WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.620 Good morning, church. It's good to see you all this morning. Would you turn with me to Isaiah 00:00:04.620 --> 00:00:19.820 chapter 41 and verse 21. That is page 563 in the Pew Bible. Isaiah chapter 41, verse 21, page 563. 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:30.859 Now, what we're talking about this morning is ultimately joy. Why is it so hard to find? 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:39.679 Where do we get it? Joy. Now, if you're new to the Bible, the chapters are actually the big numbers, 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.480 and the small numbers are the verses. But it's good to know, as you think about those numbers, 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:50.319 that the chapter and verse numbers were actually added later to the text over time to help readers 00:00:50.319 --> 00:00:56.799 navigate the passages together. But those chapter divisions don't always divide the flow of thought 00:00:56.799 --> 00:01:03.219 perfectly. So what we'll see in Isaiah is that there are some sections or some ideas that begin 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:07.459 in the middle of one chapter and that end in the middle of another. So our chapter divisions aren't 00:01:07.459 --> 00:01:13.620 always perfectly dividing our sermon units. And that's what's true of our text today. Isaiah is 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:19.660 turning his sights to a new topic, and his treatment of that topic doesn't end until chapter 42, verse 17. 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:25.340 So we're going to look today at the end of chapter 41 and how that idea gets developed and brought to 00:01:25.340 --> 00:01:32.060 its conclusion in chapter 42. And then what we'll find is in the middle of 42, another idea picks up, 00:01:32.360 --> 00:01:38.159 and that's where we'll start next week. But today, here in 41 and the first half of 42, 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:49.659 the topic is joy. How can the nations find lasting joy? That's where Isaiah is headed in this section. 00:01:49.780 --> 00:01:56.739 And you can see that for yourself if you have the Bible open and you jump ahead and look at chapter 42, 00:01:56.739 --> 00:02:04.699 verse 11. 42, 11, which is the sort of climax where Isaiah is headed in this section. 42, 11 says, 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:11.680 let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants 00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:19.060 of Selah sing for joy. Let them shout from the tops of the mountains. So Isaiah is looking all around, 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:24.840 all around at the nations around him, from the deserts to the mountains, from Kedar, that's an area in the 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:32.020 northern Arabian desert to Selah, that's a city in the far south. He sees all around all these nations. 00:02:32.140 --> 00:02:41.120 What does he see? He sees them erupting with joy, joy for the nations. Isn't that what we want for 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:46.240 not just ourselves, but our friends and our kids and our neighbors? Real joy. 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:57.240 Well, Isaiah here is going to give us an analysis of joy. First, why it's so hard to find, and then 00:02:57.240 --> 00:03:04.080 second, how we can actually get it. So first, let's take a look at why it's so hard to find. 00:03:04.600 --> 00:03:12.040 This is where Isaiah starts in chapter 41, verse 21. Now, just a little context for our passage. 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:17.359 Remember, up to this point in this section of Isaiah, up to this point in chapter 40 and 41, 00:03:17.519 --> 00:03:21.780 who has Isaiah been talking to? He's really been talking directly to the people of Israel. 00:03:22.259 --> 00:03:28.479 But now he's going to turn out to the broader nations. To the people of Israel, God has been 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:33.620 speaking to their felt problem that they're weary in exile, that they're feeling guilty because of 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:39.120 their sin. But to the nations, it's not so much that they're feeling weary or guilty, 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:49.360 empty, but empty. Empty. Bring out your gods, the Lord is going to say. And let me show you 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:57.319 why you feel so empty. Let's pick up in verse 21. All right, verse 21. Let me read this for us. 00:03:57.540 --> 00:04:04.259 Set forth your case, says the Lord. Bring your proofs, says the king of Jacob. Let them, that is the 00:04:04.259 --> 00:04:11.699 nations. Bring them, that is their gods, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, 00:04:11.819 --> 00:04:18.539 what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome. Or declare to us the things 00:04:18.539 --> 00:04:25.939 to come. Tell us what is to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods. Do good or do harm, 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:34.160 that we may be dismayed and terrified. Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing. 00:04:35.259 --> 00:04:40.759 An abomination, that is, an offense against creation, is he who chooses you. 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:47.439 I stirred up one from the north, and he has come from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:54.139 my name. He shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay. Who declared it from the 00:04:54.139 --> 00:05:00.680 beginning that we might know, and beforehand that we might say, he is right. There was none who declared 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:08.259 it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words. I was the first to say to Zion, behold, here they are. 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:16.019 And I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news. But when I look, that is when I look among the gods, 00:05:16.620 --> 00:05:23.500 there's no one. Among these, there's no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer. Behold, they are all 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:29.220 a delusion. Their works are nothing. Their metal images are empty wind. 00:05:31.620 --> 00:05:38.500 Okay, so if you're not feeling well, and you go to your doctor, what you want is a diagnosis, right? 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:44.199 Why am I feeling this way? What you don't want is a doctor who says, you know, you're actually fine. 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:50.680 Everything's okay. When everything's not okay, right? You need to hear the bad news so that you 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:56.959 can get to the root and hopefully find a remedy. And what's happening here in verses 21 through 29 00:05:56.959 --> 00:06:04.300 is a diagnosis of what's ailing the nations. And in fact, it plays out like a court case. 00:06:04.780 --> 00:06:09.879 The Lord, the God of Israel, is calling together the nations and saying, let's have some proof. