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[0:00] from the prophecy of Isaiah. The prophecy of Isaiah. We're going to read in chapter 49 verses 1 to 13.

[0:20] Isaiah 49 verses 1 to 13. Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar.

[0:36] The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword.

[0:46] In the shadow of his hand he hid me. He made me a polished arrow. In his quiver he hid me away. He said to me, You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

[1:06] But I said, I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing in vanity. Yet surely my right is with the Lord, my recompense with my God.

[1:22] And now the Lord says, He who formed me from the womb to be a servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him.

[1:34] For I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength. He says, It's too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to bring back the preserved of Israel.

[1:50] I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, appalled by the nation, the servant of rulers.

[2:12] Kings shall see and arise, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.

[2:28] Thus says the Lord, in a time of favor, I have answered you. In a day of salvation, I have helped you. I will keep you, and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, saying to the prisoners, come out, to those who are in darkness, appear.

[2:54] They shall feed along the ways, on all bare heights, shall be their pasture. They shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun, shall strike them, for he who has pity on them, will lead them, and by their springs of water, will guide them.

[3:16] And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up, behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north, and from the west, and these from the land of seeing.

[3:35] Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth. Break forth, O mountains, into singing, for the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.

[3:50] Amen. And may the Lord bless to us, that reading of his own, holy, inspired word. Let's turn together now, to the prophecy of Isaiah.

[4:08] First of all, in Isaiah chapter 48. Isaiah 48, and we'll read at verse 16. Isaiah 48, and at verse 16.

[4:26] This morning we were preaching on the servant, promised by Isaiah, and this is none other, of course, than the one who became the Lord, Jesus Christ.

[4:39] We were looking at his commission, looking at his mission, his character, his success, his success, and the assurance, that he needed, and was given.

[4:52] Tonight we want to hear, what the servant himself says. First of all in 48, 16, and then in 49, 1 to 4.

[5:06] The servant continues to speak, in verse 5, in chapter 49, but we won't have time, to cover that tonight. But 48, and verse 16, first of all.

[5:20] Draw near to me, hear this, from the beginning, I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be, I have been there, and now the Lord God, has sent me, and his spirit.

[5:36] The Lord God, has sent me, and his spirit. Notice what we said this morning, God is the one, who is doing the sending.

[5:51] And he is sending here, two persons. First of all, he is sending me, i.e. the servant, I think, and then he is sending, his spirit.

[6:04] God, it's the Lord God, who is doing this, the covenant God. He is the one, who is the God and Father, of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[6:17] And this is him, speaking here now, the servant himself. He says, the Lord God, has sent me. Jesus didn't just arrive, in the world.

[6:29] He was commissioned, to go into the world. He was sent, into the world. When you read, the gospel of John, just notice, how often Jesus says, I was sent, I was sent, I was sent.

[6:46] That's the way, he saw himself. Somebody who was sent, into the world, commissioned, to go on mission. He didn't, just arrive, he was sent.

[6:58] But that's only one part, of the sending. The servant, also says, the Lord God, has sent me, and his spirit.

[7:11] This is talking about, the third person, of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit, did not just arrive, on the day, of the baptism, of Jesus.

[7:24] He was sent, by the Lord God. So when the heavens, were opened, when Jesus met, with the sinners, in the waters, of baptism, when the heavens, were opened, the spirit, didn't just happen, to come down.

[7:41] The spirit, was commissioned, to come down. Sent, down. And the two, sendings, go together. He sent his son, and then he sent, his spirit, to equip, his son, when he began, that public, ministry, of teaching, miracle working, leading on, to, his authority, being shown, on earth, in the forgiveness, of sins, the death, the resurrection, and the crowning, ascension.

[8:17] The spirit, of God, equipped him, for all of that. He didn't, just arrive, on the day, of Jesus' baptism, he, was sent.

[8:30] So when you think, of God the son, in human nature, think of him, as one who is sent. Because that's, how he thinks of himself, the Lord God sent me.

[8:42] And even today, on the throne, of the universe, that's how, our crowned, Lord, Jesus Christ, views himself. He is sent.

