The Faithful Servant of the Lord

Introduction

Connection:

Hurting, Suffering, Afflicted, Scarred, Grieving, Aching, Disturbed, Distressed—Bruised and Faintly Burning. Do any of these define your experience over the last 6-8 months? This church has gone through a lot recently. This church has been tested by the Lord. But you are still here this morning. And why is that? Because you love the Lord Jesus Christ and you love his people. You are pressing on, knowing that your labour is not in vain. You want to see the Kingdom of God come in Calvary, and through Calvary, by the grace of the Lord. I commend you for this. The church is God’s plan A. Jesus promised to build his church, grow his church, preserve his church, and empower his church. But he also promised to heal his church. His Kingdom comes with spiritual healing. This church is in need of healing and restoration. As your new pastor, my desire (and the desire of the Elders board) is that you would find that healing and restoration in the Lord Jesus Christ. Will it be easy? No. Will it be worth it? 100%.

We are in a battle after all—fighting against the kingdom of darkness. All the enemies of heaven assail us day by day. But Jesus is the victorious King. In His strength, we press on. King Jesus suffered and was then exalted. This too is our path. We fight with promised victory through our trials and suffering. Thus, we need healing and strength that we would continue to live valiantly for the Kingdom of God—with confidence that our fight shall not be in vain. The good news is that our victory is secured and promised by the Risen King. So we pray: your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Theme: The Faithful Servant of the Lord

Read Text: Isaiah 42:1-4 - ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) Jesus is the Chosen Servant - v. 1a

English Standard Version Chapter 42

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

Who is this servant that the Father is directing our gaze to? Why is he so important? Why does he deserve our attention? The prophet Isaiah was wise. If you want to know why this Servant is so important, you need to understand why every other option is ultimately an idol, weak, useless, and a delusion. Jesus is the only one who deserves our gaze of faith—our look of trust. We are to behold Him! Not worthless idols.

In the book of Isaiah, the Lord declares his peculiar glory over and against the false-gods and idols. Here are some of the things that the Lord says about idols in the book of Isaiah:

40:19: “An idol! A craftsman casts it … and it can’t even move”

42:17: “They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, ‘you are our gods’”

44:9: “All who fashion idols are nothing”

57:13: “When you cry out, let your collections of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them all off, a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain”.

Do you see? Idols are man-made gods which have no power, no worth, no value, no inherent glory! They are so weak that they fall by the wind! And they take us with them.

But here is the bad news. We are all prone to idol-making, and idol-worship. Because idols are not just an outward reality, they are also an inward reality.

He who loves anyone or anything above God, sets up an idol in his heart which steals his affection that is due to the one, true and living God. Sin is idolatry. Sin is rebellion. Sin is stupidity. Our natural sinful hearts would rather form a god out of the dust of this earth, rather than worship the eternal God of heaven and earth—The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the blessed Trinity. We all have idols that need to be torn down, day-by-day.

So what is the solution then? What is this God going to do? This God, the true God, does not tell us to save ourselves, heal ourselves, try-harder, or work-longer. What does He tell us to do? He tells us to BEHOLD: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights!”

Behold my Servant, says the Father. Look at him! Don’t look at the idols. Don’t look at the weak, ugly, powerless, and gross idols. Don’t fix your gaze upon them. They are false gods. They are marked by sin. But my Servant! Oh look at my Servant! Behold my Servant, Jesus Christ!

He is the eternal God, the second person of the Trinity, who is the eternal Son of the Father, who is eternally begotten. Look to Jesus Christ! He is infinite in power, infinite in worth, infinite in value, and infinite in glory! His glory shines brighter than a thousand suns. He is the radiance of the Father. He is the image of God. He is the very one whom the Father has chosen to be the Savior of the world. He is the very One who eternally shares in the infinite delight of the Father, in the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who shares in the glory of God—He is the everlasting God.

In Isaiah 42 we are told to Behold him as the Servant of the Lord. In John 1 we are told to Behold him as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. This is the One who is worthy of our attention. Hear me out Calvary. This is the One who deserves your gaze of faith.

In particular, we are told to Behold him as the Servant of the Lord. What? How is Jesus the Servant of the Lord? He is the Lord himself, is he not? Ahh, you see, here is the greatest mystery of the faith—Jesus Christ who is the everlasting Lord, became man—born of the Virgin Mary, for us men and for our salvation, that he might save us from our sins! It is this Jesus Christ, in his humanity, who is the Servant of the Lord. The Lord becomes the servant so that unfaithful servants can come to the Lord. This is the Servant that we need to Behold.