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:18.220 Prove to me that your gods are really gods. If they are really gods, then surely they could speak, 00:06:18.220 --> 00:06:24.900 and surely they could act, right? Verses 22 and 23, God says, they should be able to tell us 00:06:24.900 --> 00:06:31.240 something. And at the end of verse 23, they should be able to do something, even if it's good or bad, 00:06:31.440 --> 00:06:41.460 good or harm. So can they speak? Can they act? And more particularly, not just can they speak, 00:06:41.459 --> 00:06:47.779 but a little more closely, if we look at the text, God is sort of saying, can they look back at all 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:55.199 that's come before and make sense of it? Can they give meaning to it? Verse 22, tell us the former 00:06:55.199 --> 00:07:01.899 things what they are, that we may consider them and we may know their outcome. Can these so-called gods 00:07:01.899 --> 00:07:09.959 give any sense of meaning to history? And not just that, can they look ahead and tell us where history 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:15.060 is headed? Verse 22 picks up, declare to us, not just former things, but the things to come. 00:07:15.799 --> 00:07:18.879 Tell us what's to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods. 00:07:21.500 --> 00:07:29.120 And of course, the idols of the nations come up short. They can't speak and they can't act. 00:07:29.799 --> 00:07:33.959 They can't give any kind of meaning to the past or tell us where the future is headed. 00:07:33.959 --> 00:07:43.159 But with the Lord, the God of Israel, things are completely different. Can this God act? 00:07:44.099 --> 00:07:50.839 Yes, verse 25 tells us. Verse 25 says, he's the one who will stir up one from the north. Now, 00:07:50.899 --> 00:07:56.359 in the historical context, the reference there is to Cyrus, the coming Persian ruler who will defeat 00:07:56.359 --> 00:08:02.579 the nation of Babylon and liberate the exiled Jews in the sixth century. Okay, this God can act. 00:08:02.579 --> 00:08:09.859 Can he speak? Yes. Verses 26 and 27 say that this God foretold it all before it would happen. 00:08:10.419 --> 00:08:15.759 The Lord predicted Cyrus's conquest right here in the book of Isaiah, hundreds of years before it 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:22.199 happened. Part of the power of this section of Isaiah is that God is telling his people over a 00:08:22.199 --> 00:08:26.599 hundred years before the fact, not just that they're going to go into exile, not just that they're going 00:08:26.599 --> 00:08:31.680 to be brought back, which practically never happened in the ancient world, but he also tells them how he's 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:40.980 going to do it. Now, many skeptical scholars will treat these predictions in Isaiah, they'll sort of 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:45.240 look at these predictions in Isaiah and say, hey, look, this is just proof that these chapters were 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:51.240 written after the fact. In other words, they say, you know, they'll say that some later anonymous 00:08:51.240 --> 00:08:56.820 writer in the sixth century must have seen these things happen, Cyrus and the downfall of Babylon, 00:08:56.820 --> 00:09:00.660 and then he must have written them down and then added them to Isaiah's old book. 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:08.740 And of course, if that's true, if that's where these texts really come from, then these parts of 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:14.760 Isaiah don't really have much power, do they? In that case, the Lord isn't so much different than the 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:23.899 so-called gods of the nations. But the question is, should we jump to such a quick conclusion? 00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:32.960 Should we rule out the possibility of predictive prophecy altogether? Is it simply impossible 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:39.679 that God could have foretold these things? How do we figure that out? How do we decide? 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:47.719 Well, you know, the fact of the matter is, is that we don't have any evidence of some anonymous 00:09:47.719 --> 00:09:52.659 sixth century pseudo-Isaiah who saw these things and wrote them down and attached them to the book 00:09:52.659 --> 00:09:59.579 of Isaiah. We don't really have any evidence of that. But we do have evidence that the God of the 00:09:59.579 --> 00:10:07.439 Bible can predict the future and make good on those predictions. Well, where do we have that evidence? 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:13.920 Well, you know, in this very book of Isaiah, we will see God speak not just about Cyrus, 00:10:14.060 --> 00:10:18.680 who will liberate the people from their political exile, but Isaiah is also going to talk about a 00:10:18.680 --> 00:10:26.140 servant who will come after that, who will atone for the people. And other Old Testament prophets 00:10:26.140 --> 00:10:31.940 will speak of a king who is supposed to come from David's line and who will come from Bethlehem 00:10:31.940 --> 00:10:37.740 and who will first appear in northern Galilee and who will appeal not just to the Jews but to the 00:10:37.740 --> 00:10:44.180 Gentiles as well. And this one to come will be pierced and wounded for his people's transgressions. 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:50.540 You see, hundreds of years before the fact, the God of the Bible predicted 00:10:50.540 --> 00:10:56.540 that Jesus, the Christ, would come. And God has made good on all of those promises. 00:10:56.539 --> 00:11:05.099 So if we follow the evidence, where does it lead? Which view has the best evidence? That there was 00:11:05.099 --> 00:11:08.500 an anonymous writer in the sixth century who could have wrote things down and then attach them to 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:14.839 Isaiah? Do we have any evidence for that? Not really. But we have a lot of evidence that the God 00:11:14.839 --> 00:11:20.319 who created all things and who is the Lord of history can make promises and fulfill them. 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:28.460 So for following the evidence, we find that maybe it's not so hard to believe that God, 00:11:28.700 --> 00:11:33.400 through Isaiah, can predict the coming of one like Cyrus who will liberate his people. 00:11:35.560 --> 00:11:40.580 But of course, the problem with the nations is that they don't know this God. 00:11:42.280 --> 00:11:49.220 They serve gods that aren't really gods at all. In fact, at best, they're just personifications 00:11:49.220 --> 00:11:55.899 of the created world. That's why verse 24 says to these so-called gods, look at verse 24, he says, 00:11:56.019 --> 00:12:02.960 Behold, you are nothing, and your work is less than nothing. An abomination, that is an offense 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:09.800 against a created order, is he who chooses you. You know, to take, to take some aspect of the created 00:12:09.800 --> 00:12:15.660 world and hold it up as a God, right, to take a good thing and make it an ultimate thing, which is 00:12:15.659 --> 00:12:21.439 what idolatry is. Isaiah says that's an offense against creation itself. Created things aren't 00:12:21.439 --> 00:12:28.240 meant to be worshipped that way. And what is the outcome when we do? We'll look at verse 29. 00:12:30.439 --> 00:12:37.139 Behold, they're all a delusion. Their works are nothing. Their metal images are empty wind. 00:12:37.139 --> 00:12:45.059 Emptiness is the outcome. Now, it's easy, of course, to look at the ancient world and think 00:12:45.059 --> 00:12:49.559 how foolish they were to worship idols, right? How empty all of that was. 00:12:51.259 --> 00:12:57.720 But you know, the human heart always worships something. It's impossible for our hearts to not 00:12:57.720 --> 00:13:06.580 have some ultimate concern, some driving deep love, something that we elevate to ultimate in our lives. 00:13:06.580 --> 00:13:14.560 We always worship something. And that something will either be a created thing or the creator. 