[8:55] He is still, on mission. And the Holy Spirit, when you think, about the Holy Spirit, think of him, as one who also, has been sent.

[9:08] Because that's how, the Holy Spirit, conceives of himself. One who has been, commissioned, to equip, not only, Jesus, but the church, of Jesus Christ.

[9:22] So on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit, didn't just happen, to arrive, because the church, prayed, on the basis, of the promise, of the Father.

[9:34] The Father, sent, the Spirit, and promised, he would do so. And these two, sendings, the Lord sent, me and his Spirit, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, these have one, purpose.

[9:53] And you would think, wow, something great, is going to happen, when the servant himself, says, the Lord God, sent me, and his Spirit.

[10:06] Wonderful things, will happen. Interestingly, and sadly, when he came, and even anointed, with the Holy Spirit, all too often, what you find, is in verse 18 there, all that you had paid attention, to my commandments, then your peace, would have been like a river, and your righteousness, like the waves of the sea.

[10:34] many of us, know of people, who are terribly distressed, broken, abused, sometimes under their own hands, and they're absolutely broken, and you pray for them, and you, beg the Lord, to show mercy, you witness to them, you share with them, you open your heart, to them, and it's as if, they pay attention, to nothing.

[11:08] You know, you know, that if they paid attention, their peace, would be like a river, never ceasing, never ceasing, and, their righteousness, like the waves, of the sea, never stopping.

[11:28] That's, what you and I, long for, for our loved ones, and others. Oh, that they would have peace, like a river, and righteousness, like the waves, of the sea, but they would not.

[11:42] They wouldn't pay attention. Thankfully, that is not the end of the story. There may have been a day, when you didn't pay attention. There may be a day, when you were the one, who stopped your ear.

[11:57] I remember, in my own mind, asking, that God would take away, every thought of him, from my mind, so that I could sin, to my heart's content, without a bad conscience.

[12:13] How awful, that is. How awful, to give oneself over to that. mercifully, mercifully, the Lord didn't do that.

[12:25] And instead, he actually worked, in one's heart, and drew one, to himself, so that now, at least, we begin, to know peace, like a river, and we begin, to know righteousness, like the waves, of the sea.

[12:44] Now, we turn, to Isaiah 49, and just the opening, section here, there's too much, to look at, in the whole, of this, next servant song.

[12:55] Isaiah 49, listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me, from the womb, from the body of my mother, he named my name.

[13:09] He made my mouth, like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand, he hid me, he made me, a polished arrow, in his quiver, he hid me away, and he said to me, you are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified, but I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength, for nothing in vanity, yet surely, my right is with the Lord, and my recompense, with my God.

[13:42] Once again, the servant, is not spoken about, but the servant, speaks here, in the prophecy, of Isaiah. He draws attention, to himself.

[13:57] And he says, listen to me, O coastlands. This wasn't just, for the nation of Israel. This was, for the coastlands, the islands, the nations, far beyond.

[14:11] Give attention, you peoples from afar. I've got something, he says, that I want you to hear. This is, the Lord Jesus Christ, before his incarnation.

[14:22] This is him, speaking in and through Isaiah, and he's telling us, about his future ministry. Notice what he says, first of all, about his beginning.

[14:35] The beginning, of his ministry. The Lord, called me from the womb, and from the body, of my mother, he named my name. He says, the Lord, called me.

[14:49] See, a moment ago, he said, the Lord sent me. Now, it's the Lord, called me. We're still thinking, of the same event.

[15:01] The Lord sent him, into the world. But before he sent him, he called him, in order to send him. Remember that, when you think of yourself, as a Christian, you are called, not only by God, but to God.

[15:25] Just as Jesus, just as the Son of God, is called by God, the Father, to God, the Father. the Lord, called me, he says here, from the womb.

[15:41] In other words, there's going to be, no part, of my life, as a human being, and I will be, in a womb, he says. I will one day, be in a womb, and there will be, no part of my life, that will not be, under the call, of God himself.

[16:01] He called me, from the womb. Just like Jeremiah. Jeremiah was one, who was called, from his mother's womb. And in many ways, Paul, saw himself, as being set apart, from his mother's womb.

