WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.200 Well, again, I say good morning to those of you. 00:00:12.280 --> 00:00:18.100 We have a few people here quite spread out and far away from me, and good morning to 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.339 those of you who are gathering in your homes and joining with us online. 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:25.900 I thank God for the technology that makes that possible, even as I am eager to be back 00:00:25.900 --> 00:00:27.580 together as soon as possible. 00:00:27.579 --> 00:00:32.960 I said in my video update on Friday, for those of you who are on our listserv, that we were 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:35.560 going to be looking at Acts chapter 10 today. 00:00:36.339 --> 00:00:43.000 But yesterday, late afternoon, as I was reading the lectionary passages for this morning in 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:50.340 the ACNA lectionary, I was reading Isaiah chapter 42, and to be completely honest, it just really 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:51.119 ministered to me. 00:00:51.519 --> 00:00:53.980 I felt like it was what I needed to hear. 00:00:53.979 --> 00:01:02.099 And so out of that conviction, I hope that by changing our focus this morning from Acts 00:01:02.099 --> 00:01:07.420 chapter 10 to Isaiah 42, perhaps it might minister to you as well. 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:11.679 I'm going to put Acts chapter 10 on the shelf for the moment, even though it's a fantastic 00:01:11.679 --> 00:01:14.759 passage, and our hope will be to come back to it later on. 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:18.979 But right now, we're going to be looking at the first nine verses of Isaiah 42. 00:01:18.980 --> 00:01:21.740 Let me read that for you now. 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:31.140 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. 00:01:31.740 --> 00:01:36.260 I have put my spirit upon him, and he will bring forth justice to the nations. 00:01:36.620 --> 00:01:41.640 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street. 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:47.520 A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench. 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:50.299 He will faithfully bring forth justice. 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:57.340 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth, and 00:01:57.340 --> 00:01:59.060 the coastlands wait for his law. 00:02:00.459 --> 00:02:04.859 Thus says God the Lord who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the 00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:09.599 earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:12.139 walk in it, I am the Lord. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:14.939 I have called you in righteousness. 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:18.060 I will take you by the hand and keep you. 00:02:18.460 --> 00:02:23.319 I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:28.740 are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:29.240 darkness. 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:32.280 I am the Lord. 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:33.840 That is my name. 00:02:34.219 --> 00:02:39.439 My glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:46.060 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare. 00:02:47.340 --> 00:02:50.740 Before they spring forth, I tell you of them. 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:53.620 The word of the Lord. 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:55.439 Thanks be to God. 00:02:55.439 --> 00:03:03.479 In light of the events of this past week, I think the thing that I need most, and I believe 00:03:03.479 --> 00:03:12.079 we all need most, is to be reminded what a king is supposed to be, to be reminded who 00:03:12.079 --> 00:03:13.659 our king truly is. 00:03:14.620 --> 00:03:21.180 In Isaiah 42, God is promising to send the kind of king we truly need. 00:03:21.180 --> 00:03:25.680 Not just we being Christians, but we being the whole world. 00:03:25.879 --> 00:03:30.200 This is the only kind of king who can put the world right again. 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:38.340 At this point in Isaiah, 42 chapters in, it's become painfully obvious that two things are 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:38.659 true. 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:41.460 Number one, idols are worthless. 00:03:42.700 --> 00:03:47.719 Anything other than God that we put our hope and trust in will fail us because it is empty. 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:49.020 It is impotent. 00:03:49.020 --> 00:03:50.500 It makes false promises. 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:57.140 The other thing that has become painfully clear is that even the greatest of us human 00:03:57.140 --> 00:04:04.320 beings are incapable of solving the deepest, biggest problems in this world. 00:04:04.980 --> 00:04:11.780 No human being is sufficient to fix what is broken in the world and in the human heart. 00:04:11.860 --> 00:04:16.460 These two things have become clear, and so God is saying, I'm going to send the kind of king 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:20.299 you need who can actually address these deepest problems. 00:04:20.299 --> 00:04:24.239 And so we see two things about this king in these nine verses. 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:26.599 We see the mission of this king. 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:27.919 Why is this king coming? 00:04:28.060 --> 00:04:29.500 What is this king coming to do? 00:04:30.419 --> 00:04:33.359 And then we see the manner of this king. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:38.439 He comes with a manner, a posture, unlike anything we've seen. 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:40.939 So let's pray, and then we'll get started. 00:04:40.939 --> 00:04:45.300 Lord, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for your Holy Spirit. 