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:17.139 There's really no third way. 00:13:19.720 --> 00:13:24.580 So whereas today our gods, you know, we don't call our gods by names like Marduk, 00:13:24.740 --> 00:13:29.300 like they did in the ancient world, or Zeus in ancient Greece, or Odin, you know, like the old 00:13:29.300 --> 00:13:35.040 Norse gods. Even though we don't give our gods those names, right, we're still worshipers. 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:40.500 And our so-called gods leave us just as empty and just as without joy. 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:48.500 What are some of the gods we might worship today? Well, think of the god of success. 00:13:50.339 --> 00:13:55.559 It's easy to worship success, isn't it? After all, who doesn't want to be successful? To be liked, 00:13:55.559 --> 00:14:03.699 to be known, to be influential. And so, in chasing success, in worshiping it, we study hard, we work 00:14:03.699 --> 00:14:08.839 hard, we make the right social connections, we climb the ladder, we pay our dues, we take our risks. 00:14:09.139 --> 00:14:14.099 And you know what the outcome is? Some people actually make it. But then what? 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:18.519 It's emptiness. 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:27.540 The irony is, if you worship success, you never feel like you've truly made it. 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:31.960 It's always emptiness in the end. 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:40.300 Now, of course, success, right? That's a pretty, that's a pretty base god, isn't it? Everybody knows 00:14:40.300 --> 00:14:48.840 you shouldn't worship success, duh. After all, we think it's relationships, right? It's love that 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:54.220 really matters. We don't want to build our lives around success. We want to build our lives around 00:14:54.220 --> 00:15:00.920 relationships, around finding a partner, or starting a family. So maybe if I just get the right spouse, 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:06.059 or the right kids, or I find the right community, then I'll make it, then I'll be okay. 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:14.919 But again, the irony is, if you worship family, if you worship relationships, 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:19.319 it'll tear your relationships apart and leave you empty. 00:15:21.500 --> 00:15:27.879 Besides, no spouse, right? No family, no community could ever meet those expectations. 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:35.059 If you're looking to another person to make you ultimately happy and ultimately okay, 00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:38.000 that person should run the other way, right? 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:42.139 And look around. 00:15:44.200 --> 00:15:51.399 You know, most of us who move from partner to partner to partner or community to community to 00:15:51.399 --> 00:15:56.600 community searching for it, we're not happy. We're empty. 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:04.840 We think we're so much more evolved than the ancient world. 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:07.559 But are we? 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:15.720 You know, in the ancient world, they had gods of power and family and love. 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:20.279 They had names for them, but that's what they were. 00:16:21.680 --> 00:16:24.500 We worship the same things. We just use different names. 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:30.100 But though the names have changed, the result is the same. 00:16:32.019 --> 00:16:32.940 We're empty too. 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:38.180 Why is joy so hard to find? 00:16:38.179 --> 00:16:45.939 Because taking a good thing and making it into an ultimate thing leads to emptiness. 00:16:49.859 --> 00:16:51.479 But what does the Lord do about it? 00:16:52.959 --> 00:16:57.879 Does the Lord, the God of Israel, the one true God, just leave us, the nations, in our emptiness? 00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:00.979 He could, you know. 00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:03.079 He could say, that's what you've chosen. 00:17:03.439 --> 00:17:04.859 You can have what you choose. 00:17:04.859 --> 00:17:08.979 And He could continue to let us worship created things. 00:17:09.659 --> 00:17:13.039 And He could let us just continue to reap the empty wind. 00:17:15.459 --> 00:17:16.899 What does God do about it? 00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:19.579 What hope is there for the nations? 00:17:19.699 --> 00:17:21.459 What hope is there for us, for you and me? 00:17:24.399 --> 00:17:26.559 And that brings us to the next part of our text. 00:17:27.939 --> 00:17:31.599 You know, you notice in verse 42, or excuse me, in verse 24, 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:33.980 in verse 24 of chapter 41, God says, 00:17:34.139 --> 00:17:36.240 Behold, the false gods are nothing. 00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:38.779 And then in verse 29, He says, 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:40.899 Behold, they're all a delusion. 00:17:42.219 --> 00:17:44.000 But then chapter 42 opens, 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:48.000 and God says, Behold, again. 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:49.199 Behold. 00:17:49.879 --> 00:17:50.579 But this time, 00:17:51.719 --> 00:17:52.539 Behold my servant. 00:17:54.099 --> 00:17:55.019 Behold the remedy 00:17:55.019 --> 00:17:56.500 to your emptiness. 00:17:57.740 --> 00:17:59.579 Behold the one who brings real joy. 00:17:59.579 --> 00:18:02.480 Let's pick up and read chapter 42, 00:18:02.859 --> 00:18:03.720 verses 1 through 9. 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:06.599 Behold my servant, 00:18:07.139 --> 00:18:07.839 whom I uphold, 00:18:08.379 --> 00:18:09.099 my chosen, 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:10.419 in whom my soul delights. 00:18:10.859 --> 00:18:12.599 I have put my spirit upon him. 00:18:13.220 --> 00:18:14.240 He will bring forth 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:15.019 justice 00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:16.179 to the nations. 00:18:17.339 --> 00:18:18.439 He will not cry aloud, 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:20.119 or lift up his voice, 00:18:20.639 --> 00:18:21.960 or make it heard in the street. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:23.639 A bruised reed 00:18:23.639 --> 00:18:24.599 he will not break, 00:18:25.139 --> 00:18:26.399 and a faintly burning wick 00:18:26.399 --> 00:18:27.339 he will not quench. 00:18:27.339 --> 00:18:29.119 He will faithfully 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:30.559 bring forth justice. 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:32.500 He will not grow faint 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:33.240 or be discouraged 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:34.419 till he has established 00:18:34.419 --> 00:18:35.399 justice in the earth, 00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:37.179 and the coastlands 00:18:37.179 --> 00:18:38.299 wait for his law. 00:18:39.959 --> 00:18:40.740 Thus says God, 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:41.179 the Lord, 00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:42.500 who created the heavens 00:18:42.500 --> 00:18:43.480 and stretched them out, 00:18:44.299 --> 00:18:45.259 who spread out the earth 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:46.119 and what comes from it, 00:18:46.879 --> 00:18:47.639 who gives breath 00:18:47.639 --> 00:18:49.000 to the people on it, 00:18:49.399 --> 00:18:50.259 and spirit to those 00:18:50.259 --> 00:18:50.939 who walk in it. 00:18:51.419 --> 00:18:52.299 I am the Lord. 