(some of the ideas for this sermon I got from an old sermon of my dad’s (also Larry Brincefield). If he had an original source, it is unknown to me. If you recognize anything herein that I need to give credit for; please advise.)
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Title: Bruised Reeds and Smoking Flax
Text: Isaiah 42:1-4
Introduction
1. I love the Book of Isaiah!
I once told someone that if I could be a scholar on 1 book of the Bible...
it would be Isaiah.
Isaiah contains both prose and poetry...
history and prophesy...
it speaks to the people of Isaiah’s day...
and it continues to speak to us today.
2. The book of Isaiah mirrors the Bible...
Isaiah has 66 chapters...
The Bible has 66 books...
Isaiah has 39 chapters dealing primarily with the history of the Israel...
The Bible has 39 Old Testament books dealing primarily with the history of Israel...
Isaiah has 27 chapters dealing with dealing with the future of the Israelite people...
including some beautiful prophesy about Christ, the coming Messiah...
The New Testament has 27 books dealing with the story of Christ.
Isaiah has been called "The Gospel of the Old Testament"...
because of its profuse treatment of Christ.
3. One interesting aspect of the Book of Isaiah are what is called the "Servant Songs"
There are 5 passages of Scripture in the 2nd part of the Book of Isaiah...
that beautifully describe the ministry of Christ.
3 of the 5 specifically use the word "Servant".
Over the next several months...
I intend to give special attention to the Book of Isaiah...
and especially these Servant Songs....
We won’t be studying them every week...
but we will be coming back to them again and again over the next several months.
This morning, I would like to draw your attention to the 1st of these Servant Songs...
Let’s stand together as we read God’s Word: Isaiah 42:1-4.
Body
1. Introduction of Servant
A. Here, in this first Servant Song...
we are introduced to Christ...
God says, "Here is My Servant"...
"He’s the One I uphold"...
He is My Chosen One...
He is the One in Whom I delight"
B. Many years later, when Jesus is baptized by John;
God will refer to His Son in very similar language when He says,
"This is My Son...Whom I love...with Him I am well pleased" Mt. 3:17
In Isaiah, in this 1st Servant Song...
God introduces us to Christ...
He calls Him "My Servant"...
Meaning that Christ will obey His leading...
And then at the baptism of Christ...
God again speaks at the outset of Christ’s public ministry...
when Christ literally begins to fulfill these words in Isaiah 42.
C. Our text describes Christ as One is will quietly work to fulfill God’s plan...
He won’t be arrogant or proud...
just humbly serving the role of a Servant to God’s people.
Matthew 12:18-21 quotes this passage in Isaiah as being fulfilled...
when Christ went around healing those who were hurting and sick...
and then asked them not to tell Who He was...
Matthew 12:15-17 says, "Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, warning them not to tell who he was. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah"
And then Matthew goes on to quote our text from Isaiah...
the longest quote from the Old Testament found in Matthew’s Gospel.
2. Isaiah 42:3 contains a beautiful picture of the work and ministry of Christ.
A. "A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out."
In the lands around Palestine...
people would have been familiar with reeds...
places around the Sea of Galilee...
along the edges of the Jordan River...
there would have been an abundance of reeds.
B. Reeds have hollow stems...
they are quite fragile...
In fact, many times when you see reeds by the waterside...
many of them are knocked over...
They can be knocked over by the wind...
rough waters...
animals that come to the water’s edge to drink...
all can knock over a reed.
people who come to the water to fish...
or use a boat..
can break them down.
In marshy areas, you may see some reeds standing tall...
but you will also find many broken down.
C. Once a reed is broken, it can’t be fixed...
other plants, if you prune them back...
or if they become damaged...
can repair themselves...
and spring forth fresh growth.
But not reeds.
D. In our text, Isaiah isn’t talking about reeds...
he is talking about people.
he is telling us that people can become bruised...
hurt...
knocked over...
In our world, there are many hurting people.
They can be knocked over by the forces of living...
they can be knocked over by other people...
they can be knocked over by disease and sickness..
they can be knocked over by the thoughtlessness and carelessness of other people.
E. There are many people that are bruised...
broken...
and hurting...
they are all around us...
they live next door to us...
they shop where we shop...
they play where we play...
they are even here in this service this morning.
F. And the important message that we see in our text...
Jesus came to have an impact...
not on reeds...
but on people...
He did not come to break a person who was also broken...
Jesus did not come to knock down a person who was already bent low with the difficulties of life...
Jesus did not come to hurt you...
Unlike a reed...which is unable to be fixed after we are broken...
Jesus is able to bind up our broken lives...
He is able to give us new strength...
He is able to apply a healing salve to our damaged lives.