[16:17] Well here, the one, whom we will know, as Jesus Christ, sees himself, as called, not only in eternity, but from the womb, itself, designed, before his birth.

[16:33] You know, the beautiful thing here, Jesus did not, appoint himself, to be saviour, to be king, to be the deliverer.

[16:45] It's not a self-appointment. This is God, the Lord, calling him. And the whole of his life, will be devoted, to all that that call, contains.

[17:01] That's the first part there, he was called, that's his beginning, he was called. But then he also says, from the body of my mother, he named, my name.

[17:14] We will shortly see, that part of that name, is that he is servant. And he was named, by the God who called him.

[17:28] He named, my name. For us, being named, is often a way of associating, ourselves, with maybe, one of our forebears.

[17:40] And that's fine. So, if I'm right, I am named after, my grandfather, on my mother's side, and my father's side, and the Angus part, my middle name, is named after, one who died, in the war.

[17:59] It's the garlic, that comes, the bullet, on the ship. He was shot, on the ship, in 1942. So, I was named, after him. That's the way, naming often worked, in Highland cultures.

[18:13] I'm not sure, about down here. But, in the culture, in which, I say, I spoke, the idea of being, named with a name, carried with it, you have a direction, in life.

[18:27] You have a meaning, to your life. I name, your name, because I want you, to exist, and I want you, to do this thing, that your name, stands for.

[18:41] I, name, your name. Authority, direction, it's a way, of God saying, I am setting, the agenda, for your life.

[18:56] That's how, the servant sees it. He doesn't set, the agenda, for himself. God names his name, and all that he will do, with that name, under the authority, of God.

[19:10] That's why, in the Gospel of John, again, Jesus talks about, I can't do this, just now, because the hour, has not yet come. I can't go up, to Jerusalem, my time, has not yet come.

[19:22] And you say, Jesus, why can't you go? Oh, I'm not in charge, of the agenda. I don't write, the agenda, for myself. I am under, the call of God.

[19:33] He named, my name. He's the one, who is going to call, me Jesus. He's the one, who wants me, to be rescuing people. I'm not in charge.

[19:44] I can't jump ahead. Do you know, that Jesus, couldn't even go, to the cross. Until he was sure, that the Father, wanted him to do so.

[19:56] Take the cup of suffering, from me. Yet, not what I will, but what you will. And he wouldn't have, gone to the cross, were he not, absolutely sure, that that was, on the agenda, for him.

[20:14] And once he was sure, and he was always sure, nothing would keep him, from going, to the cross. Even on the journey, to Jerusalem.

[20:26] One of the gospel writers, notes, he walked ahead, of everybody. It's as though, he were determined, to go to Jerusalem. Why? Because God, was setting the agenda.

[20:38] God, named, his name. From the body, of my mother, he named, my name. Isn't that remark, we're so used to this.

[20:51] this servant, this servant, would one day, be in the womb, of a mother. And it's very interesting, how mothers, are singled out, in the purposes, of God.

[21:09] You do find it, of course, in Genesis chapter 3, when we're talking about, Eve, from her, would come the seed, who would destroy, the serpent.

[21:21] You find it, in Isaiah 7, 14, the virgin woman, she, will be the one, who will give birth, to the child. You find it, in Psalm 22, that from, the womb of his mother, from his mother's breast, he, relied upon the Lord.

[21:40] The woman, he says, from the body, of my mother, he named, my name. He has a mother, but the mother, doesn't set the agenda.

[21:55] Remember in John chapter 2, the mother of Jesus, attempted, to set the agenda, for Jesus. Jesus would have none of it.

[22:07] No, he says, no. God sets the agenda. So, there's, the beginning, the beginning, of this servant.

[22:17] He's called, he's named. What about the status, of this person? Well, the status, of course, is that he is, a servant.

[22:29] He is a servant. You see that, in verse 5 there, he said to me, you, are my servant. servant. If I ask you the question, servant, high, or low?

[22:47] Do you think, of the servant, as somebody, who's in the lower ranks, of a society? Or, do you think, of servant, as somebody, in the higher ranks?