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:54.559 I have called you, 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:55.720 and you there 00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:56.759 refers to the servant 00:18:56.759 --> 00:18:57.480 in verse 1. 00:18:57.859 --> 00:18:58.980 I have called you 00:18:58.980 --> 00:18:59.659 in righteousness. 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:01.200 I will take you 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:02.159 by the hand 00:19:02.159 --> 00:19:03.180 and keep you, 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:04.619 and I will give you, 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:05.500 this servant, 00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:06.740 I will give you 00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:08.079 as a covenant 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:08.960 for the people, 00:19:10.299 --> 00:19:11.819 a light for the nations, 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:13.639 to open the eyes 00:19:13.639 --> 00:19:14.240 that are blind, 00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:15.639 to bring out 00:19:15.639 --> 00:19:16.139 the prisoners 00:19:16.139 --> 00:19:16.919 from the dungeon, 00:19:17.599 --> 00:19:18.259 from the prison, 00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:19.480 those who sit in darkness. 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:21.460 I am the Lord. 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:23.099 That is my name. 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:24.620 My glory I give 00:19:24.620 --> 00:19:25.420 to no other, 00:19:25.500 --> 00:19:26.180 nor my praise 00:19:26.180 --> 00:19:27.039 to carved idols. 00:19:27.180 --> 00:19:27.519 Behold, 00:19:27.819 --> 00:19:28.599 the former things 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:29.700 have come to pass, 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:31.059 and new things now 00:19:31.059 --> 00:19:31.779 I declare 00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:33.900 before they spring forth. 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:35.460 I tell you of them. 00:19:37.240 --> 00:19:38.240 So the bridge, 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:40.180 the bridge between 00:19:40.180 --> 00:19:40.700 the emptiness 00:19:40.700 --> 00:19:41.640 at the end 00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:42.480 of chapter 41 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:43.960 and the joy 00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:44.640 that we looked at 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:45.299 at the very beginning, 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:46.579 the joy for all nations 00:19:46.579 --> 00:19:47.740 in chapter 41, 00:19:47.819 --> 00:19:48.360 verse 11, 00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:49.299 the bridge 00:19:49.299 --> 00:19:50.199 is right here 00:19:50.199 --> 00:19:51.939 in verses 1 through 9. 00:19:52.579 --> 00:19:53.819 This is how God does it. 00:19:54.639 --> 00:19:55.519 This is how God 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:56.439 can take you and me 00:19:56.439 --> 00:19:57.699 from emptiness to joy. 00:19:58.799 --> 00:19:59.599 But notice, 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:02.339 God has to do it. 00:20:04.419 --> 00:20:04.799 You know, 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:05.639 it's easy to think, 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:06.399 well, 00:20:06.779 --> 00:20:08.039 if my problem 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:09.119 is idolatry, 00:20:09.419 --> 00:20:10.419 if I'm worshiping 00:20:10.419 --> 00:20:11.299 the wrong things, 00:20:11.899 --> 00:20:12.759 then I'll just start 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:13.799 worshiping the right things. 00:20:15.139 --> 00:20:16.019 And on the surface, 00:20:16.099 --> 00:20:17.439 that sounds obviously right, 00:20:17.639 --> 00:20:17.919 right? 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:19.640 Stop doing this, 00:20:19.940 --> 00:20:20.779 start doing that, 00:20:20.860 --> 00:20:21.660 and you're good. 00:20:23.600 --> 00:20:24.840 But the problem is, 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:27.480 that way of thinking 00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:29.759 underestimates 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:30.740 how deep 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:31.680 our problem 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:32.660 really is. 00:20:34.300 --> 00:20:35.300 We can't 00:20:35.300 --> 00:20:36.080 actually 00:20:36.080 --> 00:20:37.340 save ourselves 00:20:37.340 --> 00:20:37.840 that way. 00:20:39.300 --> 00:20:40.340 Our hearts 00:20:40.340 --> 00:20:41.080 are like 00:20:41.080 --> 00:20:42.279 little 00:20:42.279 --> 00:20:43.440 idol factories, 00:20:43.800 --> 00:20:44.519 and they just keep 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:45.480 churning them out. 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:46.640 And if we turn 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:47.140 from one, 00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:47.660 we'll fall 00:20:47.660 --> 00:20:48.200 into another. 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:49.220 And if we try 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:49.599 to worship 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:50.279 the true God, 00:20:50.420 --> 00:20:51.180 we constantly 00:20:51.180 --> 00:20:51.900 fall away. 00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:53.480 You see, 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:54.079 what we need 00:20:54.079 --> 00:20:54.779 is more than just 00:20:54.779 --> 00:20:55.579 a little bit of knowledge 00:20:55.579 --> 00:20:56.420 and a little push 00:20:56.420 --> 00:20:57.380 in the right direction. 00:20:58.819 --> 00:20:59.740 What we actually 00:20:59.740 --> 00:21:00.339 need 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:01.480 is to be 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:02.079 liberated. 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:05.779 In verse 7, 00:21:05.860 --> 00:21:06.220 God says, 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:07.059 I didn't come to give you 00:21:07.059 --> 00:21:07.759 a little knowledge 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:08.539 and a little push 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:09.380 in the right direction. 00:21:09.380 --> 00:21:10.740 I've come 00:21:10.740 --> 00:21:11.780 to set you free, 00:21:12.660 --> 00:21:13.880 to open the eyes 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:14.600 that are blind, 00:21:15.500 --> 00:21:16.220 and to bring out 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:16.720 the prisoners 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:17.460 from the dungeon. 00:21:18.340 --> 00:21:19.520 You can't make 00:21:19.520 --> 00:21:20.140 this right, 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:20.760 God says. 00:21:21.060 --> 00:21:22.400 I have to make it right. 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:23.880 You can't simply 00:21:23.880 --> 00:21:24.860 wake up one day 00:21:24.860 --> 00:21:25.260 and say, 00:21:25.380 --> 00:21:25.620 you know, 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:26.740 I'm going to promise 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:27.580 to follow God today. 