tonight, Isaiah chapter 42. Behold my
servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, and whom my soul delighteth. I put my spirit upon him. He
shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry,
nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A
bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he
not quench. He shall bring forth judgment
unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged
till he have set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall
wait for his law. Thus saith God the Lord, he that
created the heavens and stretched them out, he that spread forth
the earth and that which cometh out of it, he that giveth breath
unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. I the Lord have called thee in
righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee,
and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of
the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners
from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison
house. I am the Lord, that is my name. And my glory will I not give
to another, neither my praise to graven images. The first thing, and by way of
introduction tonight, I want us to notice that these are the
words of the Lord. You notice that in verse five,
Thus saith God the Lord. Again in verse six, I the Lord. And once again in verse eight,
I the Lord. That is my name. You recognize,
because each of the letters is capitalized, that this is the
name Jehovah, Yahweh. This is God. His name, which
especially reminds us that he is the eternal God, the self-existent
God. He needs no one. He is sufficient
in himself. This is the Lord. These are his
words. I'd say they're very important,
wouldn't you? Think about that. These are not the words of some
puny man. These are the words of the Lord
God of heaven and earth. The Lord in whose hands we live
and move and have our breath, our being. These are his words. And in these words, I see two
divisions. In the first division, I see
that he speaks about someone. And in the second division, he
speaks to someone. So first, who is this servant
about whom the Lord speaks? Behold my servant, whom I uphold. Who is this servant about whom
the Lord God of heaven and earth speaks? I have found three three
men, the names of three men in the Old Testament who are called
the servant of the Lord. Moses, Joshua, and David. Could this refer to any one of
those three men? Behold my servant. Could it refer
to Moses, to Joshua, or to David? All of those men, we know from
the Word of God, all of those men were faithful men of God.
And it could be said about each and every one of those three
men what is said in the New Testament about David. In Acts chapter
13, the apostle said, For David, after he had served his own generation
by the will of God, fell on sleep, that is, died. and was laid unto
his father, was buried, and saw corruption." That could be said
about Moses. He served his generation by the
will of God, and he died, and the Lord buried him, and his
body, no doubt, saw corruption. Joshua, as well, he served his
generation, as did David. But all of those men, they fell
asleep. They died in the Lord, and their
bodies saw corruption. They were all faithful men, but
none of them, none of those men is the Lord's servant here in
this passage that we are commanded and told to behold. Behold! Stop! Look! Listen! Behold this servant. This servant is, of course, the
Lord Jesus Christ. In Zechariah, the prophecy of
Zechariah, chapter 13, in verse 7, he is called the Lord's Fellow. The Lord's Fellow. Zechariah
13, in verse 7, we read, Awake, O sword! This is the Lord God
speaking. Awake, O sword! That is the sword of his justice. Awake, O sword, against the shepherd,
against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. The
Lord commanded the sword of his justice to strike his shepherd,
that is the good shepherd, the man that he refers to here as
his fellow. In other words, he who is his
equal, his equal. This is a father saying, awake,
O sword, and smite the shepherd against the man that is my fellow. He's equal with the father. He
is of the same nature. He is of eternity. He is of the
same glory and of the same majesty. This is the servant. that the
Lord commands us to behold. I want you to keep your places
here, but let's go to this very familiar passage in the New Testament,
in Philippians chapter 2, where the apostle, inspired by God
the Holy Spirit, tells us how this one, who is the fellow of Jehovah, that is, the eternal
Son of God, how he became The Servant, in Philippians chapter
2, and let's begin in verse 5. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, he
was equal in every respect with the Father, equal in eternity,
equal in omnipotence, every attribute, thought it not robbery, to be
equal with God. But he made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men. That's what the birth of Christ
is. He who is the eternal Son of
God came into this world. He assumed the body to his person,
that is, the person of the eternal son assumed into union that body
that God the Holy Spirit prepared him from the womb of the Virgin
Mary. Made himself of no reputation,
took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness
of man. When you looked, if you had lived
at that time and looked upon the Lord Jesus Christ, he would
have looked just like any other man at that time. There wasn't
a halo above his head or anything like that. Those are pictures
that men have imagined. No, he was made in the likeness
of man. And being found in fashion as
a man, He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even,
and that's a very important word, isn't it? He became obedient
unto death, even, even the death of the cross, the most ignominious
death known to man, a death that was reserved for felons a death
that was reserved for traitors, crucifixion by way of a cross,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven
and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father. Behold, my servant. Who is he speaking of? He's speaking
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let's go back. What does the Lord say about