He did not come loud and obnoxious...
He came softly and gently...
to mend the broken reeds of the world.
G. The leper was a bruised reed...
touched my Jesus...
He was diseased...
cast off by society...
shunned by everyone...
destined to a slow and terrible death...
But Jesus came and touched him...
and his life was forever changed!!
H. The demon-possessed man was a bruised reed...
touched by Jesus...
He was living among the tombstones...
naked...
tormented...
cast out by society...
But Jesus came and touched him...
and his life was forever changed!!
I. The woman caught in adultery was a bruised reed...
touched by Jesus...
She was about to be cast away by society...
stoned for her sin...
and they would have been justified in their stoning...
according to the laws of their day...
But Jesus came and touched her...
and her life was forever changed!!
J. The woman with the flow of blood was a bruised reed...
She was in pain...
weak...
weary...
an outcast from society...
She thought she would touch Jesus....
but instead, Jesus touched her in a way that she never dared hope!!
and her life was forever changed!!
K. I was a bruise reed...
I was a man whose first born daughter had passed away...
I was angry and bitter...
I was hurting and depressed...
but then Jesus came and touched me...
and my life has been forever changed!!
L. Jesus is the answer for the bruised reeds in our world...
He is the answer for those who are bruised...
broken...
hurting...
cast aside by society...
He is in the life-changing business!!
3. We also read in our text that a smoldering wick will not be extinguished.
A. The KJV refers to a smoking flax...
flax was used as a wick for an oil lamp...
the message communicated by this phrase is a little different than the bruised reed.
B. Suppose you were in your home during the evening hours...
before the days of electricity...
your only source of light came from oil lamps.
As the day grew dark, you would like the oil lamps.
During the course of the evening...
the lamps begin to go out...
one by one.
all except this one lamp.
it begins to flicker.
It is running low of oil.
The light begins to grow dim.
Before it goes out...
it starts to smoulder...
it starts to give off smoke...
it would give off a strong odor...
if you were standing near, the smoke would probably get in your eyes.
Most people, would probably get up...
put out the light...
and go to bed.
C. Just like the reeds....
the smoking flax represents people too.
These are people who started out well in spiritual things...
their lives were burning brightly...
at one time, they had a good relationship with the Lord.
At one time, they were on fire for God.
D. But during the course of the months or years...
the oil begins to go out...
the light begins to flicker...
and their relationship with the Lord...
that at one time had been so good...
now had become faint and flickering.
E. There is some spiritual life left...
but not much...
it is just about to go out.
Isaiah says that’s when Jesus comes...
He is not going to just put out the light and go to bed...
It is not His desire to destroy what little faith is left in us.
F. It is His desire to...
trim the wick...
to add oil to the lamp...
fan the flame...
not to quench the light...
but to bring it back to greater strength than ever before.
G. The nature of Jesus is gentleness...tenderness...and kindness.
H. There are different ways that our relationship with the Lord may begin to flicker...
Maybe sin creeps into our lives....
maybe pride or selfishness creeps in...
maybe people begin to hang around with the wrong crowd...
Maybe it is neglect of spiritual duties like prayer...Bible Study...and Church attendance.
I. But for whatever reason....
that our spiritual life begins to flutter...
Jesus hasn’t come to put out the flickering flame of your life...
He wants to fan the flame....
He wants to give us more oil...
in the form of His Holy Spirit....
He wants the light to come back burning brighter than ever!
He wants to bring revival for our soul.
J. In Paris, France, there is a famous memorial to the French soldiers who died in the war....
It is called Arc De Triomphe....
Every day, they perform a ritual that is called...
"replenishing the eternal flame".
The ritual consists of a French Officer in the military walking up to the flickering flame....
He takes his sword and touches a button on the base of the memorial.
When this happens, it replenished the oil...
and the flame shoots up...
burning brightly once more.
K. That’s what Jesus wants to do for you!
He wants to replenish you....
He doesn’t want to put the fire out...
He wants to fire you up!!
He want to give you a fresh infusion of His Holy Spirit...
He wants to fan the flame of revival in your heart...
and in our church!!
Conclusion
1. Maybe you are here this morning....
and you are a broken reed...
you are bruised by the cares of life....
you are broken down and hurting...
Jesus does not intend to knock you down further.
He wants to mend your wounds....
to bind you and heal you.
2. Maybe you are here this morning....
and at one time, you were on fire for the Lord...
but now your relationship is waning...
and growing dim...
it is on the verge of going out....
Jesus is here...
and He just wants to fan your flame...
He wants to bring back the light....
He wants to revive your spirit!
And He will do it today...if you will let Him.
#355 "Something Beautiful"
