that, if you want to find hope in trouble…
DEPEND ON GOD’S GREAT POWER.
Rely on the strength God gives His Gentle Servant to set people free from bondage. Trust in God’s power and ability to accomplish your salvation through Jesus Christ, His Son.
Isaiah 42:5-7 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness (ESV).
God says this to His Gentle Servant. The One who has the power to create will give Jesus the power to re-create broken lives.
After discovering how to clone humans, a couple of scientists challenged God:
“We don't need you anymore,” they said. “We can make life by ourselves now.”
“All right,” said the scientists. “We'll do it like you did in the beginning.” Then they reached down to grab a handful of dirt to begin to form a man.
Then they heard God's voice from heaven: “Hold it—get your own dirt!” (J. Richard Love, Ruston, Louisiana; www.PreachingToday.com)
No man can do what God has done in creating the world and giving life and breath to every person in the world. God is all-powerful! And by that power, Jesus will set people free from their bondage to sin and darkness.
He is the One who fulfills God’s covenant promises to Israel, “the people” in verse 6. And He is the One who is a light for the nations, you and me who at one time were separate from God’s promises. With God’s power, Jesus opens blind eyes and sets people free!
John Stevens talks about visiting a museum in Italy where he was struck by four partially finished sculptures. They were figures Michelangelo originally intended to use on the tomb of Pope Julius, but midway through the project he decided not to use them and ceased work on them. He left them with a hand protruding in one place, a torso of a man in another, a leg, and part of a head, but none are finished.
Nearly everyone who sees these works senses the struggle embodied in these figures. It is as though they are crying to break free from the prison of the marble to become what they were intended to be (John H. Stevens, “His Liberating Touch,” Discipleship Journal, July/August 1984; www.PreachingToday. com)
But they cannot liberate themselves. For that, they need the hand of another. You see, you cannot save yourself. You cannot set yourself free from the sin that entraps you. For that you need the hand of God’s Gentle Servant, Jesus Christ. You must depend on God’s power through Christ to be set free and become all that God intends you to be.
In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis tells the story of how a young boy named Eustace becomes a dragon—a very unhappy dragon at that. Eustace steals a gold armband and puts it on, only to find that his greed turns him into a dragon. And the armband is excruciatingly tight on his dragon foot.
One night, in the midst of his pain and frustration, Eustace encounters a huge lion who tells the boy to follow it to a high mountain lake. Eustace longs to bathe his aching foot in the cool water, but the lion tells him he must undress first. It seems silly to Eustace because dragons don't wear clothes, but then he remembers that dragons, like snakes, cast their skins.
So Eustace scratches his skin, and the scales begin falling off—and soon his whole skin peels away. But when he puts his foot in the water, he sees that it is just as rough and scaly as before. He continues scratching at the second dragon skin and realizes there is yet another underneath.
Finally the lion says, “You will have to let me undress you.”
Eustace is afraid of the lion's claws but desperate to get in the water. The first tear is painfully deep as the lion begins to peel away the skin. Surely death will follow, Eustace believes. With the gnarled mess of dragon skin now cut away, the lion holds Eustace and throws him into the water.
Initially, the water stings, but soon it is perfectly delicious. Eustace swims without pain, for he's a boy again (C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Harper Collins, 1994; www.PreachingToday.com).
No matter how hard you try, you cannot scratch away the ugly layers of sin, because the layers of sin go right to the heart. So let Jesus undress you. Let Jesus begin the process of peeling away your sin. Sure, the first tears will feel painfully deep; but soon, you will enjoy swimming in an ocean of God’s love.
If you want to find hope in trouble, embrace God’s Gentle Servant; depend on God’s great power; and finally…
BELIEVE IN GOD’S INFALLIBLE WORD.
Rely on our Lord’s sure and certain promises.
Isaiah 42:8-9 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them (ESV).
God’s prophetic word is sure! If He makes a promise about “new things” to come, you can be certain they will come just as He said. No other god (or idol) can do this.
Out of all the religions of the world, only the Bible contains detailed, predictive prophecy which was fulfilled exactly as prophesied. It’s a sure sign that this Book came from God. For example, there are hundreds of specific prophecies in the Old Testament about Christ’s first coming. There are prophecies about the place of his birth, the date of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the manner of his death, and so on.
Robert Culver says, “About 300 distinct prophecies of Christ lie in the Old Testament. They were like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle… more or less obscure until Jesus came and put them all in clear relation to one another by his career. It has been calculated that the possibility that these would all be fulfilled in one lifetime by one person is one chance in 84 followed by 131 zeros!” (Can I Trust the Bible, Howard F. Vos, editor, p.109-110).
You can trust this Book. It is absolutely reliable. Indeed, you MUST trust God’s Word if you’re going to find hope in troubled times.
Pastor John Onwuchekwa talks about watching the 2021 NCAA Men’s basketball championship game between Baylor and Gonzaga. He said:
“I was watching the game intently, texting my friends as I watched. There came a time when [Baylor] took out one of its star players. And Gonzaga started to make this run. Pastor John was infuriated. He was in a group chat saying, “I can’t believe that they did that. Things are gonna turn out bad.” Then his friend said, “What are you talking about? He’s back in.” And Pastor John realized there was a lag in his internet connection.
As the game went on, the lag started to get worse. The announcer’s voice would say, “And he made the shot.” But on John’s screen, the guy would be dribbling. Then he would shoot it and the shot went in, and Pastor John realized, “Oh, there’s a lag in my connection.” He was so anxious about really wanting Baylor to win that when he discovered there was a lag in his connection, he didn’t log on to fix it. He just let it stay there.
Do you know why? Because he trusted the announcer’s voice. Pastor John knew that the announcer’s word proceeded what would happen, so John let the announcer speak speak. Then John waited and did not worry. He said, “I celebrated when he spoke, not when I saw what took place” (John Onwuchekwa; “God’s People Are A Waiting People,” The Gospel Coalition, 10-22-21; www.PreachingToday.com).
Do you know? In our broken world there is a lag in our connection. So just wait and don’t worry. You can trust God’s Word, which lets you know what is going to happen before it happens. God has never let you down and He never will. Please, believe it!
Embrace God’s Gentle Servant, depend on God’s great power, and believe in God’s sure and certain promises to find light in the midst of your darkness.
In his book Hope Is Contagious, pastor and former pro football player Ken Hutcherson tells the story of a little boy in Chicago who was shot and permanently disabled in a drive-by shooting. Everyone in the neighborhood knew who the shooter was, but no one came forward to identify him. The boy's mother even acknowledged that she drove by the shooter's house every day on the way to work. An educator from Chicago commented to the reporter who was writing the story. He said, “That's what happens when people lose hope. You don't think things will get better, so you just give up” (Ken Hutcherson, Hope Is Contagious, Zondervan, 2010, p.16; www.PreachingToday.com).
Dear friends, please don’t lose your hope. Things WILL get better, because Jesus has come and God has promised “new things” ahead. Just trust Him. Trust in His power. Trust in His Word. And most of all, trust in His Son.
