February 8, 2004
Title: Servant Songs of Isaiah: Mission of the Servant
Text: Isaiah 49:1-6
Introduction
1. A couple weeks ago, we introduced the Servant Songs of Isaiah...
In the book of Isaiah, there are 5 "songs" that speak about Jesus...
and some aspect of His ministry.
2. We’ve looked at the first one, in Isaiah 42:1-4 several weeks ago...
which served as an Introduction to the "Servant" in the Servant Songs.
"a bruised reed He will not break"...
Christ didn’t come to knock over people already burdened down by the cares of life...
He came to serve, to reinforce, to strengthen...
"a smoking wick He will not put out"...
Christ didn’t come to snuff out what little faith remains...
He came to give us a fresh infusion of Oil...
in the Person of the Holy Spirit...
so that we can burn hotter and brighter than ever before.
3. Since we have been introduced to the Servant Leader, Jesus Christ...
Today, we will look at the Mission of the Servant
Read text: Isaiah 49:1-6
Body
1. First of all, I want you to see that this passage of Scripture is prophetically speaking about Christ...
A. Who else can all these things be said about...but Jesus?
1. Verse 1 says He was called before He was born
Isaiah couldn’t say this about himself, his call took place when he was an adult.
But Christ was so called before He was born...
In Luke 1:31-33, the angel tells Mary, "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end"
2. Verse 2 tells us His Mouth is like a sharpened sword
The writer to the Hebrews tells us, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" Heb 4:12 (NIV)
What was it about Christ that drew people to Him?
Was it the way He dressed?
Was it His masculine good looks?
Surely, He words were effective...
The disciples, on the Emmaus Road said, "Didn’t our hearts burn within us while He was speaking to us" Luke 24:32
The woman at the well said, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" John 4:29 (NIV)
3. Verse 3 says, "You are My Servant, Israel, in Whom I will display My splendor"
This can’t be talking about the nation of Israel...
because in verse 5, the Servant is called to bring Israel back to God...
The word Israel literally means, "He Who will rule as God"
Christ said, in John 17: "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." John 17:4 (NIV)
Christ obviously displayed God’s splendor to a lost and hurtin world.
4. Verse 4 tells us that this Servant said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing" Isaiah 49:4 (NIV)
You might think that is a harsh reflection...
and surely doesn’t refer to Christ...
but think about it for a minute...
Christ’s public ministry lasted for about 3 years...
in that time, we can think of some people’s lives He touched...
but at the end of His life...
where were all His supposed followers?
Listen to the words of Jesus in Luke 13:34, ""O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" Luke 13:34 (NIV)
John 6:60, it tells us that "many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" ...from this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. John 6:66-67 (NIV)
You can sense the heartbreak in Christ...
expending so much effort in His ministry...
but people...by and large...remained unmoved...
He didn’t see many results until after His Ascension...
when, through the power of the Holy Spirit...
people came to Christ by the thousands.
5. Verse 5 tells us that this Servant came to bring the Israelite people back to God...
In Isaiah 11, we read, "a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from His roots a Branch will bear fruit."
and the whole chapter reads as a prophesy of the coming Messiah...
and then, Isaiah 11:12 tells us, "He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth".
Christ came to minister to the Jews...
Many of His earliest converts were Jews...
In fact, Christ Himself felt His purpose was to guide Jews back to God...
In Matthew 15:24, Jesus says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
6. Verse 6 tells us that the Servant serves as a light to the Gentiles...
Isaiah 49:6 is sometimes referred to as the "Great Commission of the Old Testament"
God says, "It is too small a thing to just restore the Israelite people...
I will have You serve as a Light for the Gentiles as well"
When Jesus was a little Baby, Simeon took Him into his arms and said,
""Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." Luke 2:29-32 (NIV)
Jesus Himself said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 (NIV)
In fact, in verse 1 of our text, the Servant’s own words tell us...
"Listen to Me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations"
Since Isaiah 43:1, the book of Isaiah has been addressing the nation of Israel...
but here in Isaiah 49, the theme changes...
and ALL the world must hear.
7. Verse 6 also tells us that the Servant will bring salvation to the ends of the earth...
Jesus tells His disciples, "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8 (NIV)
And Peter tells us that Jesus, " is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
And in the Great Commission of the New Testament, Jesus says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" Matt 28:19 (NIV)
8. That’s quite a description:
called before He was born...
