Isaiah #1 | The Servant Songs for Advent

Welcome! I’m Devin

End of year giving campaign- The 2020/$40k: $17,500 given thus far through the FB page and Pushpay fund we’ve set up!

2 Corinthians 9:6 ESV

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

This passage is in the context of the Corinthian church giving to support ministry work and Paul lays out some massive spiritual truth for them: When you invest in the cause of God, you will not be left empty handed. In fact, Paul says that if Greed limits our capacity for Generosity, we will reap what we sow- not much! But if we view ourselves as a river for God’s work in the world and not a reservoir that stockpiles for some future date, we find ourselves surrounded by a life of fruitfulness!

We are sitting here because of the faithfulness of many others: the financial support of hundreds of external donors and prayer warriors who believe God is in what we are doing here! Please don’t assume that you can just sit on the sidelines and someone else will take care of the cost of ministry and blessing our community. We are here because others planted and prayed. Now its our turn!

We have an opportunity to sow to the future generations of this church and this city for the spiritual reaping of mature disciples and new believers. If we will sacrifice for them, God assures us that it will yield fruit in us, the church, and our city. Amen?

STUDENTS- we’re going to have a gift and letter for you to take home to your parents for pickup on Wedenseday or Thrusday of this week!

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Pray.

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Open to Isaiah 42

We open the scriptures each week because we need to hear from God’s word what Jesus has done to right our relationship with God through the gospel, how grace transforms us to live immersed in the life of God, and how God invites us to participate in His peace bringing work in the world.

Current Series Summary: “The Prophets: God’s heart for a broken world”.

HUGE BENEFITS TO THIS SERIES:

Biblical Justice: See God’s heart for justice + understand the biblical pursuit of justice in the world.

Biblical Literacy: Skipped over quarter of the bible! We need the prophets in our day. The prophets were about renewal: Moving from ritual based religion to relational presence with God. The prophets were called by God to address the propensity for His people to drift away from deep and dependent relationship with him. My deep ambition is that this series will tenderize our hearts to the word of God, tand open us to the joyful renewal of the presence of God.

Short Prayer

It’s Advent, meaning “arrival”, when we cultivate ‘expectancy’ for the birth of Christ, we are going to go through the four “Servant Songs” of Isaiah- the most famous portions in all of Isaiah.

The first portion of our time today is going to be getting an overview of the context for Isaiah to build some biblical literacy, so that we can more poignantly draw out the point of our text in Isaiah 42.

Who was the Prophet Isaiah?

Isaiah 1:1 ESV

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Amoz is thought to be the brother to King Amaziah of Judah who was assassinated, making Isaiah a member of the royal family. Isaiah’s Hebrew is astoundingly refined and he uses so many complex literary tools in his writing that some have called him the “Mozart of the prophets”. Maybe that would mean Jonah was the Miley Cyrus- the rebellious, resistant prophet.

But Isaiah is without question the greatest of the Writing Prophets because he had the most exalted, Holy vision of God:

Isaiah 6:1–4 ESV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

This Vision of God’s holiness poured out into his book in two parts:

Ch 1-39: God’s Holiness means Repentance or Judgment. Isaiah is writing to his contemporaries and calling them to a be a generation who repent from ritualistic religiosity and return to the relational presence of their Holy God- God is so holy that nothing less than our whole selves can be given to Him. He doesn’t want your sacrifices or the periphery of your life, He wants your very heart knowing that all the rest comes with it! Judah refused to repent. Chapter 39 ends with Babylon sending envoys to see Jerusalem and Isaiah warns King Hezekiah that Babylon will soon come to conquer Judah

Prophetic Historical Interlude 1-39/4-66: Israel had been taken into exile by Assyria in 722BC. God patiently warned Judah to not be arrogant in believing they were better or more righteous than Israel, but due to their unrepentance Judah is taken into exile by Babylon in 598BC (2 Kings 25).

Ch 40-66: God’s Holiness means Restoration for the Remnant: Isaiah writes the second half of his book to those exiled people he foresaw under God’s judgment in Babylon. These latter chapters are so specific to the historical details of the future that many critical scholars believe there was a second author who lived in Babylon and wrote to them. But we believe that God inspired his prophets with the supernatural ability to see the future and deliver God’s message to them as we will see this morning.

The crux of Isaiah’s two halves is this: God prepares a Holy Remnant to spread his presence across the world.

Isaiah 10:20–21 ESV

20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

“The remnant is that group of people who survive some catastrophe brought about by God, ordinarily in judgment for sin. This group becomes the nucleus for the continuation of humankind or the people of God. This surviving remnant inherits the promises of God afresh; the future existence of a larger group will grow from this purified, holy remnant that has undergone and survived divine judgment… Those who survive divine judgment become a purged, purified, and faithful remnant, the nucleus of a renewed and chosen people.” Dillard & Longman

Israel was being refined through suffering and judgment in Babylon to be the faithful servant of God back in the Promised Land. I’m gonna blow it for you: Ultimately, they would fail even after the exile to be the just and holy servant that God would have used. That’s what Isaiah tells us in chapters 58/59. But where Israel failed, Christ succeeded through the gospel. Where we failed in our sin, Jesus has made a way back into the presence of God. But remnant, exile, and refining means that God has great purpose for us if we will draw near to him this morning.