[23:00] See, we often tend, to think of servant, as people, who have, you know, they're in the lower ranks, we can boss them around, and so on. But for Jesus, he actually thought, being God's servant, is such an enormous, privilege.

[23:22] He's, privileged, to serve God. Those of you, are Christians, here tonight, I'm sure, you are delighted, to call yourselves, sons, and daughters, of the living God.

[23:36] Absolutely. Yes, you can even talk, of Jesus Christ, as your elder brother. Yes, you can. But you know this, you have a privilege, beyond that as well.

[23:49] And that is, that as God's sons, and daughters, you serve. That's your status. Your status, is to serve him, to bow before him, to say yes, to his will.

[24:05] That's your real privilege, to serve God. And I would love, every one of our families, to become those, who will serve, God.

[24:18] His status. His name, very interesting. Look at his name there, in verse 3. He said to me, you are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

[24:33] This servant, is given a name, Israel. And you might think, well that's strange. But then think of it. Israel, was the name, given to a man, called Jacob.

[24:49] Jacob. Jacob, was a person. Israel, was a person, before Israel, became a nation. Okay?

[25:01] And then, Israel, the nation, one day, failed so badly, that one, particular Israelite, would be called, Israel.

[25:14] And that is, the one whom we know, as Jesus. Jesus. He's a Jew. He was a Jew, is a Jew, will be a Jew. He is Israel.

[25:27] He was once, Jacob was once a person, Israel was once a person, became a nation, failed miserably, to serve God. But here is somebody now, who's going to be, the true Israelite.

[25:43] You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Again, he couldn't become part of Israel, as a nation, without a mother, from Israel.

[25:59] And he couldn't become Israel, in his own passion, to perfection, unless, he were, born into that nation.

[26:09] And what's his purpose in life? You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified. The servant says, this is what God said to me, you are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

[26:30] What is it, to glorify God? Well, what's glory? Glory, the idea of glory, is weight.

[26:45] So you take a stone, and it is weight. You drop it in the sand, and the impressiveness, of that stone, makes an impression, on the sand.

[26:56] It leaves its mark. You can have a king, and his status, makes him glorious. It gives him weight. So when you're in the presence, of an important person, because of his authority, or riches, or whatever, you feel the impressiveness, of that person.

[27:18] Well, God is the one, who has weight. God is the one, who has glory. God is the one, who is so impressive.

[27:30] But who is it, who is able to reveal, the impressiveness, of God, to perfection? In whom, can the glory of God, can be seen, in its fullness, full of grace, and truth?

[27:48] Only one person, only one person, is here called Israel. The nation Israel, they had God, and his glory, at the heart of the nation.

[28:00] They had his tent, among their tents. Did they show, the glory of the Lord? No, they did not. But here is, one Israelite, he's called Israel, and he, he will show, the glory of the Lord.

[28:17] He will reveal it, in everything he says, everything he does, throughout the whole, of his life, on earth, and throughout, his endless life, in eternity.

[28:32] He will always, always, always, be revealing, the glory, of God. on earth, he did it, in his public ministry.

[28:45] When people, looked at Jesus, they were so impressed. They couldn't, quantify it, they couldn't, always explain it, but they found themselves, bowing down, before him.

[28:58] They found themselves, weeping in his presence. They found themselves, wanting his blessing. They wanted their children, to be blessed by him. It's as if they saw, the glory of God, in Jesus.

[29:12] When he wrote miracles, people wondered. They were in awe, because they were seeing, the glorious power, of God at work.

[29:24] When Jesus stood, at the tomb of Lazarus, and called him, to come out. He just called his name, Lazarus, come out, and the dead man, became alive.

[29:35] And Jesus says, didn't I tell you, that you would see, the glory, of God. Philip said, show us the Father.

[29:49] Jesus said, if you have seen me, you've seen the Father. And where do the next see, the glory of the Father? He's nailed to the cross.

[30:03] He's in the darkness. But he's showing the glory. He's showing grace, truth, and his fullness. That's the label, the real label, of Calvary.

[30:15] The glory. You think of Jesus, in heaven tonight. What's he doing, in heaven? Job done?

