WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.419 Good morning, church. 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:14.460 Our sermon text today is Isaiah chapter 42, verses 1 through 4. 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:18.320 That's page 564 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:18.420 --> 00:00:20.199 Let me invite you to turn there with me. 00:00:22.580 --> 00:00:25.199 Isaiah chapter 42, verses 1 through 4. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:37.320 Let me read this text for us. 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:49.219 Behold, my servant whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights. 00:00:49.980 --> 00:00:52.299 I have put my spirit upon him. 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:55.359 He will bring forth justice to the nations. 00:00:56.460 --> 00:00:59.900 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice. 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:01.960 Or make it heard in the street. 00:01:03.100 --> 00:01:05.299 A bruised reed he will not break. 00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:09.540 And a faintly burning wick he will not quench. 00:01:10.819 --> 00:01:13.540 He will faithfully bring forth justice. 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:17.039 He will not grow faint or be discouraged. 00:01:17.560 --> 00:01:20.240 Till he has established justice in the earth. 00:01:21.240 --> 00:01:23.480 And the coastlands wait for his law. 00:01:24.539 --> 00:01:25.480 Let's pray together. 00:01:25.480 --> 00:01:34.500 Lord God, indeed, what a wonder it is that you have done in sending your son to be incarnate for us. 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:45.580 Father, we thank you for this time of year when we devote these weeks to remembering your incarnation and your birth, your coming to earth. 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:52.920 Lord, we pray that as we consider this text this morning, that you would help us to see Christ. 00:01:53.620 --> 00:01:55.679 Father, help us to see your son more clearly. 00:01:55.680 --> 00:02:01.700 And help our hearts by your Holy Spirit to love him and to worship him. 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:04.660 To adore him and to trust him more fully. 00:02:05.600 --> 00:02:08.140 We ask all this, Father, in the name of Jesus our Lord. 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:08.620 Amen. 00:02:08.620 --> 00:02:08.740 Amen. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:21.460 Well, if you were to imagine in your mind the perfect leader, what would he or she look like? 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:24.780 What would be the thing that characterizes them? 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:29.379 Perhaps you think a strong sense of vision. 00:02:30.460 --> 00:02:33.140 A bold and stirring picture of where things ought to be headed. 00:02:33.139 --> 00:02:40.039 Or perhaps this ideal, perfect leader would be a person who is a compelling communicator. 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:44.559 Someone who could rouse the passions of others and make things clear to a group of people. 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:51.219 Or maybe he or she would be a person of courage, of decisive conviction. 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:56.339 Someone who's willing to take a stand and make a choice and even stand alone if need be. 00:02:58.159 --> 00:03:01.619 Or perhaps in your mind a great leader would ultimately be a person of integrity. 00:03:01.620 --> 00:03:05.460 Someone who's trustworthy and honest and compassionate and just. 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:13.280 Of course, the older you get, you realize how rare such a leader is. 00:03:14.740 --> 00:03:20.860 Those who are strong and bold and decisive tend not to be so compassionate or fair. 00:03:21.920 --> 00:03:28.159 And those who are gentle and caring often tend not to be so firm and strong and courageous. 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:37.259 Now, this December, we've been looking at the prophecies of Isaiah from the 8th century BC. 00:03:38.379 --> 00:03:42.300 We've been looking at Isaiah's prophecies about the coming king, the coming Messiah, 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:47.979 that were ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus some 700 plus years later. 00:03:47.979 --> 00:03:56.519 And the text we just read from Isaiah 42 describes not merely the mission of this coming king, but his character. 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:00.199 What will he be like? 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:07.219 Will he be strong and firm, able to affect change against fierce opposition? 00:04:07.219 --> 00:04:13.439 Will he be compassionate and gentle, tender and caring? 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:16.300 What sort of leader will he be? 00:04:18.939 --> 00:04:23.439 And Isaiah's surprising answer is both. 00:04:25.220 --> 00:04:27.439 He will be strong and gentle. 00:04:28.220 --> 00:04:31.279 He will be powerful and compassionate. 