00:21:27.940 --> 00:21:28.520 I'm going to make 00:21:28.520 --> 00:21:28.940 a covenant 00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:29.820 to stop worshiping 00:21:29.820 --> 00:21:30.340 the wrong things 00:21:30.340 --> 00:21:30.960 and start worshiping 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:31.560 the right things. 00:21:31.800 --> 00:21:32.240 God says, 00:21:32.380 --> 00:21:33.320 how long will you 00:21:33.320 --> 00:21:34.060 keep that promise 00:21:34.060 --> 00:21:34.540 of yours, 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:35.240 that covenant 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:35.880 of yours? 00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:37.680 No, 00:21:37.780 --> 00:21:38.300 God says, 00:21:38.299 --> 00:21:39.579 I have to be 00:21:39.579 --> 00:21:39.899 the one 00:21:39.899 --> 00:21:40.279 who makes 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:40.720 the covenant. 00:21:41.899 --> 00:21:42.659 I've got to make 00:21:42.659 --> 00:21:43.220 the promise. 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:44.579 I have to seal 00:21:44.579 --> 00:21:45.279 the relationship. 00:21:45.919 --> 00:21:46.940 There's no other way. 00:21:47.940 --> 00:21:48.859 You can't make 00:21:48.859 --> 00:21:49.460 things right. 00:21:50.359 --> 00:21:51.119 I have to make 00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:51.659 things right. 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:54.779 And how does 00:21:54.779 --> 00:21:55.379 God do it? 00:21:56.899 --> 00:21:57.859 Look at verse 1. 00:21:58.940 --> 00:21:59.700 Behold my servant 00:21:59.700 --> 00:22:00.419 whom I uphold, 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:01.240 my chosen 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:01.899 in whom my soul 00:22:01.899 --> 00:22:02.359 delights. 00:22:02.779 --> 00:22:03.639 I have put my 00:22:03.639 --> 00:22:04.480 spirit upon him. 00:22:05.139 --> 00:22:06.440 He will bring 00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:07.919 forth justice 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:09.759 to the nations. 00:22:11.340 --> 00:22:11.820 Justice. 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:15.120 To a world 00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:16.519 where everything 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:17.100 has gotten 00:22:17.100 --> 00:22:17.840 mixed up 00:22:17.840 --> 00:22:19.160 and gone wrong, 00:22:19.740 --> 00:22:20.900 this servant 00:22:20.900 --> 00:22:21.460 of the Lord 00:22:21.460 --> 00:22:21.960 will come, 00:22:22.100 --> 00:22:22.740 Isaiah says, 00:22:22.940 --> 00:22:24.340 and put things 00:22:24.340 --> 00:22:24.880 right. 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:26.759 He will bring 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:27.960 forth justice. 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:29.200 Justice, 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:30.640 a writing 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:31.900 of what's wrong. 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:33.640 You can't make 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:33.980 it right, 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:34.779 but he can. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:36.380 Three times 00:22:36.380 --> 00:22:37.060 the word justice 00:22:37.059 --> 00:22:37.700 is used here 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:38.159 in these first 00:22:38.159 --> 00:22:38.700 four verses. 00:22:39.179 --> 00:22:40.099 And the word justice 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:41.039 in Isaiah 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:42.419 means not just 00:22:42.419 --> 00:22:43.339 God's declaration 00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:44.379 of what's right 00:22:44.379 --> 00:22:44.779 and true, 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:45.659 but God's 00:22:45.659 --> 00:22:46.139 restoration 00:22:46.139 --> 00:22:46.919 of what's right 00:22:46.919 --> 00:22:47.319 and true. 00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:49.539 Justice in the 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:50.399 Bible is sort of 00:22:50.399 --> 00:22:51.179 like the opposite 00:22:51.179 --> 00:22:51.960 of chaos. 00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:52.740 You know, 00:22:53.119 --> 00:22:53.700 you remember 00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:54.759 chapter 41, 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:55.720 it ends, 00:22:55.819 --> 00:22:56.539 speaking of empty 00:22:56.539 --> 00:22:57.419 wind, right? 00:22:57.799 --> 00:22:58.339 That's where chapter 00:22:58.339 --> 00:22:59.099 41 ends, 00:22:59.339 --> 00:23:00.139 empty wind. 00:23:00.759 --> 00:23:01.319 And the Hebrew 00:23:01.319 --> 00:23:01.700 word there, 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:02.220 one of the Hebrew 00:23:02.220 --> 00:23:02.799 word there is 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:04.059 actually tohu, 00:23:05.059 --> 00:23:06.419 which is a word 00:23:06.419 --> 00:23:06.819 that sort of 00:23:06.819 --> 00:23:07.339 means what it 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:07.680 sounds, 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:08.579 tohu. 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:09.619 It's the same 00:23:09.619 --> 00:23:10.579 word used in 00:23:10.579 --> 00:23:11.000 the opening 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:11.940 verses of Genesis 00:23:11.940 --> 00:23:13.139 to describe 00:23:13.139 --> 00:23:14.740 the unformed 00:23:14.740 --> 00:23:15.480 creation, 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:17.599 formless and void. 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:19.319 It's just tohu. 00:23:22.839 --> 00:23:23.879 It's as if Isaiah 00:23:23.879 --> 00:23:24.279 is saying, 00:23:24.379 --> 00:23:24.579 look, 00:23:24.919 --> 00:23:26.279 idolatry returns 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:27.180 us to the 00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:28.099 nothingness and 00:23:28.099 --> 00:23:29.359 emptiness of God's 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:29.859 creation. 00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:31.539 But God's 00:23:31.539 --> 00:23:32.199 justice 00:23:32.199 --> 00:23:34.979 is the right 00:23:34.979 --> 00:23:36.119 ordering of 00:23:36.119 --> 00:23:36.659 life. 00:23:37.979 --> 00:23:38.679 When the 00:23:38.679 --> 00:23:39.639 Creator speaks 00:23:39.639 --> 00:23:40.679 in Genesis 1, 00:23:40.939 --> 00:23:41.679 what happens? 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:43.219 The formless 00:23:43.219 --> 00:23:44.339 takes form 00:23:44.339 --> 00:23:45.279 and the 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:45.659 emptiness 00:23:45.659 --> 00:23:46.539 teems with 00:23:46.539 --> 00:23:46.939 life. 00:23:48.479 --> 00:23:49.299 This is 00:23:49.299 --> 00:23:49.819 justice 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:50.779 in the Bible, 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:52.359 the right 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:53.439 ordering 00:23:53.439 --> 00:23:54.599 of life. 00:23:55.959 --> 00:23:56.199 If 00:23:56.199 --> 00:23:56.779 idolatry 00:23:56.779 --> 00:23:57.559 sinks us 00:23:57.559 --> 00:23:58.379 into chaos, 00:23:58.679 --> 00:23:59.199 the servant 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:00.580 comes and 00:24:00.580 --> 00:24:01.140 at last 00:24:01.140 --> 00:24:02.140 brings justice, 00:24:03.180 --> 00:24:03.920 the healing, 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:05.799 restoring order 00:24:05.799 --> 00:24:06.259 of the 00:24:06.259 --> 00:24:06.660 Creator. 