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:50.379 And we thank you that even when we don't know what to say, even when we struggle, even when 00:04:50.379 --> 00:04:53.420 we're at a loss of words, your word is true. 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:57.399 It is a foundation upon which we stand. 00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:02.279 And we thank you that your spirit knows what to pray, and that your spirit prays for us 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:08.419 and intercedes for us and leads us and ministers to us, even when we can't sense it, can't 00:05:08.419 --> 00:05:11.239 feel it, that you're always there, Lord. 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:16.379 And so we pray that you would be interceding for us, and that your word would be speaking 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:18.019 to us even as we seek to hear from you. 00:05:18.299 --> 00:05:19.779 We pray this in your son's holy name. 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:20.060 Amen. 00:05:21.299 --> 00:05:24.279 So first of all, the mission of this king. 00:05:24.279 --> 00:05:27.699 There's a word that jumps out when you begin to read this passage right away. 00:05:27.819 --> 00:05:34.799 It's the main point of the first four verses of this passage, and that word is justice or 00:05:34.799 --> 00:05:35.699 mishpat. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:40.219 You see it in verse 1, the servant will bring justice to the nations. 00:05:40.699 --> 00:05:44.279 You see it in verse 3, he will faithfully bring forth justice. 00:05:44.799 --> 00:05:48.899 You see it in verse 4, he will establish justice on earth. 00:05:49.539 --> 00:05:53.679 This word repeats three times, and that lets us know it's very important. 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:56.600 But we need to understand something about the word mishpat. 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:01.879 In the book of Isaiah, and really in the Bible in general, the word mishpat, justice, conveys 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:07.600 a much broader, bigger, grander, more beautiful sense of justice than what we normally think 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:09.519 of when we think of the word justice. 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:14.840 Because we as human beings in our society tend to think of justice in terms of retributive 00:06:14.840 --> 00:06:15.639 justice. 00:06:15.860 --> 00:06:20.899 We think of wrongs being done, and when you do justice, it means you right the wrong, you 00:06:20.899 --> 00:06:22.159 punish the wrongdoer. 00:06:22.219 --> 00:06:23.659 That's one form of justice. 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:30.219 But here in Isaiah, when the Bible talks about justice, it has to do with the order that God 00:06:30.219 --> 00:06:32.299 has given to his universe. 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:40.500 In other words, justice means restoring that order, maintaining that order, putting everything 00:06:40.500 --> 00:06:44.759 in right relationship with everything else. 00:06:44.759 --> 00:06:50.339 And you say, well, why would things being in right relationship be at the core of how 00:06:50.339 --> 00:06:51.399 we think about justice? 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:56.500 And that goes all the way back to Genesis chapter 3 when we see what went wrong with the world. 00:06:56.920 --> 00:06:57.240 Right? 00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:02.120 The reason that we need justice in the first place, we read about in Genesis 3, is because 00:07:02.120 --> 00:07:04.240 human beings rebelled against God. 00:07:04.240 --> 00:07:13.639 We rejected God's order, and instead we began seeking to impose our own order, our own reality, 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:18.800 our own sense of right and wrong, our own law on the world that God made. 00:07:19.060 --> 00:07:22.259 And when we did that, our relationship with God was broken. 00:07:22.400 --> 00:07:24.040 We were alienated from him. 00:07:24.139 --> 00:07:26.460 We were spiritually cut off from God. 00:07:26.900 --> 00:07:31.460 So that's the first kind of broken relationship that sits at the heart of all of this, is the 00:07:31.459 --> 00:07:35.319 relationship between human beings and God has been ruptured. 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:36.779 We're alienated. 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:38.819 But then that had a ripple effect. 00:07:38.939 --> 00:07:46.319 Imagine throwing a stone into a pond, and the ripples move outward until the waves are 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:51.439 lapping up against the banks of the pond, and all of the water is disturbed. 00:07:51.579 --> 00:07:52.560 And that's what we see here. 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:57.879 The stone was the rebellion, but the ripples move outward and affect everything in creation. 00:07:57.879 --> 00:08:02.980 So not only is our relationship with God broken, but our relationship with ourselves is broken. 00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:07.719 And the next time we have an opportunity to look at Genesis 3, we'll look at this in a 00:08:07.719 --> 00:08:08.399 lot more detail. 00:08:08.839 --> 00:08:13.120 But you essentially see that as a result of this, our relationship with ourselves is broken. 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:16.159 We are fragmented internally now. 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:21.279 We don't always understand why we do the things that we do. 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:24.379 We feel tremendous shame. 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:29.639 We want to hide ourselves from other people. 00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:33.279 There are parts of ourselves that we hate or deny. 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:37.439 There are parts of ourselves that we don't even have access to. 00:08:37.580 --> 00:08:43.159 There are unconscious drives and motivations where we say and do things, and we have no 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:44.779 idea why we do them. 