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:44.599 Unlike any leader before him, this one will perfectly combine in himself the seemingly opposite character traits of both strength and tenderness. 00:04:48.179 --> 00:04:52.459 This one will be the leader that we long for and that we need. 00:04:52.459 --> 00:05:01.659 So I want to consider those two character traits of the Messiah from this text in Isaiah. 00:05:02.019 --> 00:05:03.819 First, let's consider his strength. 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:05.519 Verse 1 again, 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:09.579 Behold my servant whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights. 00:05:09.659 --> 00:05:11.199 I have put my spirit upon him. 00:05:11.579 --> 00:05:14.859 He will bring forth justice to the nations. 00:05:14.860 --> 00:05:23.439 Now, this text that we're looking at this morning is the first of four so-called servant songs in Isaiah. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:34.220 In chapters 40 through 55, we reach kind of a new section of the book of Isaiah where Isaiah is proclaiming a message of hope now to Israel. 00:05:35.900 --> 00:05:42.879 Looking ahead to their future captivity in Babylon, Isaiah proclaims a message of comfort. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:48.519 God will remember his exiled people and God will bring them home. 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:56.800 And you see, often in these chapters, it's the nation of Israel that's called the Lord's servant. 00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:03.420 It's as if God wants to remind them that their relationship with him hasn't been utterly lost. 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:06.040 God is still their God and they are still his people. 00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:19.020 But at key moments in Isaiah's message of hope in these chapters, there's another servant who appears. 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:27.939 A servant who we see is distinct from the people and yet who will act on behalf of the people 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:32.920 to do what they could not do for themselves, to succeed where they had failed. 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:37.819 This true servant will come and he will make things right. 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:44.639 Now, some early Jewish commentators thought that perhaps this true servant 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:48.939 was merely an idealized picture of the whole people of Israel. 00:06:48.939 --> 00:06:57.879 But others realized that Isaiah was actually looking ahead to the Messiah, 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:03.420 to the king who would come as a servant to rescue God's people. 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:11.800 And he would come, as verse 1 tells us, in strength. 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:16.000 He will bring forth justice to the nations. 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:18.399 Look again at the end of verse 3. 00:07:18.759 --> 00:07:21.300 He will faithfully bring forth justice. 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:26.959 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth. 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:29.360 Three times this word justice is mentioned. 00:07:30.060 --> 00:07:33.680 This servant would at last make things right. 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:38.800 Now, notice the contrast at the end of chapter 41. 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:47.759 In chapter 41, Isaiah is exposing the futility of the idols of the nations, of false gods. 00:07:48.340 --> 00:07:51.759 And at the end of chapter 41, verse 29, if you look there, he says, 00:07:51.960 --> 00:07:56.840 Behold, they, the idols, they are all a delusion. 00:07:57.819 --> 00:07:59.100 Their works are nothing. 00:07:59.980 --> 00:08:02.620 Their metal images are empty wind. 00:08:02.620 --> 00:08:07.340 The idols of the nations are empty. 00:08:07.459 --> 00:08:08.639 They can't do anything. 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:11.060 They can't change anything, Isaiah says. 00:08:11.139 --> 00:08:15.160 But now, chapter 42 opens with another behold. 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:18.699 Behold, my servant. 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:23.800 He will bring forth justice to the nations. 00:08:24.699 --> 00:08:26.060 You see the contrast? 00:08:26.220 --> 00:08:27.600 It couldn't be more pronounced. 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:36.240 Over here, all the idols that we want to stack up to rescue us, to save us, to deliver us, to satisfy us. 00:08:36.300 --> 00:08:37.920 And Isaiah says, they're empty. 00:08:39.560 --> 00:08:50.279 But behold, the servant who brings real, lasting, substantial change. 00:08:53.420 --> 00:08:55.500 What do we mean by justice here? 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:02.139 The Hebrew term actually means more than just sort of right legal judgments. 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:06.720 It's a much more holistic word than that. 