00:24:08.100 --> 00:24:08.400 And He's 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:08.799 doing this 00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:09.519 not just to 00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:09.799 Israel, 00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:10.299 but to the 00:24:10.299 --> 00:24:10.960 nations in 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:11.340 verse 1. 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:12.000 He's going to 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:12.779 bring forth 00:24:12.779 --> 00:24:13.740 justice to 00:24:13.740 --> 00:24:14.259 the nations, 00:24:14.360 --> 00:24:15.019 to all of 00:24:15.019 --> 00:24:15.360 us. 00:24:16.700 --> 00:24:17.299 And is He 00:24:17.299 --> 00:24:17.819 only going to 00:24:17.819 --> 00:24:18.080 do it 00:24:18.080 --> 00:24:18.480 halfway? 00:24:18.819 --> 00:24:19.140 No, 00:24:19.340 --> 00:24:19.860 He's going to 00:24:19.860 --> 00:24:20.240 carry it 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:21.240 through faithfully, 00:24:21.660 --> 00:24:22.420 verse 3 says. 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:23.819 And He's not 00:24:23.819 --> 00:24:24.460 going to stop 00:24:24.460 --> 00:24:25.600 until it's 00:24:25.600 --> 00:24:26.360 established, 00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:27.400 verse 4 says. 00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:29.720 Through the 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:30.460 agency of 00:24:30.460 --> 00:24:31.240 this servant, 00:24:31.380 --> 00:24:32.019 the Lord is 00:24:32.019 --> 00:24:32.780 going to put 00:24:32.780 --> 00:24:33.720 right what we 00:24:33.720 --> 00:24:34.300 could never 00:24:34.300 --> 00:24:34.860 put right. 00:24:36.420 --> 00:24:37.180 Into the 00:24:37.180 --> 00:24:37.920 sea of our 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:38.759 idolatry and 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:39.200 emptiness, 00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:39.880 the servant 00:24:39.880 --> 00:24:41.300 comes to 00:24:41.300 --> 00:24:42.720 restore and 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:44.019 repair and 00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:45.500 ultimately to 00:24:45.500 --> 00:24:46.300 put us right 00:24:46.300 --> 00:24:46.820 with God. 00:24:49.620 --> 00:24:50.320 That's what the 00:24:50.320 --> 00:24:50.860 Lord says of 00:24:50.860 --> 00:24:51.500 this servant in 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:52.040 verse 6. 00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:52.640 If you look 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:53.440 again at verse 6, 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:53.759 He says, 00:24:53.759 --> 00:24:54.299 I will take 00:24:54.299 --> 00:24:55.019 you by the 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:55.519 hand and 00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:56.079 keep you, 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:56.859 and I will 00:24:56.859 --> 00:24:58.440 give you as 00:24:58.440 --> 00:24:58.940 a covenant 00:24:58.940 --> 00:24:59.480 for the 00:24:59.480 --> 00:24:59.819 people. 00:25:01.660 --> 00:25:01.980 In other 00:25:01.980 --> 00:25:02.680 words, in 00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:03.420 and through 00:25:03.420 --> 00:25:04.339 this servant, 00:25:04.680 --> 00:25:05.420 the nations, 00:25:06.119 --> 00:25:06.779 the nations 00:25:06.779 --> 00:25:07.200 who didn't 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:07.759 know God, 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:08.819 who were far 00:25:08.819 --> 00:25:09.379 from God, 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:10.099 without God, 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:10.519 and without 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:11.119 hope in the 00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:12.220 world, trapped 00:25:12.220 --> 00:25:12.940 in the emptiness 00:25:12.940 --> 00:25:13.920 of idolatry, 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:14.680 in and through 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:15.379 this servant, 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:16.559 those nations 00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:17.720 would be sealed 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:19.279 in a right 00:25:19.279 --> 00:25:20.160 relationship with 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:20.700 the one true 00:25:20.700 --> 00:25:21.839 God, held 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:23.180 by Him in a 00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:23.960 covenant, in a 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:25.039 binding promise. 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:28.860 And when you 00:25:28.860 --> 00:25:29.259 look at the 00:25:29.259 --> 00:25:29.740 Old Testament, 00:25:29.900 --> 00:25:30.900 the heart, the 00:25:30.900 --> 00:25:31.740 very heartbeat 00:25:31.740 --> 00:25:33.019 of the covenant, 00:25:33.420 --> 00:25:34.259 of God's covenant 00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:35.000 in the Old Testament 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:35.799 can be summed up 00:25:35.799 --> 00:25:36.440 in this phrase, 00:25:36.740 --> 00:25:37.539 a phrase that God 00:25:37.539 --> 00:25:38.259 says to His people 00:25:38.259 --> 00:25:39.140 over and over 00:25:39.140 --> 00:25:40.620 again, what is 00:25:40.620 --> 00:25:41.180 the covenant? 00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:42.880 It's this. 00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:44.840 God says, I will 00:25:44.840 --> 00:25:45.480 be your God, 00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:46.660 and you will be 00:25:46.660 --> 00:25:47.220 my people. 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:50.200 That binding, 00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:51.720 intimate, 00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:53.960 sealed relationship 00:25:53.960 --> 00:25:54.620 with God. 00:25:57.460 --> 00:25:58.140 In and through 00:25:58.140 --> 00:25:58.660 this servant, 00:25:58.779 --> 00:25:59.380 the nations who 00:25:59.380 --> 00:26:00.180 are far off 00:26:00.180 --> 00:26:01.339 will be brought 00:26:01.339 --> 00:26:01.640 near. 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:03.240 Though they had 00:26:03.240 --> 00:26:03.900 spent themselves 00:26:03.900 --> 00:26:04.440 in the service 00:26:04.440 --> 00:26:05.200 of false gods 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:05.819 and reaped the 00:26:05.819 --> 00:26:06.500 wind of emptiness, 00:26:07.120 --> 00:26:07.660 God says, 00:26:07.900 --> 00:26:08.620 through my servant, 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:10.400 I'll be your God, 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:11.339 and you'll be 00:26:11.339 --> 00:26:11.860 my people. 00:26:13.940 --> 00:26:14.779 That's the justice 00:26:14.779 --> 00:26:15.400 He will bring. 00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:16.620 That's the covenant 00:26:16.620 --> 00:26:17.319 He will make, 00:26:17.799 --> 00:26:19.180 and that will bring 00:26:19.180 --> 00:26:19.519 joy. 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:23.019 But who is 00:26:23.019 --> 00:26:23.460 this servant? 