Isaiah 42:1-7 (KJV)  Behold My Servant, whom I uphold; mine Elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.  [2]  He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.  [3]  A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.  [4]  He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law.  [5]  Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:  [6]  I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;  [7]  To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Audio of Sermon 8:30 AM:

Audio of Sermon 11 AM:

Sermon Notes: A young couple sat watching the Superbowl Game together for the first time since they had been married. The young bride watched quietly with her husband. Every now and then he would jump up and shout at the screen of the television, sometimes startling her. When intermission came he asked her “How do you like the game so far?” She replied “It’s all right, but I don’t understand why they’re trying to kill one another over a coin.” He looked at her puzzled and asked, “What do you mean?” She said “At the beginning before they started playing they flipped a coin. Now you keep shouting at the television get the quarter back!”

Many people love to watch the Superbowl, but many don’t understand the excitement. Two teams play to see who is the best, and the winner will get a Superbowl ring and bragging rights. But like most things the victory won will be forgotten in a few years. As the Bible says,

James 4:14 (NIV) … What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes..

The young bride didn’t understand the excitement that her husband was having. Many people today don’t understand why any of us get excited over coming together as a Church.

Christ Our Sabbath Rest

When God’s people come together our Jesus comes together with us. When we are in one accord seeking His face and His Word then He fulfills His promise:

Matthew 18:20 (NKJV) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

When we gather together in His name seeking His face Jesus shows up. He speaks to our hearts. His Holy Spirit touches lives. We come together so that we can see Jesus.

Our Isaiah text today is about Jesus. Isaiah was given a vision of Christ as the Servant of God. How do I know this text is about Jesus? The Bible says so.

If you turn for a moment to Matthew 12 you’ll see the testimony of Scripture. In Matthew 12 Jesus was once more attacked by the self righteous Pharisees. They caught the disciples picking corn off the stalk and eating it on the Sabbath day, the day of rest. This started a dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees as to why the Lord created the Sabbath. Jesus told the Pharisees:

Matthew 12:8 (NKJV) For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

As Jesus entered the Synagogue – the local Church of that town – we read:

Matthew 12:10 (NKJV) And BEHOLD, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they {the Pharisees, the Self Righteous} asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.

Do you see that BEHOLD?
BEHOLD! Stop, look.
We had a BEHOLD at the beginning of our Responsive Reading, our focal text.
BEHOLD My Servant.

These Pharisees knew how much Jesus loved people, people who were broken, people in need. BEHOLD there is a man with a withered hand. BEHOLD here is a broken person, suffering, that the world cares nothing for. To the Pharisees this man is no more than just an object to be used to try and entrap Jesus. BEHOLD! What about this man, Jesus? Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?

Matthew 12:11-14 (NKJV) {Jesus} said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

The Pharisees were excited by Jesus – they wanted to kill Him for doing good. Self righteous people feel that they are self made good, that they need no one, especially Jesus. They watch the Christ like that woman watched the Superbowl. They do not understand because their eyes are focused in the wrong place.

We are all but broken things.
This man was a broken thing, desperately needing Jesus.
The Pharisees – self righteous ones – were broken and blinded, needing Jesus.

The Bible says

Psalm 34:18 (NASB) The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The saddest thing is that the self righteous ones needed Jesus most of all, but rejected Him. Their sinful pride kept them from being blessed by His presence. But to those who loved the Lord, who needed His blessing, BEHOLD, He was there. The Bible says:

Matthew 12:15-16 (NKJV) {Jesus} withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known,

Here is why we come to Church, why we read from this Book of Books, why we listen to preaching of Christ. Because when multitudes come together in His Name He is here. He heals. And He blesses. Matthew went on to quote from our Responsive Reading:

Matthew 12:16-21 Yet {Jesus} warned them not to make Him known, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

(and now we come to our main text in Isaiah)

18 “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel nor cry out,
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.”

How do I know that Isaiah 42:1-7 is about Jesus? Because the Apostle Matthew tells me it is about Jesus. Matthew ties the prophecy of Isaiah to Jesus. Jesus is the Servant of the Living God.

Let Us Behold Jesus

Jesus Christ is the Servant of God the Father. He is the Son of God sent to save the world. The Apostle said:

1 John 4:9, 14 (NKJV) In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. … 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

The Servant of God the Father is Jesus Christ our Lord. He was sent to this earth. Mohammed was not sent. Buddha was not sent. The Hindu gods were not sent. But Jesus Christ was sent.