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:12.240 In its deepest sense, it means the right ordering of creation itself, 00:09:12.420 --> 00:09:17.159 the right ordering of relationships within the world God has made. 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:22.420 That is justice, rightness in the fullest sense. 00:09:22.419 --> 00:09:33.919 You see, when humanity rebelled against God, our alienation from God resulted in a series of fractured relationships. 00:09:34.259 --> 00:09:39.339 Suddenly, our relationship not just to God, but to one another and to the created world. 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:45.479 And even to ourselves, like a cascade rushing down, just keep getting broken and broken and broken. 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:57.220 But to make those things right again, that was justice in the full sense of the term. 00:09:59.300 --> 00:10:03.220 And of course, to do that, it would take strength. 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:05.360 It would take courage. 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:10.279 Consider the passage from Matthew that we read earlier. 00:10:11.820 --> 00:10:12.940 Jesus is in the synagogue. 00:10:14.539 --> 00:10:19.580 He's come to restore, to make things right, to enact justice in its fullest sense. 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:24.700 And when he heals the man's hand and restores it healthy like the other, 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:27.800 what is the response of the Pharisees? 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:33.859 Matthew says, they go out and conspire how to destroy him. 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:35.859 Why? 00:10:37.859 --> 00:10:43.479 Because Jesus was breaking the rules that they had made about how the Sabbath ought to be observed. 00:10:44.359 --> 00:10:51.500 And Jesus, knowing full well that this act of justice would turn the tide against him, 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:57.620 in strength and in courage, he does it anyway. 00:10:57.799 --> 00:11:04.479 This is the conviction, the courage of Christ to bring forth justice, 00:11:04.659 --> 00:11:11.079 even though it would bring the fury of the religious and political authorities down upon his head. 00:11:15.579 --> 00:11:24.099 And you know, today as followers of Jesus, such a courageous pursuit of justice ought to characterize us as well. 00:11:24.100 --> 00:11:28.200 What does that look like? 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:38.519 Well, first and foremost, this means telling others about the reconciling work of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. 00:11:39.779 --> 00:11:42.960 You know, too often today in the Christian world, 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:48.600 we pit evangelism and justice against one another as if they were on different teams. 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:53.000 There's sort of team evangelism and there's team justice, and they never seem to get along, 00:11:53.379 --> 00:11:56.060 which is completely absurd from a biblical perspective. 00:11:58.019 --> 00:12:01.920 Evangelism is a work of justice in the rich biblical sense. 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:06.299 When we tell others about the saving grace of God in Christ, 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:11.039 we are participating in God's work of putting the world right again. 00:12:12.779 --> 00:12:18.740 Because the gospel is the means God uses to turn us from the emptiness of idolatry 00:12:18.740 --> 00:12:22.139 and restore us to a right relationship with him, 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:27.120 which is the heart of what real biblical justice is all about. 00:12:30.019 --> 00:12:34.039 Now, how could we withhold that from our neighbors and our friends? 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:45.340 How could we not pray and partner and plan to take this saving message of Christ to the nations and to our neighbors? 00:12:45.340 --> 00:12:47.340 How could we not pray and partner and plan to take this saving message of God? 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:52.500 But as followers of Jesus, a courageous pursuit of justice doesn't stop there. 00:12:54.560 --> 00:13:01.920 Where else is the world out of joint with God's intended good design? 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:09.060 How have our relationships with one another, with the material world, even with ourselves, gone awry? 00:13:09.059 --> 00:13:09.159 Why? 00:13:11.239 --> 00:13:11.959 Poverty. 00:13:13.219 --> 00:13:13.759 Racism. 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:16.119 Ecological damage. 00:13:16.859 --> 00:13:19.139 Should Christians care about such things? 00:13:19.979 --> 00:13:23.099 Should Christians take thoughtful action about such things? 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:25.979 If we are followers of Christ, we must. 00:13:28.479 --> 00:13:33.219 We follow a Lord who has determined to bring forth justice to the nations. 