00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:25.960 Who's the one 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:27.059 who can bring us 00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:27.539 from emptiness 00:26:27.539 --> 00:26:28.099 to joy 00:26:28.099 --> 00:26:28.720 through the justice 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:29.339 that He brings? 00:26:30.180 --> 00:26:30.859 Who's the one 00:26:30.859 --> 00:26:31.700 who can liberate us 00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:32.220 from the prison 00:26:32.220 --> 00:26:32.920 of false gods 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:34.099 and seal us 00:26:34.099 --> 00:26:34.639 in a covenant 00:26:34.639 --> 00:26:35.639 with the one true God? 00:26:37.879 --> 00:26:38.279 Well, 00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:40.099 Isaiah doesn't 00:26:40.099 --> 00:26:40.639 tell us here. 00:26:42.639 --> 00:26:43.579 He just says 00:26:43.579 --> 00:26:45.000 He's coming. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:46.559 One day, 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:47.720 He'll come. 00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:50.360 And when He comes, 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:52.240 He's going to be 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:52.900 really different 00:26:52.900 --> 00:26:53.880 than what you 00:26:53.880 --> 00:26:54.640 might have expected. 00:26:55.819 --> 00:26:56.700 When He comes, 00:26:56.759 --> 00:26:57.400 He's not going to be 00:26:57.400 --> 00:26:59.220 brash and loud 00:26:59.220 --> 00:27:00.839 and self-promoting 00:27:00.839 --> 00:27:02.019 like the rulers 00:27:02.019 --> 00:27:02.740 of this world. 00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:04.600 Look at verse 2. 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:06.460 He will not cry aloud 00:27:06.460 --> 00:27:08.039 or lift up His voice 00:27:08.039 --> 00:27:08.740 in the street, 00:27:08.860 --> 00:27:10.079 lift up His voice 00:27:10.079 --> 00:27:11.059 or make it heard 00:27:11.059 --> 00:27:11.660 in the street, 00:27:11.779 --> 00:27:12.019 right? 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:13.360 He's not going to 00:27:13.360 --> 00:27:14.420 parade around 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:16.460 making a big show 00:27:16.460 --> 00:27:17.460 brash and loud 00:27:17.460 --> 00:27:18.400 and self-promoting. 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:18.860 Rather, 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:21.640 He will be gentle 00:27:21.640 --> 00:27:23.400 and He will be good. 00:27:24.740 --> 00:27:26.039 A bruised reed 00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:27.180 He will not break 00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:29.480 and a faintly burning wick 00:27:29.480 --> 00:27:31.039 He will not quench. 00:27:31.039 --> 00:27:34.420 And you know, 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:35.359 hundreds of years later, 00:27:35.399 --> 00:27:36.200 after Isaiah wrote 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:36.779 these words, 00:27:37.980 --> 00:27:38.839 when Jesus Christ 00:27:38.839 --> 00:27:39.920 arrived in Galilee, 00:27:40.899 --> 00:27:41.220 preaching 00:27:41.220 --> 00:27:42.579 and healing 00:27:42.579 --> 00:27:43.899 and announcing 00:27:43.899 --> 00:27:44.819 God's kingdom, 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:47.119 it all came true. 00:27:48.399 --> 00:27:49.440 Here was the one 00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:50.460 who had the power 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:51.960 to cast out demons, 00:27:52.500 --> 00:27:53.500 but the gentleness 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:54.779 to meet the most 00:27:54.779 --> 00:27:55.299 troubled 00:27:55.299 --> 00:27:56.039 and burdened 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:57.159 sinner, 00:27:57.899 --> 00:27:59.259 the most afflicted 00:27:59.259 --> 00:28:00.619 and weary soul 00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:02.099 and take them 00:28:02.099 --> 00:28:02.940 into His hands 00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:04.259 and give them peace. 00:28:05.819 --> 00:28:06.819 How true 00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:08.160 Isaiah's words 00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:09.299 really were 00:28:09.299 --> 00:28:10.859 when we look at Jesus, 00:28:11.619 --> 00:28:12.440 a bruised reed 00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:13.339 He will not break 00:28:13.339 --> 00:28:15.900 and a faintly burning wick 00:28:15.900 --> 00:28:17.640 He will not quench. 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:22.420 Friend, 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:22.900 how empty 00:28:22.900 --> 00:28:24.099 do you feel this morning? 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:27.599 Do you feel bruised 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:28.399 and weak? 00:28:30.759 --> 00:28:31.899 You know what a reed is, 00:28:31.939 --> 00:28:32.099 right? 00:28:32.139 --> 00:28:33.319 A reed is like 00:28:33.319 --> 00:28:34.719 a long piece of grass 00:28:34.719 --> 00:28:35.679 down by the water, 00:28:36.179 --> 00:28:36.480 you know, 00:28:36.879 --> 00:28:37.719 these sort of long, 00:28:37.939 --> 00:28:38.579 slender things 00:28:38.579 --> 00:28:39.000 that grow. 00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:41.719 And they're really tender, 00:28:41.959 --> 00:28:42.199 right? 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:43.599 And they're really easily 00:28:43.599 --> 00:28:44.639 snapped and broken 00:28:44.639 --> 00:28:45.500 and bruised. 00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:48.159 Is that you today? 00:28:51.459 --> 00:28:52.480 Or do you feel like, 00:28:52.500 --> 00:28:53.000 do you feel like 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:53.619 your light 00:28:53.619 --> 00:28:55.099 is about to go out, 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:55.500 right? 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:57.619 That's a faintly burning wick, 00:28:57.799 --> 00:28:58.059 right? 00:28:58.579 --> 00:28:58.940 You know, 00:28:59.400 --> 00:28:59.940 if you have a candle 00:28:59.940 --> 00:29:00.460 in your house 00:29:00.460 --> 00:29:00.920 and it's burning 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:01.759 and then you blow it out, 00:29:01.819 --> 00:29:01.980 right? 00:29:01.980 --> 00:29:02.339 And then there's 00:29:02.339 --> 00:29:03.319 a little ember right there 00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:04.380 just sort of faintly, 00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:05.599 faintly burning 00:29:05.599 --> 00:29:06.420 and smoking, 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:07.759 smoldering, 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:11.000 just barely glowing. 00:29:12.839 --> 00:29:13.839 Is that you today? 00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:15.839 Do you feel like 00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:16.339 your light 00:29:16.339 --> 00:29:18.140 is about to go out? 00:29:20.619 --> 00:29:21.339 Friends, 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:21.779 then listen 00:29:21.779 --> 00:29:24.140 to the message of Isaiah. 