TCLA, this message is poignant for us: It’s no shock to see that the church has shrunk over the last 9 months. It’s not just us- across the board, churches have shrunk. The theme of remnant should be precious to us, to know that God is the chief agent behind the refining we are going through. He doesn’t want fans, he wants disciples. If you’re here, know that we are going through a kind of exile in COVID. We are being tested in this pandemic whether we will stick it out with God through the confusion and the pain in the wilderness to be refined by His servant Jesus to deeper faith in Him for greater purposes IN Him.

Four Refinings of the Remnant:

Fear, Pride, Weariness, & Suffering.

FEAR (this week): 8x in 5 the first five chapters of Isaiah 40-66 God commands His people to “Fear Not”:

Isaiah 41:10 ESV

10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

We must “Fear not” because the presence of God’s sovereign servant is with us:

Isaiah 42:1–4 ESV

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 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. 4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

Fear puts a fork in the road that gives us two options: Live in slavery to your fear, or live by faith in someone bigger than your fears. As we come to this text in Isaiah 42, God is prosecuting the path of idolatry among his people.

*Behold my servant, whom I uphold = parallel to Ch 41 God put the idols of the people on display. In their fears, God’s people in exile fled to idols to comfort them. But the idols needed to be upheld by their makers:

Isaiah 41:7 ESV

7 The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good”; and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

The world in its passions has chosen created things like money, sex, success, and power to be its saviors, but the sovereign God of the universe in His wisdom has chosen a living servant who can continually work on His behalf.

*...my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him: The Holy One of Israel happily upholds his servant and gives the fullness of his presence, or Spirit, to Him. Did you know that God is a joyous God? There’s no place in our Christian faith for stuffy, ugly religion. God is morally serious, but deeper still God is joyful! Our fear starts to be disarmed by seeing that God is joyful— he’s not worried about how this all ends up!

*…he will bring forth justice to the nations.”: The scope of this servant’s work is nothing less than global justice. To “bring forth” justice means his agency will be the chief ingredient in history moving forward. The tension for every Christian is to realize that Jesus needs no help from us, but he does want to work through us. MLK was right to say that “the moral arch of the universe bends toward Justice”- He saw Jesus’ hands working and committed himself to being an instrument in his savior’s hands.

*He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it known in the street;” Though Jesus is the sovereign mover of history, he achieves it in a surprising way: he is not angry, but passionate. The word here in Hebrew for ‘cry aloud’ is to ‘shriek’. He doesn’t accomplish justice by intimidation, but by the power of his presence. He’s not interested in flashy platforms that ‘wow’, but by taking on flesh to draw near and put us in ‘awe’.

*A bruised reed he will not break, a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice: God’s servant will accomplish his purposes faithfully, that is, in accordance with God’s heart. God is not about ends justifying means. The means of God are always full of compassion and kindness. A bruised reed was useless as a tool; a fainting wick was about to go out. Jesus' power is so unmatched that he is not like the powerful of the world- he accomplishes God’s justice not like Bruce Willis in Die Hard- collateral damage to Nakatomi Plaza included- but like a Divine Surgeon who can be entrusted to perfectly cut out our evil and injustice while bringing us wholeness. When we bring Jesus our fears, he can take them from us without destroying or shaming us.

*He will not grow faint or be discouraged(bruised!) till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.” The needs of the world for justice are outstripped by the boundless energy and power of God’s servant- we might be bruised and faint, but he is not. The “coastlands” could be translated “islands”— the outermost known lands in the ancient world. Justice will be accomplished to the uttermost, but true biblical justice is the enacting of God’s perfect law as the rule across all lands. True, biblical justice is dwelling in God’s presence and living according to God’s heart.

What a contrast to much of what we see even in the church as we pursue justice in our day!

As we look to Jesus throughout this advent, we need to see that Jesus is the Holy Servant who refines us in his presence to be agents of his justice.

Our 21st century Christianity has been stripped of all its convenience and consumerism. The question for us is this: Is Jesus Himself enough for us in this COVID wilderness, or did we want Jesus for his benefits that no longer exist? Did our fears really control our lives the whole time?

Friends, the truth is that we won’t ever have another time in our lives with lower expectations on us and more flexibility in our lives to draw near to Jesus. Many of us are working remotely. Everyone knows we’re weary. Even the hardhearted airlines with no return policy are understanding- will give us our money back! If we aren’t drawing near to Jesus NOW, we won’t draw near to Jesus when things get back to normal. What your faith is like in COVID is what your faith has been like the whole time. We are exposed. Our faith is more like faintly burning wicks and bruised reeds than blazing zeal. But God is inviting us to draw near to Jesus to be refined in His presence.

We who are here 9 months into the COVID exile, are here because we want Jesus but maybe our idols are deceiving us through fear! How does Jesus interact with our fears?