00:13:33.220 --> 00:13:40.420 Isaiah says he will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth. 00:13:41.560 --> 00:13:50.320 And so in confidence that he continues his work, we must continue to join him in that work as well. 00:13:54.540 --> 00:13:59.879 So the portrait Isaiah gives of the servant of the coming Messiah of Jesus is one of strength. 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:08.179 But this picture isn't just one of courage and strength, of bringing justice to the nations, is it? 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:14.000 It's also a picture of surprising tenderness. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:20.779 Consider the surprising tenderness of Christ in this passage, verses 2 and 3. 00:14:21.779 --> 00:14:27.519 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street. 00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:31.399 A bruised reed he will not break. 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:35.879 And a faintly burning wick he will not quench. 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:42.019 Consider the humility of verse 2. 00:14:44.079 --> 00:14:50.259 Unlike the proud rulers of Isaiah's day and even of our own, 00:14:50.259 --> 00:14:54.879 who heralds, who herald their own victories to get glory for themselves, 00:14:55.559 --> 00:14:58.200 crying aloud with their own successes, 00:14:58.500 --> 00:15:02.159 lifting up their voices every chance they get to attract attention, 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:03.899 Jesus, on the other hand, 00:15:05.299 --> 00:15:06.059 is humble. 00:15:07.580 --> 00:15:10.899 He doesn't cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street, 00:15:11.019 --> 00:15:12.379 trumpeting his own glories. 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:14.600 He's humble. 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:16.420 More often than not, 00:15:16.420 --> 00:15:21.480 he instructed those that he healed to tell no one. 00:15:23.580 --> 00:15:24.500 Imagine that. 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:32.399 He wasn't out to grow his own platform or establish his brand 00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:35.659 or see how many followers he could get on Instagram. 00:15:37.180 --> 00:15:38.480 Hashtag Jesus is king. 00:15:38.620 --> 00:15:39.220 You got it. 00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:40.040 Keep it going. 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:42.259 He was humble. 00:15:42.779 --> 00:15:43.660 He was meek. 00:15:43.659 --> 00:15:48.279 Most of all, he let his actions speak for themselves. 00:15:50.500 --> 00:15:53.980 And the actions that spoke most loudly 00:15:53.980 --> 00:15:59.559 were his actions of compassion and tenderness. 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:05.879 In verse 3, Isaiah uses an image of a bruised reed. 00:16:09.579 --> 00:16:12.240 A reed is a tall, slender plant. 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:17.560 I bet if you go down to the Quinnipiac River sometime in the spring, 00:16:17.639 --> 00:16:19.659 you'll probably see reeds growing up. 00:16:20.860 --> 00:16:23.419 And a bruised reed is a reed that's been damaged, 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:25.539 that's weak in some way, 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:28.759 that's unable to sort of barely hold up its own weight. 00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:32.200 At the end of last school year, 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:36.180 my son Jack brought home some bean plants that he had grown in class. 00:16:36.179 --> 00:16:42.099 They were these sort of slender, tender little things sort of spilling out of the pot. 00:16:42.739 --> 00:16:47.939 And on the drive home, one of the stems got sort of bent and folded over. 00:16:47.940 --> 00:16:50.980 But it didn't break the whole way through. 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:57.100 So when we got home, we got a little stick, and we put it in there, and we got some string, 00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:03.720 and we sort of gently tried to prop it up and keep it up to see if it might last and make it 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:07.259 so that it could stand up and continue to grow. 00:17:07.259 --> 00:17:14.839 And that sort of almost ridiculous tenderness over a bean plant, 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:20.779 that's the sort of tenderness that Christ shows to us. 00:17:24.879 --> 00:17:26.640 And a faintly burning wick, 00:17:27.420 --> 00:17:31.940 it's an image of a fire or even of a candle that's on the verge of going out, 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:33.119 that's barely lit, 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:36.519 that's just about ready to give in to the darkness. 00:17:37.259 --> 00:17:40.059 But such as these, Isaiah says, 00:17:40.119 --> 00:17:41.640 he will not quench. 00:17:43.259 --> 00:17:44.759 He's going to come, 00:17:44.859 --> 00:17:48.420 and he's going to guard those faint embers, 00:17:48.879 --> 00:17:51.039 and he's going to nurse them back to flame. 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:59.759 How often in his ministry did Jesus not break the bruised reeds 00:17:59.759 --> 00:18:02.160 or quench the faintly burning wicks? 