Thank you everyone and good morning. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Alistair.
I have the privilege of being the Assistant Pastor here at Brunsfield and really helpful if you keep that open in front of you this morning.
But I'd like to start us off by asking a question.
Have you ever thought that you were determined to do something, determined about something,
but then someone else showed up and they were far more determined than you were?
Have you ever been in that situation?
So a few years ago, I did my first ever five-kilometer run.
I was sitting at my desk one day in the previous church that I worked in and thought,
I'll just do it. I'll just go for it.
And so I did and it took me 33 minutes for my first time.
Now for those of you who know about running and jogging, that is atrocious.
And so it's really slow and it shows how unfit I am.
And so I decided that I was going to get my time down.
I was going to do better than 33 minutes.
I thought I was dedicated.
And so I was running and running and running regularly.
And I managed to get it down to 27 minutes.
I was very proud of myself.
But then I looked at two of my friends who started running at the same time.
And my determination was gone.
They managed to get down to 23 minutes for a 5K.
So their determination to get fit, their determination to get a better time,
made mine pale in comparison.
And what we're going to think about this morning is the determination of a devout servant
from this passage in Isaiah.
So in Isaiah this morning, we're looking at the third servant song.
And we see how this servant, this promised Messiah from the Old Testament,
was so determined to accomplish God's will.
And so devoted to God.
And spoiler alert, this servant is Jesus Christ.
Who would walk the face of this earth just hundreds of years after God spoke this message
to the people of Israel through his spokesman, Isaiah.
And the cry of God in Isaiah chapter 1 through to chapter 38 is,
Israel, turn to me.
Do not turn to idols.
Come back to me and repent.
The God who made you.
The God who loves you.
But Israel are absolute in their disobedience.
Isaiah is warning Israel of the future events that are coming their way.
They will be carried off into captivity in Babylon
because of their rebellion and disobedience against God.
So they are being warned that they will be slaves in a foreign land.
They will not be treated with kindness.
They will not be rejoicing.
But they will be crying out with the words from Isaiah 49 verse 14.
If you look over the page, it says,
The Lord has forsaken me.
The Lord has forgotten me.
So when they look at the disaster in their lives,
they will say again in chapter 49 verse 21,
I was exiled and rejected.
Who has brought these up?
I was left alone.
Do you feel the pain in those words?
I was left alone.
And it is into that mess that God speaks and his message is,
Israel, wake up.
Listen to me.
Ten times in this section from chapter 50 to 54,
God says, listen to me.
And listen to my servant.
So God is calling them to listen.
But why should they listen to this servant?
What's so different about this guy
that they should listen to him?
Well, the difference, as we will see this morning,
is that this servant is determined in his devotion to God.
God tells us this by giving us three examples of who this servant is.
God points out the character,
the confidence,
and the call of his servant.
And all of these things point to the fact
that he is determined in his devotion to God.
So this morning, we're going to be presented with who Jesus is,
what he has done,
and we will be challenged by his determination to follow God's will,
and we will be challenged to ask ourselves the question,
do we even have a shadow of the character,
confidence, and call that Jesus had?
My prayer is that as we look at Jesus
and the determination of this devout servant,
that we would be challenged,
that we would be transformed to become better servants,
with more determination to follow God
and live for Jesus.
So the first thing that we see in these few verses in Isaiah
is character,
the character of God's servant in verses 4 to 6.
So two character traits that we see in these verses
are submission and obedience,
that stem from Jesus' determination
to act according to God's will.
Look with me at verse 4.
The servant speaks the word of God
as a well-instructed tongue.
He is in such a close relationship with God
that he knows his words,
and his words sustain the weary.
So those who are weak,
those who are downcast,
those who are mourning,
will listen to the words of this servant
and will be restored,
will be built up,
and will be encouraged.
Is this not an encouragement
as we think about the person of Jesus Christ?
When we are at our weakest,
when we are at our wits' end,
when we are a helpless case,
we can turn to him
and know that his words will not condemn us,
but they will sustain us.
They will not judge us,
but they will build us up.
But these are not the empty words
of a self-help author
or a well-known motivational speaker,
but these are the words of a servant
who is wholeheartedly dedicated
to God, to God's people,
and who is lovingly encouraging them
and us with his words.