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:49.720 We have a tremendous capacity for self-deception. 00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:55.320 We can be woefully out of touch with the truth about who we really are because we're alienated 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:56.060 from ourselves. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:03.080 A third ripple of this is that our relationship with others is broken. 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:11.899 This is why we have conflict and loneliness and poverty and violence. 00:09:11.899 --> 00:09:21.059 This is why we still deal with racism at every level in our society, individually and institutionally. 00:09:21.740 --> 00:09:30.240 This is why people are so divided by politics that they literally see the other side as subhuman. 00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:36.480 People on the left see people on the right as ignorant racists and heap contempt on them. 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:43.080 People on the right see people on the left as immoral Marxists, and they heap contempt on them. 00:09:43.460 --> 00:09:50.120 And the more we devalue or dehumanize a group of people, the easier it is to completely write 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:51.800 them off as subhuman. 00:09:53.300 --> 00:09:57.600 So that's the third ripple is our relationship with God is broken. 00:09:57.700 --> 00:09:59.560 Our relationship with ourselves is broken. 00:09:59.639 --> 00:10:01.240 Our relationship with others is broken. 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:05.360 Fourthly, our relationship with the world itself is broken. 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:11.460 Instead of caring for and stewarding the beautiful world that God gave us, human beings engage 00:10:11.460 --> 00:10:15.560 in exploitation and degradation of the world around us. 00:10:15.680 --> 00:10:17.720 We also have natural disasters. 00:10:18.019 --> 00:10:19.480 We have viruses. 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:21.419 We have cancer. 00:10:21.700 --> 00:10:22.779 We have decay. 00:10:23.240 --> 00:10:24.519 We have death. 00:10:24.680 --> 00:10:28.480 All of this is a result of these broken relationships. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:37.779 And so when Isaiah 42 says that God's anointed king is going to establish justice on earth, it means 00:10:37.779 --> 00:10:41.700 he's going to completely restore all of these relationships. 00:10:42.060 --> 00:10:47.519 Our relationship with the world, our relationship with one another, our relationship with ourselves, 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:52.039 but most fundamentally, our relationship with God. 00:10:52.560 --> 00:10:54.539 Our relationship with God. 00:10:55.159 --> 00:10:56.840 That's where it all begins. 00:10:56.840 --> 00:10:58.139 That's where it has to begin. 00:10:59.060 --> 00:11:03.639 This is why God's anointed king is not simply going to bring political deliverance. 00:11:04.340 --> 00:11:04.580 Right? 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:07.200 In the context of Isaiah, Cyrus could do that. 00:11:07.560 --> 00:11:10.200 This immoral pagan could do that. 00:11:10.820 --> 00:11:12.759 God can use any political leader. 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:15.440 He wants to do that because he's sovereign. 00:11:16.139 --> 00:11:16.320 Right? 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:19.920 But this king is going to bring a deeper kind of deliverance. 00:11:20.040 --> 00:11:21.620 A spiritual deliverance. 00:11:21.620 --> 00:11:23.779 That's why it says in verse 7, 00:11:23.779 --> 00:11:29.899 This servant king will open the eyes that are blind, bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, 00:11:30.120 --> 00:11:32.679 from the prison, those who sit in darkness. 00:11:32.820 --> 00:11:35.539 This is the language of spiritual deliverance. 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:40.019 Only God's anointed messianic king could do that. 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:50.320 Horizontal justice on earth is only possible after there is vertical justice between human beings and God. 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:56.760 It's only possible when the hearts of human beings have turned back to the God who made us. 00:11:58.800 --> 00:12:01.900 Václav Havel was the first president of the Czech Republic. 00:12:02.060 --> 00:12:05.980 He was an incredibly thoughtful leader and Christian man. 00:12:05.980 --> 00:12:14.800 And he, over the course of his extensive experience, saw both socialism and capitalism right up close. 00:12:15.420 --> 00:12:24.580 And unlike many of his contemporaries, he had become convinced from experience that neither could solve the biggest problems facing humanity. 00:12:24.580 --> 00:12:38.700 He had seen that solving issues like nuclear conflict or racism or ethnic nationalism or environmental degradation takes more than just changing policies. 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:42.040 It requires changing people. 00:12:44.139 --> 00:12:44.379 Right? 00:12:44.400 --> 00:12:45.920 He would say things like this. 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:53.839 He would say, you know, it's all well and good for politicians to reiterate a thousand times how important it is for leaders to respect universal human rights. 00:12:55.439 --> 00:13:00.979 But those mean nothing if we reject the God who endowed us with those rights. 00:13:02.099 --> 00:13:02.360 Right? 00:13:02.379 --> 00:13:03.839 That's the kind of thing that he would say. 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:13.980 And again and again and again, even though he was ridiculed for it, he spoke and wrote that the only hope for this world is for human beings to turn toward God again. 00:13:16.040 --> 00:13:17.259 That's our only hope. 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:19.920 He says this, and I'll quote him, 00:13:19.919 --> 00:13:49.079 As I reflect on the events of this past week, I want to reiterate what I said in the email that I sent out on, 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:58.539 On Wednesday evening, I believe that we as a nation have become so convinced of our own benevolence, 00:13:59.099 --> 00:14:02.319 That we are good news for the world. 