[30:29] Mission accomplished? Not at all. He sends the church, of Jesus Christ, out into the world, and he equips, Christians like yourselves, to go and share, the glory of God.

[30:45] Because see, when you see, the glory of God, you have become, a Christian. If you see, the glory of God, you have become, a Christian.

[30:57] we have seen, the glory, the word made flesh. We have seen, the glory, we have received, of his fullness.

[31:11] If you see, the glory, your eyes, have been opened, and you understand, your heart, is changed.

[31:22] You take it in. Satan, knows lots, about God. But he doesn't, see his glory. But when a sinner, sees that there is, no other person, who could possibly, save them from sin, but this person, full of grace, and truth, for them, then they sing, the glory, and they just, embrace him.

[31:52] They receive, out of his fullness, grace, upon grace, upon grace. Have you seen, the glory?

[32:05] If you see, the glory, surely your life, has been changed. Well, that's his purpose. And see, the people, who are in heaven, tonight, isn't it strange, as a, as a young Christian, I could maybe, preach on heaven.

[32:27] Now, that I'm a few years, down the road, I preach on heaven, differently. Heaven is so, populated, so populated, so populated, by people, I knew, and loved, and I know, where they are.

[32:47] Heaven is rich, with people, but see, those, in heaven, those Christians, who have gone on, they are being, ministered to, by Jesus, and he's still, he's still, showing them, the glory of God.

[33:08] Jesus doesn't say, ah, you've now reached, the top of the class, it's all over. Ah, listen, it doesn't end. See, that's the beauty, of the glory, of God.

[33:24] Once you taste, there's always more, to taste. There's grace, upon grace, upon grace. It is, like a, like peace, that's like a, a flowing river.

[33:40] Jesus will lead them, to fountains, of living water. Of course he will. That's his mission. Even in heaven, at the right hand, of God, he ministers.

[33:54] He fulfills, the purpose. God said to him, you are my servant, and he's still, God's servant in heaven.

[34:05] You are Israel, and he's still, the servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Everyone else failed, not you Jesus.

[34:17] Jesus, not you. Then, look at his speech. Isn't it interesting? What does Jesus, what does, this servant, use to glorify God?

[34:33] You see it, in verse 2 there, he made my mouth, like a sharp sword. He made me, a polished arrow. Now, this servant, one of the greatest things, he will do, is he will speak.

[34:51] He will proclaim. He will teach. He'll open his mouth, created in the womb of his mother, and with that mouth, he will speak.

[35:04] And what he speaks, will be written, and will be there, in the Holy Scripture. And through the Spirit of God, he will continue to speak, bringing that word home, to our hearts and minds.

[35:22] He was born, to speak. Of course, that's true for all Christians. There is no Christian, who is not born to speak.

[35:38] The night I professed my faith, in the north of the island of Lewis, my mother, took me to visit a lady. And this lady, was roughly, that length.

[35:53] She'd never walked in her life. She'd never got out of bed, in her life. She couldn't feed herself. She couldn't clean herself.

[36:05] She was, essentially, like a baby, the whole of her life. By this stage, she was in her 60s. And she was lying, in this bed.

[36:17] And my mother, took me to the house, and we went in, to see her. And my wife, was with me. This lady, had become a Christian.

[36:30] Many, many years ago, she began to show, utter delight, in the things of God. Her sister, who was looking after, in the house, read to her.

[36:44] Proclaimed God's word to her. shared the gospel, with her. And she just, drank it in. She had her own language, that only her sister, could understand.

[36:56] And there was such joy, in her eyes. She couldn't speak, well, in a way that I could understand. But there was, sheer joy.

[37:07] And I remember, being asked to pray, in that bedroom. And I prayed. And I wish, I wish, that I could always, sense the presence of God, that I felt that night, when I prayed.

[37:23] There's somebody, who benefited, from the speech, of the servant. That's, what Jesus does.

[37:34] He's born, to speak. He's born, to pierce people, with his word. Notice, it's sometimes, the sharp sword. He made my mouth, like a sharp sword.

[37:47] You can only, pierce somebody, with a sword, close at hand. But then he also says, he made me, a polished arrow. You can shoot, arrows from a distance.