And in verse 5,
we see the extent of Jesus' submission
and obedience to God
because unlike the nation of Israel,
he hasn't rebelled.
Verse 5, the servant says,
I have not been rebellious.
I have not turned away.
So do you see what this would mean
to the nation of Israel?
They will be sitting in captivity in Babylon,
distant from their land,
cut off from the temple,
surrounded by an army of pagan gods
and false deities
because of their rebellion
and because of their rejection of God.
And God provides them with a savior
who is perfectly innocent,
perfectly obedient to God's will
and perfectly submissive to him.
This servant is a fulfillment of Israel.
He did what they could not.
Israel sought after other gods.
They searched for truth outside of God.
They rejected him.
But God's servant,
the promised Messiah,
would come,
save the world,
speaking God's word,
and he will fulfill what Israel could not do.
He is perfect.
But how far does his submission and obedience go?
To what extent is this servant
really determined in his devotion to God?
Well, the answer is right there in verse 6.
Let that sink in.
God's servant is so determined,
so devoted to God
that he willingly,
willingly
chose to suffer
in accordance with God's will,
God's good will,
to save his people.
That means that he was ridiculed,
he was in pain,
and he died.
This is a perfect description
of what we will celebrate later on
in our service
as we take communion together.
how Jesus willingly went
to the pain and torment
of the cross
in perfect obedience
and submission to God.
And do you see how this is exactly
what Jesus did
as he was surrounded
by a garrison of Roman soldiers?
Beaten and mocked,
spat on,
and a crown of thorns
placed on his head.
The all-powerful Son of God
nailed to a tree.
Willingly suffering
so that a broken,
fallen world,
so that broken,
fallen people
like you and like me
can be made right with God.
This is the ultimate determination
and devotion.
Jesus sits in the Garden of Gethsemane
in Luke chapter 22
and it says that he is in agony
as he prays.
His blood,
his sweat is turned to blood
and he knows that the cross
is on the horizon.
He knows that in just a few hours
the people who previously
followed him
and loved him
will be crying out
for his death.
But what does he pray?
Father,
not my will
but yours be done.
Jesus' determination
to accomplish God's will
resulted
in this perfect character
of obedience
and submission
even to the point
of being sentenced
to death on the cross.
this is the servant.
This is Jesus
and his call to us
this morning
is the same as God's was
to Isaiah.
Wake up,
Brunsfield Evangelical Church
and listen to me.
If this is all true,
if he willingly
suffered for me
and for you
as the Bible
says he did,
why would we not
listen to him?
Jesus willingly
suffered for you
and for me.
His character
is that of perfect
submission and obedience
to God's will
which results
in us being made
right with God.
There is no greater
blessing in this world
to be found.
Charles Spurgeon,
a preacher
from many years ago
put it this way,
Jesus has borne
the death penalty
on our behalf.
Behold the wonder,
there he hangs
upon the cross.
This is the greatest sight
you will ever see.
Son of God
and son of man,
there he hangs
bearing pains
unutterable.
The just
for the unjust
to bring us to God.
Oh the glory
of that sight.
So how should
the character
of Jesus,
the perfect servant
challenge us
this morning?
Well it makes us
ask the question,
does our character
reflect even
the faintest
degree of
submission and
obedience to the
will of God
that Jesus had?
Even the faintest?
seeing the perfect
determination of
Jesus to
willingly suffer
and take the
punishment that we
all deserve
should make us
listen to,
submit to
and obey him.
The second thing
that we see
in this passage
about the
determination
of a devout
servant is his
confidence.
In verses
seven to nine,
confidence.
So twice
in these
three verses
Jesus,
the servant
who's been
described in
this song
says that
the sovereign
Lord helps
him in
verses seven
and nine.
So he has
such a close
relationship
with God.
He is so
devoted to
him that
he knows
without a
shadow of a
doubt that
God is on
his side.
That God
is helping
him.
Even as
he suffers
and hangs
on a cross
he has
confidence
in God
and God's
plan.
And his
confidence
leads him
to say
in verse
seven,
I will
not be
disgraced.
Who will
bring charges
against me?
And in
verse eight,
who is my
accuser?
Verse nine,
who will
condemn me?
This is
courtroom
language.
Jesus
will stand
in a
courtroom
and people
will bring
accusation
after accusation
against him
and yet he
will be
proven
innocent.
