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
Jesus is not merely a helper.
He is not a life coach.
He is Lord.
Tim Keller: “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that He said; if He didn’t, then why worry about any of it?”
Discipleship is not selective belief. If He is the Mighty God, He gets every part of your life.
Supporting Scripture: Luke 1:32–33 (NLT): "He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Gabriel announces Jesus’ eternal kingship.
We do not vote Jesus into power—He already reigns.
Following Jesus is not adding Him to your calendar; it is surrendering the throne of your heart.
SERMON POINT THREE
The Exalted Servant – Shocking Glory (Isaiah 52:13–15)
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."
God’s Servant will be exalted, but first disfigured.
This prophecy collides with human expectations. Glory through suffering.
Hebrew Insight
Yaskil (prosper): success through obedience
Marred (mishchat): corrupted beyond recognition
John Piper: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
Jesus endured the cross because obedience glorified the Father and saved sinners like us.
Philippians 2:6–11 (NLT): "Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
This was an early Christian hymn of Christ’s humiliation and exaltation.
True discipleship walks the downward path before the upward call.
SERMON POINT FOUR
The Suffering Substitute – Our Salvation (Isaiah 53)
This is the heart of the Gospel.
Substitution Explained
“Pierced for our rebellion” – penal substitution
“The LORD laid on Him” – divine initiative
“He bore the sins of many” – priestly sacrifice
The Innocent One
Imagine standing in court guilty, sentence deserved, when the judge steps down, removes his robe, and takes your place. That is Isaiah 53.
R.T. Kendall: “The cross was not a tragic accident; it was God’s deliberate plan.”
Jesus did not die as a victim—He died as a Saviour.
1 Peter 2:24 (NLT): "He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed." – Greek anaphero (to carry as a sacrifice)
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT): "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." – the great exchange
Acts 8:32–35 (NLT) – Philip preaches Isaiah 53 as Jesus - "The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus."
GOSPEL PRESENTATION
Jesus Christ:
Lived the sinless life we could not live
Died the death we deserved
Was buried, sealing the payment
Rose again, conquering sin and death
Salvation is not earned.
It is received by repentance and faith.
“Everyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” (Isaiah 49:23, NLT)
CALL TO ACTION: Following the Servant-King
For Believers:
Worship Him rightly – He is God
Trust Him fully – He bore your sin
Follow Him daily – take up your cross
For Seekers:
Turn from sin.
Trust in Jesus.
Receive forgiveness and new life today.
Invitation to Salvation:
Friend, if you do not know Jesus—today is your moment.
The Servant suffered for you.
The King reigns for you.
The Saviour calls you.
Repent. Believe. Follow Him.
Conclusion & Benediction:
Church, behold the Servant-King.
“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
May you follow Jesus not casually, not conveniently—but completely.
“May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favour and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24–26, NLT)
Amen.