[37:59] But the ministry, of this servant, will be in word. And it will be, piercing, and challenging. It will be, general, and specific.

[38:12] It will be, close at hand. Sometimes, it will be, at a distance. You know, there are times, when, we think, that we're, far away, from God.

[38:26] And we think, God won't touch us. You know, if you're trying to run away, from him, and you think, I'm, I'm here, and I'm way out, of the reach of God, and his word.

[38:38] Watch out. The polished arrow, can come so quickly. The ministry of Christ, through his word, and spirit, can come to you, so quickly.

[38:52] All he needs, is to make you remember, something you learned, long ago. My heart yearns, more than you understand, for loved ones, just now, for various reasons.

[39:07] My heart yearns, that these people, would come, and be rescued, from their, utter, the abyss, of their lives.

[39:20] And I know, that God, can rescue. He can send, these polished arrows, or the sharp sword, whenever he wishes.

[39:30] The point here, and this is the point, the servant, is not on the defensive, he's on the offensive.

[39:43] The son of man, has come, to seek, and to save, that which is lost. He goes, to look for them. And he is the one, who can confront, thoughts, change beliefs, alter, world views.

[40:03] And he does it, through his word. There is nothing, more powerful, than this book. In the hands, of the king, in the hands, of the spirit, of the king, nothing more powerful, teach your children, read it together.

[40:24] This, is where the battles, are won. His speech. And then, the servant's schedule.

[40:36] The servant's schedule. Isn't it interesting? Had I been in charge, of the ministry, of Jesus, I would do it, totally different. Yeah, I can lecture, on the synoptic gospels, and on the gospel of John, and say, this is the way, God did it.

[40:54] And I might be saying, but logically, it doesn't make, an awful lot of sense. Jesus comes into the world, and he's there, for 30 odd years, and he's only preaching, for three years.

[41:06] Doesn't make, an awful lot of sense. You'd think, surely, Spurgeon, the boy preacher, began preaching, at 16. Surely, Jesus, the servant, could begin, preaching at 16.

[41:24] You see, that's us, thinking we know, better than God. God's got a way, of hiding, his servant, and then, revealing, his servant.

[41:39] In the shadow, of his hand, he hit me. In his quiver, he hit me away. I can't force God, to save my loved ones.

[41:53] I can't say, God, tonight, send your sharp sword. Tomorrow, send your polished arrows. Can't do it.

[42:06] You see, there's somebody, in charge of the servant, and the servant, knows it. He's hidden, and then, revealed.

[42:18] The timing, is all, of God. You can't rush him, and you can't stop him. And you have to be, humble enough, to take both, of these truths, on board.

[42:35] And then, you would think, in the light, of this wonderful beginning, the status of servant, his name of Israel, his purpose, to bring glory, to the Lord, and his speech, so powerful, and his schedule, on the hands of God.

[42:53] You'd think, this servant, is going to have, a flying high, ministry. He's going to be, soaring, all the time.

[43:04] And then, you read, verse four. But I said, I have labored, in vain. I have spent, my strength, for nothing, in vanity.

[43:17] Isn't that it? You don't expect, the servant, to face, such times, of discouragement. Where he feels, he has spent, all that he has, and he has so little, to show for it.

[43:34] So he comes, into this world, and he preaches, for three years. Spurgeon, can preach, to his tens, of thousands. And they gathered, into the music hall, or they gathered, into Park Street, they gather, into the Metropolitan, Tabern, they can gather, and hear him.

[43:54] Jesus, didn't have that success. Those who gathered, left him. And there was only, a handful left. Half this congregation, is all that were left, following Jesus, for a while.

[44:12] Do you think, Jesus saw, in John 6, the mass of people, going away, and did he just, shrug his shoulders? Listen, he's a shepherd, and he cares.

[44:30] And when you care, you're hurt. You're hurt. And here, the servant says, I have labored, in vain.

[44:41] I have spent, my strength, for nothing, and vanity. It's not that, he didn't labor. Oh, he did. He put the effort in, no effort spared.

[44:53] No effort spared. Just like you. You may be seeking, to serve the Lord, here in Dumfries. Ministry, after ministry, after ministry. And you're longing, to see more, and more, and more.