Everyone
else will
be proven
wrong.
He is
innocent and
everyone will
see that the
great God of
this world is
on his side.
But even
though this
servant knows
that he's
innocent,
he will
still be
mocked,
he will
still be
spat at,
and he
will still
be killed,
as we saw
in verse
six.
But verse
seven says,
because the
sovereign Lord
helps me,
I will not
be disgraced.
therefore,
have I
set my
face like
flint,
and I
know I
will not
be put
to shame.
So the
servant's
confidence in
God leads
to absolute
determination.
That's what it
means when he
says, I set my
face like
flint.
Jesus'
confidence in
God is
absolute and
so he
willingly walks
to the
cross in
determination
to accomplish
the will
of God.
Jesus'
confidence in
God will
not be
shaken.
He will
not be
distracted,
he will
not be
taken off
course,
but he
is resolute
in his
confidence
and determination.
Earlier in
the book of
Isaiah,
God has
been calling
Israel to
trust in
him when
they face
attacks from
their enemies.
But they
had no
confidence in
God.
The servant
fulfills what
was lacking
in them.
The servant's
confidence in
God is just
as strong as
Israel's
stubborn
unwillingness to
repent.
He has a
supernatural
confidence in
God and is
determined to
accomplish his
will.
And is this
not what we
see in
Jesus in
Luke chapter
9 verse 51
where it says
this,
Jesus set
his face
to go to
Jerusalem.
Now this is
more than
Jesus just
looking towards
a city.
Because as
Jesus sets
his face
towards
Jerusalem,
he is
looking at
and anticipating
his own
death.
As he looks
to Jerusalem,
he knows that
the cross is
on the horizon.
He knows that
every step he
takes is
bringing him
closer to
agony.
Doesn't that
make us
thankful?
for Jesus
and his
confidence in
God.
If Jesus
wasn't
confident in
God and
didn't set
his face
like Flint,
he would
never have
willingly
suffered in
our place
on the
cross.
Forgiveness
would not
be made
possible and
we would
still be
in darkness.
We would
still be
lost.
So our
response to
this should
be Jesus,
thank you.
His
confidence
means that
we can be
forgiven.
We rely
solely on
his death
on the
cross as
he bore
the wrath
of God
for the
sins of
this world.
Jesus did
what we
could never
do.
We could
never even
dream of
doing.
He lived
the perfect
sinless
life.
He was
unfaltering
in his
confidence and
determination and
devotion to
God.
We should be
thankful because
Jesus did what
I couldn't even
dream of.
But what if we
don't have the
same confidence?
What if we
struggle?
What if we're
tired and
weary?
Well, Jesus
doesn't condemn
us when we
fail.
Look at verse
four again.
He knows the
words that
sustain the
weary.
When we are
weak, when we
are broken,
when our
confidence and
faith seems so
fragile that
they could
break any
second, Jesus
speaks and
he says, I
am enough.
Think of the
example of
Jesus'
disciple Peter
in Luke
chapter 22.
Jesus told
Peter that he
would deny
him three
times and
Peter, quite
full of
himself, said,
Lord, I am
ready to go
with you to
prison and
to death.
But just a
few hours
later, Jesus
was arrested,
put on trial
in the house
of the high
priest and
Peter was
watching this
whole situation
unfold, resting
by a fire.
Three times
Peter denied
any knowledge
of who Jesus
was.
Three times
he denied
that he had
spent time
with Jesus.
And when the
rooster crowed,
Luke says
that Jesus
looked at
him and
he remembered
and he
ran away
ashamed because
Jesus was
right.
And so
what would we
expect of
Peter now?
Should he be
cut off for
good because
he was
ashamed and
feared for
his own
life?
Would we
expect Jesus
to cast him
off and
never speak
to him
again because
he didn't
have the
same confidence
and determination
to follow
God's will?
When Jesus
is raised
from the
dead and
Peter understands
fully without
a shadow
of a doubt
who Jesus
was, we
see a whole
new confidence
in God.
The man
who previously
cowered at the
thought of being
accused with
Jesus, some
40 days later
would stand
before the
people of
Israel and
the high
court of the
Jewish leaders
and say,
you crucified
the Messiah,
the one who
would come to
save you.
Peter's
confidence was
changed because
he understood
who Jesus
was.