00:29:24.140 --> 00:29:25.960 listen to the words 00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:26.920 of God for you. 00:29:28.120 --> 00:29:29.520 That Jesus Christ, 00:29:30.360 --> 00:29:31.400 the servant of the Lord, 00:29:31.460 --> 00:29:32.040 has come 00:29:32.040 --> 00:29:33.120 for you. 00:29:35.259 --> 00:29:36.820 You might feel 00:29:36.820 --> 00:29:37.780 useless 00:29:37.780 --> 00:29:39.240 like a battered 00:29:39.240 --> 00:29:40.700 and bruised reed, 00:29:41.020 --> 00:29:42.080 but you're not useless 00:29:42.080 --> 00:29:42.500 to Him. 00:29:43.840 --> 00:29:44.600 And you might feel 00:29:44.600 --> 00:29:45.759 like you've gone too far, 00:29:45.860 --> 00:29:47.100 you've strayed too far, 00:29:47.200 --> 00:29:48.120 like your wick 00:29:48.120 --> 00:29:49.480 is about to go out, 00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:52.700 but you're not 00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:53.700 too far gone for Him. 00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:57.220 None are too weak 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:59.160 or too far gone 00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:00.980 for the Lord Jesus. 00:30:02.339 --> 00:30:03.180 Though you 00:30:03.180 --> 00:30:05.259 might grow faint 00:30:05.259 --> 00:30:06.799 or be discouraged, 00:30:07.799 --> 00:30:09.200 as Isaiah says 00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:09.799 in verse 4, 00:30:09.900 --> 00:30:11.299 He will not grow faint 00:30:11.299 --> 00:30:12.700 or be discouraged 00:30:12.700 --> 00:30:14.900 till He has established 00:30:14.900 --> 00:30:16.860 justice in the earth. 00:30:16.859 --> 00:30:19.639 Read the stories 00:30:19.639 --> 00:30:20.259 of the Gospels, 00:30:20.359 --> 00:30:20.539 friends. 00:30:20.679 --> 00:30:21.439 Jesus faced 00:30:21.439 --> 00:30:22.179 every trial. 00:30:22.939 --> 00:30:23.919 He actually was 00:30:23.919 --> 00:30:25.339 bruised and broken. 00:30:25.959 --> 00:30:27.079 He was quenched. 00:30:28.439 --> 00:30:29.159 He descended 00:30:29.159 --> 00:30:31.119 into the godless chaos 00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:32.679 of the crucifixion 00:30:32.679 --> 00:30:34.299 when everyone around Him 00:30:34.299 --> 00:30:34.939 was worshiping 00:30:34.939 --> 00:30:35.759 a false God 00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:37.219 and put the one true God 00:30:37.219 --> 00:30:37.659 in their midst 00:30:37.659 --> 00:30:38.179 to death. 00:30:39.019 --> 00:30:39.659 He descended 00:30:39.659 --> 00:30:41.639 into that godless chaos. 00:30:42.199 --> 00:30:42.459 Why? 00:30:43.939 --> 00:30:45.099 To bring justice 00:30:45.099 --> 00:30:45.819 to the nations. 00:30:45.819 --> 00:30:47.720 So that you can be 00:30:47.720 --> 00:30:48.279 put right. 00:30:49.339 --> 00:30:50.559 So that God's justice 00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:51.319 might be established 00:30:51.319 --> 00:30:51.980 for you 00:30:51.980 --> 00:30:52.919 so that your sins 00:30:52.919 --> 00:30:54.500 can be put off 00:30:54.500 --> 00:30:56.000 and so that His righteousness 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:57.000 can be put on. 00:30:59.159 --> 00:30:59.980 He went down 00:30:59.980 --> 00:31:00.500 into sorrow 00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:01.700 so that you can know joy. 00:31:02.700 --> 00:31:03.500 Real joy. 00:31:04.899 --> 00:31:06.139 The joy of knowing God. 00:31:10.159 --> 00:31:11.000 And you know, friends, 00:31:11.039 --> 00:31:12.159 if this was true of Jesus, 00:31:13.619 --> 00:31:14.740 then it must also be true 00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:15.740 of those of us 00:31:15.740 --> 00:31:16.779 who follow Him. 00:31:17.740 --> 00:31:19.160 The ministry of Jesus 00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:21.279 was one of strength 00:31:21.279 --> 00:31:23.559 exercised in gentleness 00:31:23.559 --> 00:31:24.980 and in restoration. 00:31:26.880 --> 00:31:27.599 Bruised reeds 00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:28.680 were handled with care. 00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:30.700 Faintly burning wicks 00:31:30.700 --> 00:31:32.180 were nursed back to flame. 00:31:32.599 --> 00:31:34.039 Jesus came as a servant. 00:31:34.039 --> 00:31:38.079 So as you come 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:38.899 to trust Him, 00:31:39.539 --> 00:31:40.000 know 00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:41.359 that He will hold you 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:42.460 tenderly in His hands. 00:31:43.420 --> 00:31:44.159 And as we seek 00:31:44.159 --> 00:31:45.059 to follow Him, 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:47.740 let that be true 00:31:47.740 --> 00:31:48.539 for us as well. 00:31:48.619 --> 00:31:49.440 Let us be servants. 00:31:50.740 --> 00:31:51.500 And may we find 00:31:51.500 --> 00:31:52.720 that His joy 00:31:52.720 --> 00:31:53.960 becomes complete 00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:54.720 in us. 00:31:55.740 --> 00:31:56.639 Let's pray together. 00:31:56.640 --> 00:32:04.560 Our Father in Heaven, 00:32:04.620 --> 00:32:05.380 as we take a minute 00:32:05.380 --> 00:32:07.340 and just pause 00:32:07.340 --> 00:32:08.400 in the quiet 00:32:08.400 --> 00:32:09.280 of this moment 00:32:09.280 --> 00:32:11.300 to be before You, 00:32:11.540 --> 00:32:12.200 our Creator, 00:32:13.640 --> 00:32:16.820 and to take deep breaths 00:32:16.820 --> 00:32:17.280 of air 00:32:17.280 --> 00:32:18.360 that You have provided 00:32:18.360 --> 00:32:22.940 and to just sense 00:32:22.940 --> 00:32:24.780 our bodies 00:32:24.779 --> 00:32:26.399 that You have given to us. 00:32:28.539 --> 00:32:29.879 God, help us to see 00:32:29.879 --> 00:32:32.019 our need 00:32:32.019 --> 00:32:34.180 for a Savior. 00:32:37.660 --> 00:32:38.539 Help us to see 00:32:38.539 --> 00:32:39.299 the ways in which 00:32:39.299 --> 00:32:41.319 the false gods 00:32:41.319 --> 00:32:41.980 that we worship 00:32:41.980 --> 00:32:43.460 under whatever name 00:32:43.460 --> 00:32:43.980 we give them 00:32:43.980 --> 00:32:44.839 have left us empty. 00:32:46.379 --> 00:32:47.579 But help us to see 00:32:47.579 --> 00:32:48.420 now, Father, 00:32:48.579 --> 00:32:49.500 the substance 00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:51.399 and the justice 00:32:51.399 --> 00:32:52.299 and the joy 00:32:52.299 --> 00:32:52.879 of Jesus, 00:32:53.059 --> 00:32:53.559 our Savior. 00:32:54.779 --> 00:32:56.500 by Your Holy Spirit, 00:32:56.960 --> 00:32:58.019 allow our hearts 00:32:58.019 --> 00:32:58.740 to reach out 00:32:58.740 --> 00:32:59.599 to Him in faith 00:32:59.599 --> 00:33:03.220 and in grasping Him 00:33:03.220 --> 00:33:05.079 to know 00:33:05.079 --> 00:33:05.779 that we are taken 00:33:05.779 --> 00:33:06.680 hold of by You. 00:33:10.639 --> 00:33:11.480 We pray this 00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:12.000 in His name. 00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:12.399 Amen. 00:33:12.399 --> 00:33:12.519 Amen. 00:33:12.519 --> 00:33:12.539 Amen. 00:33:12.539 --> 00:33:12.559 Amen. 00:33:12.559 --> 00:33:12.599 Amen. 00:33:12.599 --> 00:33:12.619 Amen. 00:33:12.619 --> 00:33:12.660 Amen. 00:33:12.660 --> 00:33:12.680 Amen. 00:33:12.680 --> 00:33:12.720 Amen. 00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:14.619 Amen. 00:33:14.619 --> 00:33:14.639 Amen. 00:33:14.639 --> 00:33:14.660 Amen. 00:33:14.660 --> 00:33:16.639 Amen. 00:33:16.639 --> 00:33:16.660 Amen. 00:33:16.660 --> 00:33:16.720 Amen. 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:16.740 Amen. 00:33:16.740 --> 00:33:16.759 Amen. 00:33:16.759 --> 00:33:18.720 Amen. 00:33:18.720 --> 00:33:20.660 Amen. 00:33:20.660 --> 00:33:20.720 Amen. 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:20.740 Amen. 00:33:20.740 --> 00:33:20.799 Amen. 00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:20.819 Amen. 00:33:20.819 --> 00:33:24.759 Amen.