00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:06.440 When synagogue rulers came to him and said, 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:08.480 my child is sick, come quickly. 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:12.140 When hemorrhaging women reached out to touch his robe, 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.519 eager for a cure that they could not find anywhere else. 00:18:16.100 --> 00:18:18.779 When lepers came to him pleading for mercy. 00:18:19.120 --> 00:18:22.220 When the crowds gathered round him late into the day 00:18:22.220 --> 00:18:25.080 without bread to eat. 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:27.079 Always, he responded. 00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:34.740 Always, with that perfect mixture of strength and tenderness. 00:18:34.740 --> 00:18:40.440 And friends, does he not continue to do so even today? 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:43.680 No matter how weak, 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:45.579 no matter how bruised, 00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:48.259 no matter how heavy laden is your conscience, 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:51.740 no matter how much guilt or shame you carry, 00:18:53.120 --> 00:18:56.140 come to the servant, 00:18:56.339 --> 00:18:57.500 come to Christ, 00:18:57.500 --> 00:19:02.200 and he will neither break nor quench, 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:04.500 but he will receive you 00:19:04.500 --> 00:19:09.640 with that wonderful combination of tenderness and strength. 00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:19.360 All of Jesus' life was characterized by this tenderness and strength, 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:19.759 wasn't it? 00:19:21.020 --> 00:19:22.900 Was that not true of him in his birth? 00:19:25.300 --> 00:19:28.280 Was it not his great strength that allowed him 00:19:28.280 --> 00:19:31.200 to step over the infinite gap 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:33.140 between a creator and creature 00:19:33.140 --> 00:19:36.720 and become a human being while remaining fully God? 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:39.819 And at the same time, 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:41.400 was it not his great tenderness 00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:43.019 that compelled him 00:19:43.019 --> 00:19:45.460 to take human nature as a baby 00:19:45.460 --> 00:19:48.319 so that he might know us 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:51.220 in our deepest vulnerability and weakness? 00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:56.420 If it was true of his birth, 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:58.059 was it not also true of his death? 00:19:59.740 --> 00:20:01.600 Was it not his great strength 00:20:01.600 --> 00:20:04.259 that allowed Jesus to shoulder the cross, 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:06.859 to stand in our place as our redeemer, 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:09.240 to conquer the powers of darkness 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:10.619 that stood against us? 00:20:12.819 --> 00:20:15.019 But was it not his great tenderness 00:20:15.019 --> 00:20:18.160 that compelled him to remain there, 00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:19.839 to thirst, 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:21.519 and to bleed, 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:23.960 and to die in our place, 00:20:25.180 --> 00:20:26.839 and to bear our penalty 00:20:26.839 --> 00:20:29.339 that we sinners deserved? 00:20:29.339 --> 00:20:33.539 And yes, 00:20:33.579 --> 00:20:35.099 is this not also true 00:20:35.099 --> 00:20:36.659 of his resurrection 00:20:36.659 --> 00:20:38.579 and of his ascension to heaven? 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:41.599 Surely it was his great strength 00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:43.480 whereby he rose from the grave, 00:20:43.659 --> 00:20:45.339 swallowing death and victory, 00:20:45.819 --> 00:20:47.099 triumphing over the tomb, 00:20:47.279 --> 00:20:49.000 dismantling death forever? 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:52.819 But friends, 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:53.700 don't you also see 00:20:53.700 --> 00:20:54.740 the great tenderness 00:20:54.740 --> 00:20:55.819 even there 00:20:55.819 --> 00:20:59.400 as his resurrection body 00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:00.420 is just that, 00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:02.279 a body 00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:06.059 still with nail scars 00:21:06.059 --> 00:21:06.859 in his hand, 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:09.819 carrying our human nature 00:21:09.819 --> 00:21:10.500 with him 00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:12.700 into the new creation, 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:14.420 and then ascending 00:21:14.420 --> 00:21:15.680 to the Father's right hand 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:17.180 as our great high priest 00:21:17.180 --> 00:21:19.140 where he stands right now 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:21.220 to intercede for us, 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:22.860 to stand for us, 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:24.680 to assure us of our place, 00:21:24.759 --> 00:21:25.539 of our welcome 00:21:25.539 --> 00:21:27.539 in God's presence forever. 