THE PREPARING OF GOD’S SERVANTS
Isaiah 49:1-6 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me.” And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.’ Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is with the LORD, and my work with my God.’ ”“And now the LORD says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, And My God shall be My strength),indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
EVERY CHILD OF GOD HAS A PURPOSE
Isaiah 49:1 The LORD has called Me from the womb … From the matrix (belly) of My mother He has made mention of My name
Psalm 139:15,16 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
God knows us by name His purpose has been predetermined for us…… Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We have a destiny in Jesus Christ that is brought forth through salvation, Spirit Filling and submission to the will of God
PURPOSE CANNOT BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT PREPARATION
God calls us, mentions us by name, but in order to use us he has to tame our fleshly or carnal nature – this is the learning of submission to the Holy Spirit found in Isaiah 49:1-6, and realized in Jeremiah 1:11-12 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”
The Picture of Preparation - 5 things we need - the Word, Faith, Character, Timing and Grace
• WORD - He has made My mouth like a sharp sword – Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Isaiah 50:4 “The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
God prepares us through the study, meditation and application of His word learned through life experiences…so we can speak a word in season…to him who is weary … Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
• FAITH - In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me – this is the place of being hidden – most people of God experience this for Moses 40yrs in the desert, for Joseph the Pit and the Prison before the Palace, for Jesus 30yrs before His ministry -
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty … read rest of Psalm
• CHARACTER - And made Me a polished shaft – the shaft of the arrow is one of its most important components – a crooked shaft misses its target so it needs to be straight to fly truly to its target – the arrow head speaks of ministry – “polish” means to clarify, examine, to purge so as to brighten – during Isaiah’s time preparing an arrow was a detailed process – they would use Acacia wood which though strong was crooked and knotted – to straighten the wood they would:
1. Pluck the leaves - pruning
2. Put the wood in a frame which would stretch it and slowly straighten it - purity
3. Pour oil on the shaft to soften it - anointing
4. Finally sand it and coat it again with oil - refining
We can liken this process to God’s character adjustment so that we are ready to receive the tip of the arrow(ministry)
Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts.
Deuteronomy 8:2 “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
• TIMING - In His quiver He has hidden Me - Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law
God has a perfect timing for our lives
• GRACE - I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is with the LORD, and my work with my God
1 Peter 5:5-6 “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
PREPARATION BRINGS US TO THE POINT OF RELEASE
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ - the arrow needs an archer to release it so that it can hit its target
The continuing ministry of Jesus Christ is through His Church – who are we to question the preparation of God when we understand His target – salvation to the ends of the earth –
Isaiah 49:7-9 Thus says the LORD, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him whom man despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, Because of the LORD who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel; And He has chosen You.” Thus says the LORD: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ “They shall feed along the roads, and their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.