Do you
know who
Jesus is
this morning?
This radical
change of
confidence and
change in
determination is
only brought
about when we
grasp the
fundamental truth
that Jesus is
our Savior and
that he is
determined in
his devotion to
God.
this change
happened because
Peter understood
who Jesus
was.
He saw
Jesus'
sacrifice, the
price that he
paid and
Peter said,
I'm giving
Jesus my
everything.
That is the
kind of
confidence that
I want and
that is the
kind of
confidence that
I pray that
we all would
have.
Once we
understand what
Jesus did on
the cross,
how he
reconciled us
to God,
once we
grasp the
greatness of
that news,
we will
have a
newfound
confidence in
God.
Are you
confident this
morning in
your faith?
Are you
determined in
your devotion to
follow Jesus?
If not,
then look at
Jesus' death on
the cross and
how he
willingly walk
to his
death for
you and
for me.
And ask
yourself the
question,
if he was
willing to
die in
my place,
shouldn't I
at least
consider who
he is?
Or if you
are a
Christian and
you're
struggling in
your confidence,
then remember
the words of
verse 4.
Jesus doesn't
stand there and
tell you to
do a better
job.
He doesn't
cast you off,
he doesn't
think your
efforts are
worthless, but
he knows the
words that
sustain the
weary.
Turn to
him in
prayer.
Call out for
him to
strengthen you.
Ask for
confidence and
read his
word because
you will be
built up,
you will be
encouraged,
and you
will be
sustained.
The third
thing that we
see about the
determination of
a devout
servant is
his call.
In verses
10 to
11,
the call.
So as the
nation of
Israel sit
in captivity
in Babylon
for their
rejection of
God, the
question that
this servant
asks in
verse 10
is,
who among
you fears
the Lord
and obeys
the word of
his servant?
And the
answer is
absolutely
nobody.
That is
precisely why
they're in
captivity in
the first
place.
They did
not fear
and obey
the Lord.
Notice
how fear,
fearing the
Lord and
obeying his
servant are
synonymous.
The words
of Jesus,
God's servant,
are the
words of
God.
God and
his servant
are one
and the
same.
So Jesus
is being
described as
a servant
here.
Does that
mean that
he is
inferior to
God?
Absolutely
not.
Jesus is
a servant
in the
sense that
he stoops
down and
steps into
our world
to take
the punishment
that we
deserve
according to
the will
of God.
Jesus is
not inferior
to God,
but Jesus
is God.
He is one
person of
the Trinity.
Verse 10
means that
you cannot
fear God
and not
obey Jesus.
You can't
obey Jesus
without fearing
God.
The two go
hand in
hand.
The only
way to be
made right
with God,
the only
way to be
forgiven of
our sin
and rebellion
against him,
something that
every single
one of us
in this world
is guilty
of,
is through
Jesus.
God in
the flesh
who is
calling us
to fear
and obedience.
But this
is not the
quivering kind
of fear in
the presence
of a tyrannical
ruler.
It doesn't
mean that we
are afraid
of God
because he
is not a
big man in
the sky
with a
stick ready
to strike
anyone who
disobeys him.
But to
fear God
means to
be in
awe of
him,
to be
reverent of
who he
is.
Those who
fear God
trust him
and have
faith in
him and
obey him.
Do you
fear God?
do you
live according
to his
word and
the teachings
of Jesus?
If you
don't,
then let me
be blunt
with you
this morning
and tell
you how
the Bible
explains your
situation.
Look at the
second half
of verse
10.
Let the
one who
walks in
the dark
who has
no light
trust in
the name
of the
Lord and
rely on
their God.
God.
This
passage says
that if
you are a
Christian,
if you do
fear God
and obey
Jesus,
then you
are trusting
and relying
on God.
But if
you don't,
then you're
in darkness.
Now this
might not
sound too
bad.
The majority
of people
today aren't
afraid of
the dark,
but the
Bible uses
light and
darkness to
describe a
person's
relationship
with God.
God.
If someone
is right
with God
and they
are living
according to
his will,
they have
been declared
forgiven by
Jesus,
then they
look forward
to eternal
peace in
the presence
of God.
A place
free from
pain,
a place
free from
sin,
a place
of perfect
communion with
our loving
God.