[45:08] And do you not feel, like, quoting these, of your own ministries? I have labored, in vain. I have spent, my strength, for nothing, and vanity. The sense, of discouragement.

[45:22] The sense, of frustration, that can come. So, we mentioned, this morning, Jesus, weeping, weeping, over Jerusalem.

[45:35] It's as if, this text, is coming, into fruition. Weeping, I've labored, in vain, spent my strength, for nothing, in vanity. Issaacar, knew that, in his own ministry.

[45:53] He only, had his family. These children, behold me, and my children.

[46:05] And he looked around, and he wasn't seeing others. How painful, Jeremiah, when Jeremiah, preached, from a young lad, in his teenage years, probably.

[46:23] And decade, after decade, after decade, what discouragement. How, he must have felt.

[46:33] How, can Isaiah, keep on going? But he does. And the church. I'll be very, very surprised, if a true church, a true Christian, doesn't know, what this is like.

[46:57] Because this is what the master, this is what the servant, this is what, Jesus is like. When Jesus says, if they have hated me, they will hate you also.

[47:11] Do you then clap your hands, and say, that's fine. He put up with it, I'll put up with it. He wept under the hatred of people.

[47:23] And so will you. You're not meant to try, and gloss over these things. The opposition that Jesus felt, was so difficult.

[47:36] human, human, individual, public, political, satanic, demonic, ecclesiastical.

[47:52] He was so disrespected, so dishonored. I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing, and vanity.

[48:11] But that's not where the story stops. Not even for tonight. Then there's the servant's faith. Yet, lovely word, yet, yet, surely my right, is with the Lord, and my recompense, with my God.

[48:39] It's as if the servant is saying, yes, all of this has happened. Things seem so dire. Things seem to be a failure.

[48:51] I have spent, given the effort, so little to show for it. But, yet, the God who commissioned me, is the one who sees all things.

[49:10] My right, is with the Lord, my recompense, with my God. This is not my mission, he says.

[49:20] It's God's mission. It's not my timing. It's God's timing. I can't choose the days for success.

[49:32] God has days of suffering, and discouragement, and tears. He may also, later on, have days, of beautiful, and glorious success.

[49:46] And I'm going, in the midst of my suffering, he says, I am going to lift my eyes, as far as I can, from the discouragements, to the Lord.

[50:03] Do you know how hard it is, to take your eyes, off the discouragements, and to lift them, and to lift them, in faith, to the Lord.

[50:17] That's something, that you, learn to do, only, only, when you go through suffering.

[50:28] Only then. God's mission. This is not something, this is not something, this is not something, you learn, in a seminary. This is something, you learn, under the ministry, of the spirit, in the flames, in the fires, of suffering.

[50:45] You realize, it's God's mission. God's timing. God's eye, is the only eye, that matters.

[50:56] God's reward, that will come, in its own time. I'll wait, for him. I'll trust, in him.

[51:08] Even though things, are not so just now, just as with Habakkuk, I'll wait, for the Lord. And in that way, you see, Jesus, is the most beautiful, example, of faith.

[51:30] And when you feel, your faith, faltering, in your valleys, in your difficulties, that's where you go, to find grace, to help, in time of need.

[51:45] He is the author, of faith, yes. He is one, who practices faith. You know, there's no human being, in the universe, who trusts, God, as much as Jesus.

[52:06] He's perfect. And he's able, to create, that faith, in yourself. And to bring it, to grow, and grow, and grow.

[52:21] May the Lord, bless his word. Let us pray. Our heavenly Father, we realize, Lord, that, we are not, in control.

[52:32] Your timing, is everything. And your blessed, son, the servant, the anointed, one, the Lord, Jesus Christ. We know, Lord, that he serves you, and is building your kingdom.

[52:47] And he's drawing sinners to you. Thank you. Thank you for him, and his, wonderful obedience. The obedience, that he learned, when he suffered, in this world.

[53:01] Oh, Lord, we pray, that you would lift our eyes, to Jesus. Help us, Lord, to look, to him. And as we look, to him, to learn, how to look, to you.

[53:19]  We ask it, in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.