00:21:34.180 --> 00:21:35.920 Isaiah's message was good news 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:39.259 for Israel in exile. 00:21:41.400 --> 00:21:42.779 Do you see what he was saying 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:44.860 to Israel all those years ago? 00:21:44.920 --> 00:21:46.160 A true servant would come, 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:48.000 one strong enough 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:48.900 to free them 00:21:48.900 --> 00:21:49.860 from their captivity, 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:51.540 and one tender enough 00:21:51.540 --> 00:21:52.960 to forgive them their sins. 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:56.360 And is this not good news 00:21:56.360 --> 00:21:57.140 for us, friends? 00:21:58.100 --> 00:22:00.040 The true servant has come 00:22:00.040 --> 00:22:03.400 with strong justice 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:04.600 in one hand 00:22:04.600 --> 00:22:06.759 and with tender mercy 00:22:06.759 --> 00:22:07.759 in the other, 00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:09.600 freeing us 00:22:09.600 --> 00:22:11.340 and forgiving us. 00:22:11.339 --> 00:22:12.799 a lion 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:14.500 and a lamb, 00:22:15.079 --> 00:22:15.980 a king 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:17.579 and a servant. 00:22:22.679 --> 00:22:24.379 Isaiah ends by saying, 00:22:25.579 --> 00:22:26.559 and the coastlands 00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:27.679 wait 00:22:27.679 --> 00:22:29.220 for his law. 00:22:31.899 --> 00:22:33.319 Isaiah wants to make sure 00:22:33.319 --> 00:22:33.980 that we know 00:22:33.980 --> 00:22:34.939 that this good news 00:22:34.939 --> 00:22:36.279 isn't just for Israel. 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:37.960 it's good news 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:39.200 for the whole earth, 00:22:39.339 --> 00:22:40.899 even the coastlands 00:22:40.899 --> 00:22:42.420 from Isaiah's perspective 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:43.480 on the other side 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:44.079 of the world. 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:47.680 A thrill of hope, 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:50.559 the weary world rejoices. 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.899 this is the kind of leader. 00:22:55.139 --> 00:22:57.019 This is what we've waited for 00:22:57.019 --> 00:22:58.000 and longed for 00:22:58.000 --> 00:22:59.359 and hoped for. 00:23:00.399 --> 00:23:01.639 Bringing his law, 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:02.460 his justice, 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:03.759 his tender strength 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:05.019 to make things right 00:23:05.019 --> 00:23:06.259 and to teach us 00:23:06.259 --> 00:23:07.659 how we should walk too. 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:10.740 And Christmas 00:23:10.740 --> 00:23:12.559 is the constant reminder 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:14.779 that now 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:16.079 he's come. 00:23:20.220 --> 00:23:20.899 So friend, 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:22.039 what do you have to lose 00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:24.399 by putting your trust 00:23:24.399 --> 00:23:25.059 in Christ 00:23:25.059 --> 00:23:26.500 and by becoming 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:27.039 a Christian? 00:23:29.079 --> 00:23:29.759 And Christian, 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:30.619 what do you have to lose 00:23:30.619 --> 00:23:31.379 by walking 00:23:31.379 --> 00:23:32.799 in his law 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:33.679 and his ways 00:23:33.679 --> 00:23:35.299 of compassionate justice 00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:36.799 and just compassion? 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:40.559 For don't you see 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:41.759 that Isaiah is telling us 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:43.039 you are putting your trust 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:43.859 in the one 00:23:43.859 --> 00:23:45.779 who is strong enough 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:47.359 to protect you 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:48.019 in the face 00:23:48.019 --> 00:23:49.299 of all your fears 00:23:49.299 --> 00:23:51.980 and who is tender enough 00:23:51.980 --> 00:23:53.099 to accept you 00:23:53.099 --> 00:23:53.680 in the face 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:54.980 of all your flaws? 