Isaiah 42:1 (KJV)  Behold my Servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth;

The Father upholds the Son in all that He did and does. The Father calls the Son “My Servant”. The Son is the Father’s representative. He is the “elect” or chosen of God to do His will. God delights in His Son. We are told in Hebrews:

Hebrews 1:1-9 (NKJV) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For to which of the angels did He ever say:

“You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”?
And again:
“I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”?

6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” … 8 But to the Son He says:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom …

BEHOLD Him and only Him.
BEHOLD Him, For He Alone is God’s Atonement For Sin.

He is the one and only Servant of the Father. Jesus Christ came to do His Father’s will. What was His Father’s will but to save those who were lost. To reach out to the broken. To lift up the fallen. To save from hell the hell bound, and to lighten those entrapped in darkness. Jesus Christ came as the Servant of God. We read:

Hebrews 10:4-10 (NKJV) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He {Jesus} came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’”

8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Jesus Christ came into this world to make payment for our sins. The blood of bulls and goats could not pay for sins, they were but temporary shadows of that which was greater. The great Gospel of Scripture is this, that

1 Timothy 1:14-15 (ESV) … and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Jesus Christ is God’s Chosen Servant. He is the Suffering Servant giving His life for us. The Superbowl games are but temporary victories. Who remembers who won the first Superbowl, or the tenth Superbowl? These victories are cheered by the world. But what Christ has done is eternal, and blessed, and never forgotten. For He has won victory over death and sin. He has, by His willing service, defeated the devil and secured salvation for whosoever believes in Him.

Isaiah 42:1 (KJV) … I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 

The Holy Spirit rested on Christ at His Baptism, and Jesus promised to send His Spirit to those who believed in Him. Those who have believed in God’s Suffering Servant are indwelt of the Spirit just as Christ promised. Jesus told His Church:

John 16:7-14 (NKJV) Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

Isaiah 42:2 (KJV) He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

Many times Jesus healed people and asked those whom He healed to “tell no one”. Jesus did not come to promote Himself, but He came to do the Father’s will. He did not want people chasing after Him for His ability to heal. No, Jesus called people to follow Him so that He could transform their lives. He called people to walk with Him so that they could walk with God.

Isaiah 42:3 (KJV) A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

Jesus came to help, not to hurt. The bruised reed is a picture of a tender shoot of bamboo that has been trampled underfoot. Bruised but not broken, Jesus would not add to the suffering of that person, but would come to tenderly assist them. The smoking flax is the picture of a lamp wick that – being burned nearly up – can barely hold a flame. For those who are nearly extinguished from the horrors of this world Jesus – unlike the Pharisees – did not come to add to the burden of man. Jesus would not blow the tiny spark out, but would through His Spirit and His Word gently breathe on the exhausted until they burst into the flame of new life.

He is the Servant of the Most High God, the Son Who loves. His Word will stand forever!

Jesus Is The Servant That Cannot Fail

Isaiah 42:4-5 (KJV) He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.  [5]  Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 

Jesus is the Servant of God, the Son of God by Whom all things have been created, and through Whom all things consist. In Christ we shall prevail because Christ cannot fail. The isles shall wait for His Law. The Father created all things through Jesus, and the Father will bring His Kingdom to this earth. We read in …

Colossians 1:12-17 (NKJV) giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

15 {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Gods is building a Kingdom on this earth, and Christ is the tireless Servant Who is bringing this Kingdom about. As we preach His Gospel and as people receive Him as Lord and Savior His Kingdom grows. He delivers all who believe in Him from the power of darkness and brings whosoever will into the “Kingdom of the Son of His Love”. We are redeemed from sin, Satan, and this fallen world by receiving the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” as our Savior.

The Covenant Of God’s Kingdom Is Jesus

Isaiah 42:6 (KJV) I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

The Father says of the Son His Servant:

“I have called You in righteousness” – Jesus Christ is the manifest Righteousness of God.

“I will hold Your hand and keep You” – the Father loves and protects His Son.

“And give Thee for a Covenant of the people” – A Covenant is a contract between God and man. Christ is our Covenant. When we receive Him as Lord and Savior we enter into a Contract with God.

“For a Light of the Gentiles”. Christ is the Light of the world. When you receive Him as He is God promises to give you Light.

1 Peter 2:9 (ERV) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Until the day that you receive Christ as God’s Covenant to you you will be in darkness. But when you receive Him He promises to give light to your eyes. He promises

Isaiah 42:7 (KJV)  To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

To those who say “I am saved, but remain in my sin” God says “You Lie”. You have deceived yourself. Those who sin habitually are servants of sin, not of the Savior. God calls us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. He calls us out of the world to walk in the Light with Him. If you are born again, Christ is your Covenant. Christ is with you, and you are with Him. And this is the very best of places to be.

May God touch your hearts with His Word.