Whose words are sharper than a sword...
Who displays God’s splendor...
Who expressed concern over His lack of impact...
Who came to bring the Jewish people back to God...
Who came to reach theGentiles
and bring salvation to the entire world...
Can you think of anyone else who could fit that description?
Anyone but Jesus?
2. Secondly, I want you to see that, not only does this refer to Jesus...but it refers to His mission.
A. In the first Servant Song, we got just a glimpse of the mission of Christ...
Isaiah 42:1-4 served mainly as an introduction to the Servant...
In those verses, God said, "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight;" Isaiah 42:1 (NIV)
B. But now, we see the mission of Christ expressed in vivid detail
The people of Israel had lost their way...
These were the Chosen People...
God had made a covenant with them...
But they had not kept their part of the bargain...
they had wandered away...
and now, they were without hope...
they had forgotten God...
they had forsaken Him for other gods...
they had been overrun by foreign powers...
they had been dispersed to the ends of the earth...
But Jesus came to reach those who were lost...
He came to restore them back to a right relationship with God...
He came to bring healing...
not only for the lepers...
the blind...
the cripples...
but He brought spiritual healing as well...
He came to bring reconciliation between them and God...
Paul tells us, in Romans 5:11 "we ... rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" Romans 5:11 (NIV)
C. But not the Jewish people only...Christ came to Serve ALL mankind.
Jesus said, "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matt 20:28 (NIV)
He reached out to the woman at the well...
a Samaritan...
and a woman...
which, in that day, was a double curse...
He reached out to Greeks...
And He is still reaching out...
He is reaching out to Britons...
Americans...
Iraqis...
Asians...
His arms are reaching around the world...
drawing all men and women...boys and girls...
to His side...
"Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight...
Jesus loves the little children of the world"
Conclusion
1. And finally, I want you to see that, not only is this Christ’s mission...it is our mission as well...
A. The thing is, Christ’s mission didn’t end when He died on the cross...
Sure...His death purchased our salvation...
so that, once and for all, sin’s penalty has been paid...
but the problem is...although Christ is reaching out to all mankind all around the world...
Not everyone has been reached...
And it’s not Christ’s fault...
He has put His mission upon us...
When we accept Christ as our Savior...
we accept His mission as well...
we become His missionaries...
and there are still plenty of people who haven’t even heard of Jesus...
and of those that have heard...
there are still plenty of people who haven’t responded yet...
so, until Christ comes again...
we have work to do!
B. And I’m sure that many people who try to continue Christ’s mission...
also experience the same pain as Christ...
They might say, with Christ, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing" Isaiah 49:4 (NIV)
It’s not any great mystery that many preachers decide to resign from their Church on a Monday Morning.
They’ve poured their hearts out all week...
studying God’s Word...
preparing the sermon that he/she feels that God has laid on their heart...
they’ve written letters...
called...
they’ve preached the best they know how to do...
and yet they see little return for their efforts...
and it’s not just preachers...
it’s Sunday School teachers...
Board Members...
janitors...
you name it...
if you do regular work for the Church...
there are days when doubts begin to creep in...
and you wonder how effective you are being...
But, we must ALWAYS remember...
God hasn’t called us to be effective...
He has called us to be faithful.
Christ, the Servant in our text, recognized that fact...
In Isaiah 49:4, He says, "Yet what is due me is in the LORD’s hand, and my reward is with my God." Isaiah 49:4 (NIV)
There’s not many preachers who get to preach to stadiums full of people...
and when they give the altar call...
they say, "they are coming by the thousands..."
In fact, when you think about it...
Christ rarely preached to such large groups...
His main ministry lay with a core group of people...
reaching out and touching lives...
one by one by one.
And that’s what Christ has called us to do...
maybe you’ll get the chance to reach thousands at a time for Christ...
but more likely, you’ll just have those times when you wonder if anyone even heard what you were saying...
and the response is small to non-existent...
if so, you’ll know exactly how Christ felt...
and yet, Christ went on to say, "I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength" Isaiah 49:5 (NIV)
2. So Christian, the mission is still the same...
reaching the lost...
Each one win one...
and, if you get down to the end of your life...
and you have faithfully done what the Lord has asked you too...
then, you too, will be able to say, "I am honored in the eyes of the Lord...
and God has been my constant strength"