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:06.059 That we are God's good news for the world. 00:14:07.620 --> 00:14:10.599 We've become so convinced of our own moral excellence, 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:13.120 Our own enlightenment, 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:18.519 Our own limitless technological potential. 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:21.679 We have forgotten that we are not God. 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:24.240 We are not God's gift. 00:14:26.860 --> 00:14:32.519 The events of this past week, however you interpret the details, have humiliated us. 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:36.519 Before a watching world. 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:40.559 God can use humiliation. 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:41.559 God's gift. 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:42.559 And I'm praying. 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:44.599 And I'm praying, of all the things that I'm praying for, 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:48.619 I'm praying that God uses these events to humble us, 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:50.479 To bring us to our knees. 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:52.500 And I pray that on our knees, 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:56.439 The hearts of our nation will be turned toward God once more. 00:14:57.719 --> 00:14:59.439 Not our version of God. 00:15:00.439 --> 00:15:01.459 The true God. 00:15:01.460 --> 00:15:01.960 God. 00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:04.160 So this is the king's mission. 00:15:05.220 --> 00:15:06.639 Justice on earth. 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:10.180 In a way that we can't even imagine a human being accomplishing. 00:15:10.620 --> 00:15:14.000 But then we see something, I think, that is even more unexpected. 00:15:14.580 --> 00:15:16.639 Look at the manner of this king. 00:15:16.820 --> 00:15:20.340 Look at the way in which he enacts his rule. 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:23.820 This is the thing that really sets this servant king apart. 00:15:23.820 --> 00:15:29.060 When we look at the scope of the justice that is promised in Isaiah, 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:34.740 We imagine, we assume, that a king like this is going to need an enormous amount of power 00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:36.860 And influence to bring it about. 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:39.320 We're talking a global transformation here. 00:15:39.660 --> 00:15:41.680 But as one Old Testament commentator says, 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:44.320 The real wonder of this king's mission, however, 00:15:44.740 --> 00:15:47.320 Lies not so much in its breathtaking scope, 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:50.720 As in the manner in which it will be accomplished. 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:53.400 Now look at what it tells us here. 00:15:54.440 --> 00:15:55.879 He's not going to bring a great army. 00:15:57.240 --> 00:16:00.180 The source of his strength is not military might. 00:16:01.060 --> 00:16:02.320 It's the spirit of God. 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:03.300 Verse 1. 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:08.420 The instrument of his rule will be the word of God. 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:09.640 Verse 4. 00:16:10.900 --> 00:16:11.600 Verse 2 says, 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:15.940 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street. 00:16:16.020 --> 00:16:16.640 You know what that means? 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:21.140 He's not going to be the kind of leader who shouts others down. 00:16:21.139 --> 00:16:25.019 He's not going to try to dominate the public discourse. 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:28.620 He's not going to try to control the narrative. 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:30.559 Right? 00:16:30.580 --> 00:16:33.639 He's not going to try to promote himself and his personal brand. 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:44.860 He's not going to try to base his decisions on focus groups or seek after public approval or humiliate his opponents. 00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:58.480 Verse 3 says, 00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:12.039 Who are the bruised reeds and the faintly burning wicks in our society? 00:17:12.039 --> 00:17:17.079 These are the people who are barely hanging on by a thread. 00:17:19.659 --> 00:17:23.659 These are the people who are vulnerable, unprotected. 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:26.240 They've been downtrodden. 00:17:26.339 --> 00:17:27.259 They've been oppressed. 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:28.960 They've been mistreated. 00:17:29.299 --> 00:17:30.379 They've been overlooked. 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:31.680 They've been marginalized. 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:33.420 They've been ignored. 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:35.779 And they're barely hanging on. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:37.859 They're barely hanging on. 00:17:39.659 --> 00:17:39.879 Right? 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:45.720 Western civilization is full of stories of great charismatic leaders who come along and promise justice. 00:17:46.040 --> 00:17:48.340 They promise to make the world the way it should be. 00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:51.900 But there are always casualties. 00:17:53.800 --> 00:17:53.920 Right? 00:17:53.980 --> 00:17:56.900 Leaders come along and they promise great things. 00:17:57.020 --> 00:17:57.200 Right? 00:17:57.200 --> 00:18:03.640 And yet these great things often come at the cost of countless lives. 