Philippians 2:6-8 declares that “Jesus Christ, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”.

This eternal Son of God who became man—the Godman—who is infinitely delighted in by the Father, it is Him that we must behold. And as we behold him, we share in his very sonship. We share in the glory that he had with the Father before the foundation of the world. We share in the everlasting love of the Father. Why? Because by faith, we become one with this Servant. By beholding him, we share in the fullness of Jesus Christ and his Benefits. The Father delights in His Son—and He shares that delight with those who are united to Him. Lift up your head, oh weary Christian, you share in the infinite delight and love of the Father. If you are beholding this delightful Servant of the Lord by faith, then it is in Him that your identity rests.

Matthew Henry writes: “The Father declared himself well pleased in Christ (Mt. 3:17; 17:5), and therefore loved him, because he laid down his life for the sheep. Let our souls delight in Christ, rely on him, and rejoice in him; and thus let us be united to him, and then, for Christ’s sake, the Father will be well pleased with us.”

There, beloved saint, is healing-power. Stop trying to work for the love of God—find it infinitely in the Person of Jesus Christ, and share in it as you become one with Him by faith alone.

(1) Jesus is the Chosen Servant.

This leads us to our second point:

(2) Jesus is the Empowered Servant - v. 1b

English Standard Version Chapter 42

I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Do you see that in the second part of verse 1? “I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations”.

What is this chosen and delightful Servant of the Lord commissioned to do? To bring forth justice to the nations. Christ is empowered to bring the Kingdom of God to every nation, tribe, and tongue. To set up his redemptive reign and rule in the hearts of his people. To transfer weary sinners from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. And how will he do it? By the Holy Spirit who upholds him, fills him, and empowers him for that very task!

It is the Holy Spirit, the eternal breath of God, the third Person of the Trinity, who agrees to empower this chosen Servant for the work given him by the Father. The Spirit of Power shall strengthen the Godman in his mission.

Richard Sibbes, an old Puritan pastor, writes this: “See here, for our comfort, a sweet agreement of all three persons: the Father gives a commission to Christ; the Spirit furnishes and sanctifies to it, and Christ himself executes the office of a Mediator. Our redemption is founded upon the joint agreement of all three persons of the Trinity”.

This Holy Spirit causes his birth as the incarnate man, filled him without measure, so that he would fulfill his task of redemption in his life, death, and resurrection, and then Jesus poured out this very Spirit upon his Church, applying his Kingly riches to his very own people. The riches of the King, the riches of the Kingdom, they all comes to us by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit, Jesus will bring justice to the nations, he will bring the Kingdom of God.

Richard Sibbes again writes that: “By justice here is meant the kingdom of grace in us, that government whereby Christ sets up a throne in our hearts. By this kingdom set up in us, good is discerned, allowed, and performed; sin is judged, condemned, and executed. Our spirit, being under the Spirit of Christ, is governed by him, and, so far as it is governed by Christ, it governs us graciously.”

Romans 14:17 says that the rule of Christ, his kingdom, “consists in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”.

The Kingdom of God is the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of the New Creation, where Jesus is presently reigning and ruling from the right hand of the Father. This Kingdom of the world to come, breaks into this present age as the Spirit gives us new life, and brings us under the rule of King Jesus.

During this phase of the Kingdom of God, it is primarily spiritual (Jesus said that my kingdom is not of this world). The rule of Christ comes to us by the Spirit of Christ before it comes to us physically. Thus, his reign and rule takes its seat in our very hearts as He makes us more holy, day-by-day. One day he shall come physically to bring in the everlasting kingdom—but for now, his reign and rule is spiritual. Thus, the kingdom and justice of Christ which shall be brought to the nations comes through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by his Word and Spirit.

Have you come under the redemptive rule of Christ Jesus? Have you trusted in this victorious King? This King who redeems sinners by his life, death, and resurrection in their place and for their salvation? The good news, beloved, is that this King does not begrudgingly pour out his gifts to men—it is his very delight, calling, and joy. He willfully has, will, and is, bringing his kingdom to all peoples.

So don’t hesitate, come to King Jesus to receive the riches of the inheritance of his everlasting kingdom. Jesus came preaching the “gospel of the kingdom of God”—in this kingdom, you find forgiveness, righteousness, holiness, peace, joy, and freedom. Come boldly to Jesus, because his heart is set on bringing justice to the nations, bringing his Kingdom to you.