In the New Testament, our text is directly quoted by Matthew and it shows us how Jesus invites us into his refining presence:

Matthew 12:15–23 ESV

15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” 22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”

How does Jesus’ fulfillment of Isaiah 42 show us how to live by faith in exile?

There are three things we need this Advent: Draw near in faith. Wait in submission. Build your Hope. Draw near. Wait. Hope.

(1) Draw near to Jesus, He’s Full of Compassion:

Matthew tells us that the healing work Jesus did among these people who followed him was a fulfillment of our passage in Isaiah. Jesus’ heart is eager for the broken— “a bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench.” To Jesus, our wounds are not something for him to scoff at or shake his head at or say “I told you so.” He deals gently with those who are on their last strand of courage. Some of you are coming to church like that today. Let Isaiah open your eyes to the heart of Christ- he draws near to the weak, the loser, the broken, and the screw ups because they’re the ones who need his healing! Jesus accepts you with open arms this morning. Jesus desires you this morning. He’s a servant whose heart is eager for the broken, so draw near to him by faith and give your fears to him.

We draw near to Jesus truly by engaging His word: Immerse yourself in God’s word because through it we understand what Jesus is like and we experience Jesus through it. When you sit down in the morning with the very word of God open before you, the Holy Spirit shines the glory of Jesus into your heart so that He wouldn’t be a mere idea but your lived reality.

Try reading through all of Isaiah 40-66 this Advent!

Jesus is full of compassion. He will accept you and He is always available to you. Draw near to him and trust his compassion.

(2) Wait with Him, He’s Full of Power:

After we draw near to Jesus by faith, we wait with him there. He’s not just full of compassion for the broken, He’s full of power to heal bodies and free the demonized! Here Matthew shows us Jesus’ real authority over all of creation: He heals people physically, psychologically, and spiritually by casting out a demon. WE CAN WAIT WITH JESUS BECAUSE THE ENDLESS RESOURCES OF GOD AT HIS DISPOSAL, SO WE TOO, HAVE ACCESS TO THE INFINITE RESOURCES OF GOD IN HIM. Your chief priority today and everyday is not to fearfully control your life to minimize pain and maximize pleasure, but to draw near to God in exile and wait upon Him to make meaningful movement in your life.

Waiting is a really vague notion, right? What does it look like? PRAYERFUL SUBMISSION.

We wait upon God by bringing our every need to him in prayer. Prayer is the most tangible expression of dependence. Submission is refusing to grasp for what God isn’t providing. We won’t go outside of the boundaries of God’s word- when God’s word says don’t be unequally yoked to an unbeliever, we remain in our singleness while we wait for God to provide us with a believing spouse.. We submit to God’s sovereign ‘not yet’. We won’t prioritize our own flourishing over God’s glory and the good of others.

Let me give you an example: RV & $400. Feared letting my kids down. Didn’t sell for three months to the day! God was putting me through the discipline of learning that waiting for Him really is better than forcing control to resolve our fears.

Jesus is full of power and wisdom to lead your life better than you could. Wait with him through prayerful submission and trust his power.

(3) Hope in Jesus, He’s ascended the throne:

Isaiah tells us that the Gentiles, the non-Jews who were far off from God would hope in this Servant.

In Matthew, we see Jesus fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy and the people begin to murmur “Can this be the Son of David?” The long-awaited king who would put an end to all other kings. Their fears of God’s abandonment under yet another empire were giving way to hope in this Sovereign servant of God.

We cultivate hope in God by prosecuting our fears- hold them up to Jesus, the King of Kings, and watch your fears be overshadowed by his glory!

Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this, that we allow our self to talk to us instead of talking to our self. Am I just trying to be deliberately paradoxical? Far from it. This is the very essence of wisdom in this matter. Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problem of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment [in Psalm 42] was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself, ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul?’ he asks. His soul had been repressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: ‘Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you’. Do you know what I mean? If you do not, you have but little experience.

The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: ‘Why art thou cast down’–what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: ‘Hope thou in God’–instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world...

Prosecute your fears this morning, TCLA, knowing that your hope will never grow larger than Jesus actually is. Reject any cynicism that would try to see through the clarity of God’s promises. He will not let you down.

As we enter another lockdown and are weary, exhausted, and hopeful this Advent, BRING YOUR FEAR TO JESUS. He knows this exile territory well- he’s been through death and darkness greater than we could ever imagine. He is with us. He will see us through to the end. We have only to cling to him in desperation and hate the idols that look to tempt us away from our God. We are a church that is committed to the refining God has for us through this tribulation, knowing that he is preparing a remnant to be used more powerfully for revival across our city! As we choose faith over fear, watch out! God’s Sovereign Servant will ALWAYS show himself faithful to bring about justice for us. He can’t do otherwise!

Romans 15:13 ESV

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

PRAY to End

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What stood out to you in the text or teaching?

Which are you more prone to use to avoid communion with God: religious performance or serving others?

Q&A

Response

Prayer: Message TCLA user Mens/Womens prayer

Ministry: Embrace the Presence & Power of God

Cultivate Hope: Praise Jesus in Song

BENEDICTION:

Hebrews 2:14-15

Commissioning

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