00:18:03.640 --> 00:18:13.580 And often the poorest in society, the most vulnerable in society, are the people who suffer the most from these righteous crusades. 00:18:14.740 --> 00:18:15.360 Right? 00:18:15.460 --> 00:18:20.120 They are those who have to be sacrificed for the greater good. 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:24.340 So the bruised reeds of society get crushed. 00:18:24.620 --> 00:18:27.180 And the faintly burning wicks get snuffed out. 00:18:27.340 --> 00:18:31.160 And everybody keeps marching forward because we say it's for the greater good. 00:18:31.160 --> 00:18:36.800 But with this king, there will be no collateral damage. 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:39.900 There will be no casualties of war. 00:18:40.220 --> 00:18:43.759 No one has to be sacrificed for the greater good. 00:18:44.100 --> 00:18:47.420 And yet, this king will bring forth justice. 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:55.220 But he will do it with such gentleness, such surgical precision, such unfathomable care, 00:18:55.420 --> 00:19:01.700 that even the most fragile, vulnerable, weakest members of society will be preserved. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:03.279 They will be nurtured. 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:04.720 They will be cared for. 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:07.480 He's that kind of king. 00:19:08.600 --> 00:19:10.759 This king is a living paradox. 00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:14.200 In our experience, leaders tend to be one or the other. 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:21.100 Either they are strong and powerful, but they tend to bulldoze and trample people in their wake. 00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:22.460 They leave a wake of destruction. 00:19:23.860 --> 00:19:26.600 I think many in our country prefer that kind of strong leader. 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:30.220 But then we see leaders who are gentle and meek. 00:19:31.080 --> 00:19:37.019 And they tend to lack the strength and the backbone and the force that they need when it's called for. 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:39.680 So in our experience, you're one or the other. 00:19:41.639 --> 00:19:42.960 This king is both. 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:46.299 Perfect gentleness. 00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:48.480 Awesome strength. 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:51.500 Together in the same person. 00:19:52.299 --> 00:19:56.220 Enough power to bring justice to the whole world. 00:19:56.859 --> 00:19:59.400 But without even harming the bruised reed. 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:02.800 And you ask, well, how is this possible? 00:20:02.900 --> 00:20:05.160 How is a king like this even… 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:07.160 How can we even imagine somebody like this? 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:13.800 The following chapters of Isaiah draw this out in much more detail. 00:20:13.900 --> 00:20:19.620 But we get a little glimpse of how this king is going to bring justice in verse 4. 00:20:19.619 --> 00:20:27.039 It says, of this king, he will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth. 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:29.619 And the coastlands wait for his law. 00:20:29.819 --> 00:20:31.779 And first pass, I read that. 00:20:31.859 --> 00:20:34.599 And I thought, okay, well, that just means he's got a lot of endurance. 00:20:34.679 --> 00:20:37.119 And he's just going to hang in there until the job is done. 00:20:37.319 --> 00:20:40.959 But then I read the Old Testament commentary by Alec Mateer. 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:44.219 And it really opened my eyes to what this is actually saying. 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:47.439 The English translation doesn't make it as clear as the Hebrew does. 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:58.140 If you read it in the Hebrew, which I see in Alec Mateer, the Hebrew words for grow faint and discouraged are the exact same words from verse 3. 00:20:58.740 --> 00:21:03.799 Which talk about the burning wick getting quenched and the bruised reed being broken. 00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:05.720 It's the same exact two words. 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:13.640 In other words, when this king brings justice, there is only one person who's going to suffer. 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:16.740 There's only one bruised reed who's going to be broken. 00:21:16.740 --> 00:21:20.099 There's only one faintly burning wick that's going to be quenched. 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:22.859 And it's the king himself. 00:21:25.180 --> 00:21:26.380 It's the king himself. 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:31.059 For centuries, this was baffling to readers of Isaiah. 00:21:31.220 --> 00:21:33.859 These chapters didn't seem to make any sense. 00:21:34.120 --> 00:21:38.740 Who is this king who is both all-powerful, capable of bringing global justice, 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:42.779 and also willing to suffer and die to bring justice to the world? 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:47.200 How can you have such power and such weakness coexisting in one king? 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:54.600 And in Mark chapter 1, verse 11, one of our lectionary epiphany readings, when Jesus is baptized, 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.200 we read that a voice from heaven speaks. 00:21:59.819 --> 00:22:04.340 And God's voice says, you are my beloved son. 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:06.440 Now that comes from Psalm 2. 00:22:06.740 --> 00:22:08.019 You're my beloved son. 00:22:08.019 --> 00:22:12.119 And then it goes on to say, with you I am well pleased. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:14.299 With you I am delighted. 00:22:14.420 --> 00:22:15.259 You know where that comes from? 00:22:16.639 --> 00:22:18.740 Isaiah chapter 42, verse 1. 