The mission of this Servant is Trinitarian in nature. All three persons of the Godhead are committed to the establishment of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and it’s spread to the ends of the earth. This King, this chosen Servant, he has redeemed his church, and set up his reign and rule in their hearts, people from all nations—and when the gospel has been preached to all nations, the end will come … and the kingdom will come in its fullness as King Jesus brings it down to us, as he brings down the New Jerusalem, the New Creation, the New Heavens and New Earth.

Jesus, by the power and promise of the Holy Spirit, has, and will, usher in the everlasting Kingdom of God. His Kingdom comes with grace upon grace. John Flavel writes: Jesus rules his Children, not slaves; and so his kingly power is mixed with fatherly love. His yoke is not made of iron, but of gold”.

This Servant, this King, will accomplish the work of the Kingdom by the Holy Spirit.

(2) Jesus is the Empowered Servant

This leads us to our third point for this morning:

(3) Jesus is the Gentle Servant - v. 2-3

English Standard Version Chapter 42

He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

3  a bruised reed he will not break,

and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

Do you see that in verses 2? “He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street”

This King is not a tyrant, he is not an oppressor, he is not unjust, he is not unrighteous, he is not harsh, he is not unfair, he is not unwise. His Kingdom is upside down. His Kingdom does not come with the Sword, but by the Spirit. His Kingdom does not come by taking blood, but by going his own blood. His Kingdom does not come with pride and pomp, it comes with humility and love.

Every other King sends his people out to war to die for the kingdom—this King, this Servant, Jesus Christ, gives his own life for the sake of his kingdom and for the salvation of his people.

Jesus came in humility. Jesus came in love. Jesus came in gentleness. “Jesus came not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17-18). Jesus did not come with loud cries or a lofty voice of pride. Jesus came as the “Man of Sorrows”, as the “Suffering Servant”, who took our place, bore the wrath of God, secured the mercy of God, and ascended to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is this very Kingdom that we partake in by faith, and that we will partake in by sight in the age to come.

In the first coming of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago, he came in humility, grace, mercy, love, and compassion—that he might lay down his life for his sheep—and bring those sheep under his gracious reign and rule by the Word and Spirit. To bring them to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Don’t get me wrong—Jesus’ second coming is one of judgment and wrath for the wicked, for those who do not enter his Kingdom by faith. They will be cast into utter darkness, into eternal hell. Those who do not Behold this Servant by faith alone, by trust in his promises, shall come under the everlasting wrath of King Jesus.

The only way to the Kingdom of Heaven is to come to this King and to plead for forgiveness and grace. The good news is that if you do this, he will never turn you down. “All those who come to me, Jesus says, I will never cast away” (John 6:37).

And how does he treat those who Behold him? What is his disposition toward them? He is Gentle and Lowly—he brings Healing. He is the Healing Servant.

Do you see that in verse 3? “A bruised Reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice”.

This is the heart of Christ toward his church, toward those who are “poor in spirit” (Matt 5). What does it mean to be a bruised reed? What does it mean to be a faintly burning wick?

To be a bruised reed and a faintly burning wick is to be one who has come to the end of himself, who sees no hope outside of Jesus, who only has fear outside of Jesus. He is one who is weak in faith. It is one who is suffering and is struggling with his trust in Christ. It is one who is assailed by many trials and temptations, one who is looking to Jesus, but needs his gracious healing to give him strength in his walk with the Lord.

The Hebrew word for Bruised also means: mistreated, oppressed, shattered, smitten, and struck down.

Likewise, the Hebrew word for Faintly burning also means: colorless, disheartened, faded, dim, heavy, and dull.

Do any of you feel that way this morning?

Richard Sibbes says: A bruised reed is sensible of sin and misery; and, seeing no help in himself, is carried with restless desire to have supply from another, with some hope in Jesus, but not a strong one. This spark of hope being opposed by doubts and fears rising from corruption makes him like a faintly burning wick; so that both these together, a bruised reed and faintly burning wick, make up the state of a poor distressed man. This is one who our Saviour calls 'poor in spirit' (Matt. 5:3), who sees his need of mercy, but also sees that he deserves divine wrath.”

But here is the good news according to Sibbes, echoing Scripture: “There is more mercy in Christ, than there is sin in us … Jesus is a physician good at all diseases, especially at the binding up of a broken heart”.