00:23:57.779 --> 00:23:58.379 Behold, 00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:00.099 the servant, 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:03.059 our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:04.579 --> 00:24:05.339 Let's pray. 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:14.299 Our Father, 00:24:14.379 --> 00:24:15.579 we give you much praise 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:16.180 this morning 00:24:16.180 --> 00:24:20.079 that we see 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:20.879 in Jesus 00:24:20.879 --> 00:24:23.140 the radiance 00:24:23.140 --> 00:24:24.119 of your glory 00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:25.240 and the exact imprint 00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:26.099 of your being. 00:24:27.379 --> 00:24:28.119 We see 00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:29.779 your almighty strength 00:24:29.779 --> 00:24:30.779 and your perfect, 00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:31.940 tender compassion 00:24:31.940 --> 00:24:32.559 and mercy. 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:35.240 Oh Lord Jesus, 00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:36.480 by your Holy Spirit, 00:24:36.579 --> 00:24:37.799 would you draw us 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:38.660 near to you? 00:24:38.660 --> 00:24:39.200 Father, 00:24:41.300 --> 00:24:41.920 I pray for those 00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:42.420 who are here 00:24:42.420 --> 00:24:43.040 this morning 00:24:43.040 --> 00:24:45.460 who have been 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:45.840 holding you 00:24:45.840 --> 00:24:46.620 at arm's length 00:24:46.620 --> 00:24:47.560 for some time. 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:51.400 Lord, 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:52.220 I pray this morning 00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:52.759 they would open 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:53.240 the door 00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:54.019 to your knocking 00:24:54.019 --> 00:24:54.519 and they would 00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:55.220 let you in. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:24:58.420 That they would 00:24:58.420 --> 00:24:59.120 receive you 00:24:59.120 --> 00:25:00.180 and bow before you 00:25:00.180 --> 00:25:00.820 and take you 00:25:00.820 --> 00:25:01.480 as their king. 00:25:04.320 --> 00:25:04.940 And Father, 00:25:05.040 --> 00:25:05.880 I pray for those 00:25:05.880 --> 00:25:06.240 of us 00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:08.100 who are fearful 00:25:08.100 --> 00:25:09.220 to walk 00:25:09.220 --> 00:25:09.820 in the steps 00:25:09.820 --> 00:25:10.560 of servanthood 00:25:10.560 --> 00:25:11.260 that you've laid 00:25:11.260 --> 00:25:11.880 before us, 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:12.180 Jesus. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:14.440 Lord, 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:15.040 perhaps we are 00:25:15.040 --> 00:25:15.480 afraid 00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:18.040 to pursue 00:25:18.040 --> 00:25:19.320 justice. 00:25:19.560 --> 00:25:20.260 Perhaps we are 00:25:20.260 --> 00:25:21.340 fearful 00:25:21.340 --> 00:25:22.200 to be people 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:23.020 of compassionate 00:25:23.020 --> 00:25:23.800 tenderness. 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:26.820 Oh Lord, 00:25:26.920 --> 00:25:27.780 help us to see 00:25:27.780 --> 00:25:29.120 that though we 00:25:29.120 --> 00:25:30.740 are weary, 00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:32.140 though we grow faint, 00:25:33.580 --> 00:25:34.300 Lord Jesus, 00:25:34.560 --> 00:25:35.340 you do not. 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:38.280 your flame 00:25:38.280 --> 00:25:39.060 is ever burning, 00:25:40.120 --> 00:25:41.040 your reed 00:25:41.040 --> 00:25:42.100 is ever strong, 00:25:42.980 --> 00:25:43.920 and as we step 00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:44.620 out in obedience 00:25:44.620 --> 00:25:45.380 to you, 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:46.680 Lord, 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:47.100 we know that 00:25:47.100 --> 00:25:47.900 your strength 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:48.720 and your light 00:25:48.720 --> 00:25:49.340 will continue 00:25:49.340 --> 00:25:50.260 to sustain us 00:25:50.260 --> 00:25:51.060 by your spirit. 00:25:52.060 --> 00:25:52.460 Oh Lord, 00:25:52.560 --> 00:25:53.320 help us to be 00:25:53.320 --> 00:25:53.720 obedient, 00:25:53.840 --> 00:25:54.260 we pray. 00:25:57.580 --> 00:25:58.620 We pray all this, 00:25:58.820 --> 00:25:58.880 Father, 00:25:58.960 --> 00:25:59.700 in the name of Jesus. 00:26:00.380 --> 00:26:00.620 Amen. 00:26:00.620 --> 00:26:00.760 Amen. 00:26:06.680 --> 00:26:07.980 Amen. 00:26:08.280 --> 00:26:08.620 Amen. 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:13.460 Amen.