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:23.200 Behold my servant in whom my soul delights. 00:22:23.639 --> 00:22:26.019 That's what the voice says when Jesus is baptized. 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:29.660 Behold the one in whom my soul delights. 00:22:29.660 --> 00:22:34.640 So God is saying there that Jesus is God's chosen king. 00:22:34.740 --> 00:22:38.259 He's the only one who can bring justice to the whole world. 00:22:38.860 --> 00:22:43.540 But to do that, he has to become the servant of all. 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:46.680 He has to become the bruised reed. 00:22:48.460 --> 00:22:49.880 The one who is vulnerable. 00:22:50.340 --> 00:22:51.360 The one who is fragile. 00:22:51.940 --> 00:22:53.420 The one who is going to be broken. 00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:58.980 On the cross to reconcile all humanity to God. 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:02.480 To reconcile all humanity to ourselves. 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:05.519 To reconcile all humanity to one another. 00:23:05.960 --> 00:23:08.300 To reconcile all humanity to the world. 00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:10.180 That we were made to steward. 00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:14.300 The point of this, and for us this morning, 00:23:14.800 --> 00:23:16.960 is that we have one true king. 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:19.800 His name is Jesus Christ. 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:22.400 He sits on the throne of heaven. 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:24.120 And he is sovereign. 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:29.000 And the reason this matters so much at this particular time is this. 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:34.160 The more we keep our eyes focused on the true king, 00:23:35.320 --> 00:23:40.460 the more it enables us to keep our earthly leaders in perspective. 00:23:41.600 --> 00:23:42.060 Right? 00:23:42.100 --> 00:23:44.860 We can maintain the right perspective. 00:23:45.340 --> 00:23:49.740 We can vote for a candidate without worshiping them unconditionally. 00:23:49.740 --> 00:23:57.839 We can vote against a candidate without demonizing them and wanting to purge society of their supporters. 00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:07.339 Everything that we do as God's people should reflect the heart of our servant king. 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:09.139 Not just a king. 00:24:09.139 --> 00:24:09.819 Not just a king. 00:24:09.939 --> 00:24:10.759 Not just a servant. 00:24:11.059 --> 00:24:12.379 A servant king. 00:24:13.939 --> 00:24:16.839 The more we lose sight of our servant king. 00:24:16.939 --> 00:24:19.759 The more we take our eyes off of him. 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:22.859 And we begin to only look at our surroundings. 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:25.279 Our immediate flesh and blood reality. 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:29.039 The more things begin to become distorted. 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:34.539 We start behaving more and more and more like the world that needs saving. 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:39.720 We begin to take on those qualities and we forget the heart of our servant king. 00:24:39.720 --> 00:24:44.660 And I think that what we saw on Wednesday was in part a reflection of that. 00:24:45.600 --> 00:24:46.120 Distortions. 00:24:47.100 --> 00:24:47.620 Distortions. 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:49.019 Particularly among Christians. 00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:50.620 Right? 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:56.579 When you see Christians holding up Christian symbols alongside racist symbols, 00:24:56.700 --> 00:24:57.640 that's a contradiction. 00:24:57.880 --> 00:25:00.900 That's antithetical to the heart of the servant king. 00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:07.259 When it comes to patriotism, I do believe that we should be patriots. 00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:09.480 I believe that we should love our country. 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:10.680 I love our country. 00:25:10.819 --> 00:25:15.019 I think it's fashionable for people in my generation and younger to hate our country. 00:25:15.160 --> 00:25:16.220 I reject that. 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:17.400 I love our country. 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:19.279 I think it's an amazing country. 00:25:19.339 --> 00:25:20.680 I think that we should serve our country. 00:25:20.860 --> 00:25:22.279 I think that we should pray for our leaders. 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:23.559 I think that's biblical. 00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:30.660 But when we lose sight of Jesus, that becomes distorted. 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:32.200 It becomes twisted. 00:25:32.460 --> 00:25:37.160 We take our eyes off the servant king and we see the rise of Christian nationalism. 00:25:37.160 --> 00:25:44.740 Where our identities as Christians and our identities as Americans start to merge and blend and twist together. 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:47.540 Like this unholy political smoothie. 00:25:48.380 --> 00:25:58.720 And then you see people assuming that there is some central important role that America has to play in God's unfolding plan of salvation. 00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:01.960 We, as in the words of Havel, we forget that we are not God. 00:26:02.259 --> 00:26:04.600 We start to think that we are God's chosen vessel. 00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:12.519 Storming the Capitol building and marching the Christian flag onto the Senate floor is not the way of the servant king. 00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:17.700 When Jesus is arrested, he tells Pilate, my kingdom is not of this world. 