Are you weak? Go to Jesus. Are you suffering? Go to Jesus. Are you hurting? Go to Jesus. Are you traumatized? Go to Jesus. Are you empty? Go to Jesus. Are you doubting? Go to Jesus. Are you heavy laden? Go to Jesus. Are you a bruised reed? Go to Jesus. Are you a faintly burning wick? Go to Jesus. Are you struggling with sin? Go to Jesus. Are you lacking holiness? Go to Jesus. For it is there that you find spiritual healing, rest, refreshment, and power. Hear the words of our Saviour this morning:

“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest (Matt. 11:28-29).

Come to Jesus, and he will bind you up, heal your faith, strengthen your hope, and empower your love. Why? Because his mission, his heart, his purpose is set on this very thing—to bring the kingdom of grace in your very heart. Go to Jesus.

(3) Jesus is the Gentle Servant

This leads us to our fourth point for this morning:

(4) Jesus is the Faithful Servant - v. 4

English Standard Version Chapter 42

He will not grow faint or be discouraged

till he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his law.

Do you see that in verse 4? “He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law”.

Do you ever feel like this whole church business is pointless? That all the trials and sufferings that accompany it are too much to handle? That week-after-week you get discouraged and disheartened? Do you ever grow faint? I do. I’m sure you do as well. But thankfully the Lord knows our frame, that we are but dust, and he gives us ample promises and motivation to press on, the chief of which is that: Jesus does not give up, he is Faithful, and he will be Faithful—it’s who he is, it’s what he has promised.

Jesus does not get tired of you and I, though we deserve it each day—no, Jesus is steadfast. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till His Kingdom spreads to the ends of the earth, and the new creation comes in all its fullness.

Sibbes writes: “Let us not be cruel to ourselves when Christ is thus gracious”. Do you have a spark of faith? Though it be weak? Sibbes says: “A weak hand can receive a rich jewel”. Cast yourself on Jesus, the Faithful Servant. “Even when we are faithless, he is faithful”.

Interestingly, the same word used above for us who are “bruised reeds” is the same word used here for Jesus. We are bruised, but Jesus will never be bruised. He will never be cast down. He will never grow weary. His head is perfectly set on the will of His Father—in fact, his delight is in his Father’s will. The Spirit empowers Jesus remember! The Spirit of holiness, the Spirit of power, the Spirit of steadfastness. Jesus is the Godman. The good news is that though we are so often bruised, Jesus never will be. His lack of bruising secures our inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Nothing can deter him from finishing his work. In fact, is that not what he cried out on the cross of Calvary: Tetelestai! It is finished! The work is finished. Redemption is accomplished. The Church was purchased. The Kingdom was established. The New Creation has begun in us who are made new by the Holy Spirit.

So what do we wait for? We wait for the full application of redemption to his saints. We wait for the full growth of the Church. We wait for the full establishment of the Kingdom. We wait for the full consummation of the new creation.

These are Already/but Not Yet. They are here, but not in their fullness. But their fullness is as good as done, because it is sealed with the blood of Jesus, who has purchased an eternal redemption, who has given us the Spirit as the guarantee of our redemption, the seal of our inheritance.

If you are Beholding this steadfast Servant of the Lord, you can rest assured that His will never grow faint or be discouraged until he completes his work in you, in this church, in this world, and in the entire cosmos. Our King reigns. our King rules. And our King is coming again to establish his everlasting Kingdom.

So take heart oh weary saints. Our King is coming once again. Press on with all you have, trusting Jesus, repenting of your sin, and seeking to obey this King (living by the rule of love, out of gratitude for his wondrous grace—live as children of the Light).

But he’s not only coming again for this church; but for all of his elect saints in every nation tribe and tongue (Rev. 7:9). The text says that the coastlands wait for his law, that is to say, that the nations are waiting for his teaching, for his Gospel, for his Kingdom—and the church is the means that this teaching gets to them.

*Expand on the faithfulness of this servant in building his church and using his church in the process! The mission of the church - evangelism, church planting, and missions*

(4) Jesus is the Faithful Servant

This leads us to our conclusion:

(C) Rest in the Faithful Servant who is Gentle to his Weak and Afflicted Saints

“The Bruised Reed he will not break, and the faintly burning wick He will not quench”. He extends his offer unto you: “Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:3).

May Christ Jesus be exalted, may his unsearchable riches be delighted in, and may this church find rest therein.

(C) Rest in the Faithful Servant who is Gentle to his Weak and Afflicted Saints.

Amen, let’s pray.