But for
those who
are in
darkness,
for those
who are
looking for
light in
all other
places,
as it
says in
verse 11,
for those
who are
trying to
make their
own way
to God,
trying to
be good
enough,
do and
say the
right
things,
then the
result is
very different.
The Bible
says,
if you do
not fear
the Lord
and obey
Jesus,
then verse
11,
you will
lie down
in torment.
If you
do not
know Jesus,
if you are
not a
Christian,
this passage
is a
warning to
you.
it is
Jesus
calling you
out of
the darkness
and into
the light,
out of
your rebellion
against
him and
into a
right
relationship
with him.
Friends,
this is the
reality of
eternal life.
You either
spend it in
the presence
of a loving
God who
willingly
suffered in
your place,
or you
spend it
in an
eternity
cut off
from God,
a place
of torment
and eternal
judgment,
a place we
call hell.
There is
no middle
ground.
You choose
to live
for Jesus
or you
choose to
reject him.
And that
is not a
decision that
we should
take lightly.
And that
is what
Jesus came
into this
world teaching.
warning the
people to
repent and
believe in
him because
the day is
coming where
time will
run out.
The
determination
of this
devout
servant was
to come
and proclaim
this message
so that
people could
be made
right with
God.
So that
people would
be saved
from the
judgmentless
to come.
This is
what Jesus
proclaimed.
This is the
message that
we are to
proclaim to
the world.
God is
telling Israel
wake up
listen to
me.
Jesus came
and told
people to
repent and
believe the
gospel.
Our message
to the
world is
exactly the
same.
Do not
come to
Brunsfield
Evangelical
Church but
come to
Jesus Christ
the Lord
and Savior
of this
world.
C.T.
Studd a
famous
cricketer
turned
missionary to
China said
this.
Some want
to live
within the
sound of a
church bell
but I want
to run a
rescue shop
within the
yard of
hell.
If we
see how
determined
Jesus was
to come
and willingly
suffer death
on the
cross for
us,
if we
see how
he constantly
called people
to be made
right with
God,
friends,
why aren't
we doing
the same?
God's
love.
If we
take Jesus
seriously,
if we
take the
call to
repent
seriously,
if we
take heaven
and hell
seriously,
then we
should take
evangelism
seriously.
Do we
share the
same call
of Jesus?
Do we
stand on
the road
that leads
to hell
and beg
people with
everything we
have to
repent and
be made
right with
God?
That is
what Jesus
did and
that is
what he
is calling
us to
do.
As I've
studied this
passage and
the determination
of Jesus
this week,
I have been
challenged,
convicted of
my own
comfortable
Christianity
and encouraged
to be
transformed
more into
his likeness.
As we
draw to a
close this
morning,
we have
seen the
determination
of a
devout
servant,
the one
whose
character
is that
of
submission
and
obedience
to the
will
of
God
to the
point
of
death
on a
cross.
And that
should
challenge
us to
submit
to
and
obey
him.
We've
seen the
confidence
of Jesus
who in
absolute
confidence
and
determination
went to
the cross,
was mocked,
beaten,
spat on
willingly,
so that
we can be
made right
with God.
And in
our times
of weakness,
in our
times of
doubt,
we can
be
confident
that
his
determination,
that his
confidence in
God means
that we
too can
be
confident
and that
we can
live
devoted
lives.
And we
have seen
the call
of Jesus,
the call
for those
who are in
darkness to
come into
the light,
those who
are in
rebellion
to trust
and rely
on God.
God.
Do you
trust and
rely on
God?
Are you
calling people
to do the
same thing?
Are we
declaring the
good news of
Jesus so
that the
world can
spend their
eternal life
in heaven
instead of
in hell?
This is the
determination of
a devout
servant that
should change
our lives,
that should
make us love
him and that
should make us
want to give
him everything
because he
gave everything
for us.
Let's pray
together.
Father,
as we
look at
Isaiah,
this passage
of your
son Jesus
Christ,
we realize
how far
we fall
from your
perfect
standards.
We realize
how weak
we are in
our
obedience and
submission to
you and we
ask that you
would forgive
us.
We ask that
you would
challenge us
and that you
would build
us up,
that you would
encourage us
to become more
like your
son Jesus
Christ,
that we would
have just a
sliver of the
determination
that he had
to be devoted
to you.
We ask this
in his holy
precious name.
Amen.
See you all.