00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:23.340 If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting. 00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:29.860 Surest sign of all that your kingdom is of this world is when you're fighting like that. 00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:30.660 Like we saw. 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:34.220 But Jesus says my kingdom is not from the world. 00:26:36.120 --> 00:26:41.319 I think Christians in our society, some Christians, have a very distorted relationship with power. 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:46.559 Many want as much power as possible so that we can regain control of the culture. 00:26:47.740 --> 00:26:55.359 The servant king is one who uses his power to serve and to minister to those who are most powerless. 00:26:57.980 --> 00:27:04.480 The only way to regain perspective is to fix our eyes on the servant king. 00:27:06.220 --> 00:27:07.179 Jesus Christ. 00:27:07.180 --> 00:27:11.600 The one who came not to harm but to heal. 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:15.779 The one who came not to conquer but to serve. 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:20.900 The one who came not to cause suffering but to suffer. 00:27:21.700 --> 00:27:24.700 And to give his life for the sake of the world. 00:27:26.320 --> 00:27:26.920 Let's pray. 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:29.940 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.740 We thank you for our king. 00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:38.059 We know that his sovereignty is unshakable. 00:27:39.480 --> 00:27:46.480 We pray for the courage now as we confess together to confess honestly and boldly. 00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:51.160 And we do this because we know that what we most need right now, Lord, is grace. 00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:55.779 And that the more we repent, the more grace you give us. 00:27:56.279 --> 00:28:02.259 That the cross means that repentance is our vehicle, our gateway into your limitless grace. 00:28:02.259 --> 00:28:04.640 And we need to be people of grace right now. 00:28:05.140 --> 00:28:08.940 We need to be people of grace with ourselves and one another. 00:28:09.059 --> 00:28:12.420 We need to be filled with grace in your Holy Spirit. 00:28:13.099 --> 00:28:15.980 And so I pray that you would enable us to do that through this time of prayer. 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:17.799 In your son's name, amen. 00:28:17.799 --> 00:28:25.339 So now, friends, as promised, we are going to have an opportunity to join together. 00:28:25.480 --> 00:28:30.519 I invite you, if there's a few people here, if you want to be on your knees, you can do that. 00:28:30.579 --> 00:28:36.299 Certainly for those of you joining us from home, if you're able and want to pray this on your knees, that would be appropriate. 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:42.220 Dan and I are going to stand as we lead this for the sake of the cameras so that you can see us. 00:28:42.220 --> 00:28:45.079 But we're going to join in this time of prayer. 00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:49.360 And I will say the first part of the prayer, and then you will see words in italics. 00:28:49.579 --> 00:28:50.640 Those are the responses. 00:28:50.900 --> 00:28:53.140 Dan is going to be leading those responses. 00:28:53.360 --> 00:28:56.299 I invite you to join in and pray those responses as well. 00:28:56.299 --> 00:29:04.759 Let's pray. 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:04.799 Let's pray. 00:29:07.019 --> 00:29:11.460 O God, the Father, creator of heaven and earth, have mercy on us. 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:15.700 O God, the Son, redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. 00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:20.539 O God, the Holy Spirit, sanctifier of the faithful, have mercy on us. 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:25.720 O God, blessed and glorious Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:33.240 Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses nor the offenses of our forebears, neither reward us according to our sins. 00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:35.259 Spare us, good Lord. 00:29:35.860 --> 00:29:42.259 Spare your people, whom you have redeemed with your most precious blood, and by your mercy preserve us forever. 00:29:42.680 --> 00:29:43.539 Spare us, good Lord. 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:51.100 From all evil and wickedness, from sin, from the crafts and assaults of the devil, and from everlasting damnation. 00:29:51.420 --> 00:29:52.440 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:29:52.440 --> 00:30:01.200 From all blindness of heart, from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy, from envy, hatred, and malice, and from all want of charity. 00:30:01.700 --> 00:30:02.720 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:30:03.140 --> 00:30:09.279 From all inordinate and sinful affections, and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil. 00:30:09.500 --> 00:30:10.600 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:30:10.599 --> 00:30:18.899 From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism, from hardness of heart, and contempt of your word and commandment. 00:30:19.240 --> 00:30:20.379 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:30:20.379 --> 00:30:30.379 From ungodly attitudes, actions, or words that demean and devalue other image bearers because of ethnicity or race. 00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:31.819 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:30:31.819 --> 00:30:40.480 From lightning and tempest, from earthquake, fire, and flood, from plague, pestilence, and famine. 00:30:40.980 --> 00:30:42.259 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:30:42.500 --> 00:30:52.700 From all oppression, conspiracy, and rebellion, from violence, battle, and murder, and from dying suddenly and unprepared. 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:54.339 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:30:54.339 --> 00:31:03.699 By the mystery of your holy incarnation, by your holy nativity and submission to the law, by your baptism, fasting, and temptation. 00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:05.579 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:17.939 By your agony and bloody sweat, by your cross and passion, by your precious death and burial, by your glorious resurrection and ascension, and by the coming of the Holy Spirit. 00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:19.539 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:31:19.539 --> 00:31:28.899 In all time of our tribulation, in all time of our prosperity, in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment. 00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:30.659 Good Lord, deliver us. 00:31:31.220 --> 00:31:42.839 We sinners do beseech you to hear us, O Lord God, and that it may please you to rule and govern your holy, your church universal in the right way. 00:31:43.480 --> 00:31:45.440 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:59.920 That it may please you to illumine all bishops, priests, and deacons with true knowledge and understanding of your word, and that both by their preaching and living, they may set it forth and show it accordingly. 00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:02.519 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:32:02.759 --> 00:32:06.460 That it may please you to bless and keep all of your people. 00:32:07.180 --> 00:32:08.920 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:15.800 That it may please you to send forth laborers into your harvest and to draw all humankind into your kingdom. 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:18.120 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:32:18.279 --> 00:32:26.340 That it may please you to give to all people increase of grace to hear and receive your word and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit. 00:32:26.980 --> 00:32:28.860 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:32:29.160 --> 00:32:34.740 That it may please you to bring into the way of truth all such as have erred and are deceived. 00:32:35.080 --> 00:32:36.820 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:32:36.819 --> 00:32:42.759 That it may please you to give us a heart to love and fear you and diligently to live after your commandments. 00:32:43.339 --> 00:32:45.079 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:56.379 That it may please you so to rule the hearts of your servant, the President of the United States, and all others in authority, that they may do justice and love mercy and walk in the ways of truth. 00:32:56.559 --> 00:32:58.359 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:32:58.359 --> 00:33:07.519 That it may please you to make wars to cease in all the world, to give to all nations unity, peace, and concord, and to bestow freedom on all peoples. 00:33:07.859 --> 00:33:09.599 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:33:09.740 --> 00:33:17.319 That it may please you to show your pity on all prisoners and captives, the homeless and the hungry, and all who are desolate and oppressed. 00:33:17.779 --> 00:33:19.619 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:33:19.619 --> 00:33:27.099 That it may please you to give and preserve to our use the bountiful fruits of the earth, so that in due time all may enjoy them. 00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:29.099 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:33:29.199 --> 00:33:38.699 That it may please you to inspire us in our several callings to do the work which you give us to do with singleness of heart as your servants and for the common good. 00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:41.239 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:46.359 That it may please you to preserve all who are in danger by reason of their labor or their travel. 00:33:47.059 --> 00:33:48.679 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:33:48.680 --> 00:33:59.259 That it may please you to preserve and provide for all women in childbirth, young children and orphans, the widowed, and all whose homes are broken or torn by strife. 00:33:59.360 --> 00:34:00.960 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:34:01.279 --> 00:34:10.440 That it may please you to visit the lonely, to strengthen all who suffer in mind, body, and spirit, and to comfort with your presence those who are failing and infirm. 00:34:10.619 --> 00:34:12.420 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:34:12.420 --> 00:34:19.240 That it may please you to support, help, and comfort all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation. 00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:21.760 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:34:21.900 --> 00:34:24.880 That it may please you to have mercy on all humankind. 00:34:25.240 --> 00:34:27.039 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:41.440 That it may please you to give us true repentance, to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances, and to endue us with the grace of your Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to your holy word. 00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:43.699 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:34:44.059 --> 00:34:50.480 That it may please you to forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts. 00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:52.719 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:34:52.960 --> 00:35:03.260 That it may please you to strengthen such as do stand, to comfort and help the weak-hearted, to raise up those who fall, and finally to beat down Satan under our feet. 00:35:03.460 --> 00:35:05.639 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:10.440 That it may please you to grant to all the faithful departed eternal life and peace. 00:35:11.079 --> 00:35:13.059 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:35:13.059 --> 00:35:19.300 That it may please you to grant that in the fellowship of all the saints we may attain to your heavenly kingdom. 00:35:19.300 --> 00:35:21.620 We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. 00:35:22.300 --> 00:35:25.120 Son of God, we beseech you to hear us. 00:35:25.260 --> 00:35:27.700 Son of God, we beseech you to hear us.