this servant, his servant? Well, I have seven things, they're
all here in the scripture, seven things that we see that the Lord
God Almighty said about his servant, this servant. Number one, he
is upheld and chosen by the Lord. Whom I uphold, mine elect. He is upheld and chosen by the
Lord. Now, in Matthew chapter 12 and
verse 18 in the New Testament, this verse is quoted like this. Behold, my servant, whom I have
chosen, my beloved, and whom my soul is well pleased. This one is the one that the
Lord chose to be the Savior. Just as in Hebrews, Concerning
a priest, the writer said, no man taketh this honor unto himself. This one is the one that God
Almighty chose to be the savior of sinners, to be the savior
of his people. And he's the one that he, God
the Father, sustains and upholds in this mighty work. The work
the Lord Jesus Christ was given to do was a mighty work. He must, think about this, He
must restore that which He took not away. The glory, the glory,
God had created man for His glory and man's sin. He, and there's
a prophecy in the Psalms that tells us that God has chosen
one. out of the people that is mighty
to save. He must restore that glory, that
which he didn't take away, but his people in our father Adam,
we had taken away. He must satisfy God's justice,
and God's justice is strict justice. Yes, God is merciful. Yes, God is gracious. Yes, God
is love, no doubt. We love those attributes, those
truths about God. But let us never forget that
God is holy, that He's righteous, that He's just. And His justice
is very, very strict. And this servant must satisfy
God's justice. He must bring in an everlasting
righteousness. He must do it. And he must pay
the sin debt of his people. You and I, we owe a debt that
we could never pay. That's the reason hell is eternal. Men suffer and suffer and suffer
and suffer and suffer, but never ever pay their sin debt. He had to pay that debt. Behold,
my servant, whom I uphold, whom I chose, mine elect, he chose
him for this work. The angels didn't get together.
Man didn't hold some kind of a union and a meeting and everyone
get together and let's choose this one. No, this is the one
that God chose. And the truth of the matter is,
he's God's first elect, and God has chosen all of his people
in him, in Christ. The second thing, well, in 1
John it says, the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the
world. Consider him, behold him, my
servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, I chose him for this work. Number two, He is delighted in
by the Lord. He is delighted in by the Lord,
in whom my soul delighteth. He's well pleased with him. Every thought he ever had, every
word he ever spoke, every action he ever worked, the Lord was
well pleased with him. This is my servant in whom my
soul, God said, my soul is well pleased. He confessed, he that
sent me is with me. The father hath not left me alone,
for I do always I do always those things that please him. Always. Never, never thought, never word. The Holy Son of God, behold my
servant. Number three, he shall bring
forth, he is given the Holy Spirit.
Notice it said, I put my spirit upon him. He's given the Holy
Spirit. Now, we know we read in the Gospels
that it's baptism, and that's when he began what we refer to
as his public ministry. God the Holy Spirit descended
upon him in the form of a dove. Now, the Spirit of God had come
upon many men. I've been reading a book on Exodus,
a very good book on the tabernacle, but those two men, I can't even
call their names, but there was two, think of the million people
of the nation of Israel, there were two men that God appointed
to do the work, to build that tabernacle. God's spirit was
in them. No doubt God's spirit came upon
many men through that Old Testament dispensation. But no man was
ever given the Spirit without measure, as the Lord Jesus Christ
was. And it's pointed out at his baptism
in the Gospel of John, and the Spirit remained on him. You don't read that about any
other person. Look back to Isaiah chapter 11. Isaiah chapter 11, verses 1 and
2. And there shall come forth a rod
out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his
roots. You know, when a tree, sometimes
it falls over, it's cut down, and then just a branch will grow
up out of it. Here's the house of David. king,
mighty king, Solomon, a great king, ruling, so wealthy, and
yet when the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, a son of
David, yes, but the house had been reduced down to Something
like a tree that's been cut down. And so just a branch grows up,
a root, a rod comes out of the stem of Jesse. But notice in
verse two, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and
of the fear of the Lord, and shall make him of quick understanding
in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge after the
sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears,
but with righteousness shall he judge the poor and reprove
with equity for the meek of the earth. The Lord God, the Spirit
of the Lord is upon this servant in a way that He never was upon
any other servant of the Lord. Number four we read here, He
shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. Now in the Old
Testament days we read of a Gentile here and there. Job was a Gentile,
of course. Naaman, the Syrian who came and
was cleansed in the River Jordan, he was a Gentile. We read of
one here and now, Moses' father-in-law, he was a Gentile. But for the
most part, God's chosen people were brought up out of the nation
of Israel. God's elect were out of the physical,
natural descendants of Abraham. But now this one, this servant
of the Lord, shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. That is, he shall bring the gospel
to the Gentiles. Number five, he shall not cause
his voice to be heard in the street. This is quoted, of course,
and this is how we know. One of the ways we know this
is speaking of Jesus Christ because in the Gospel of Matthew, this
prophecy is quoted concerning him. He shall not cry nor cause
his voice to be heard in this street. The Lord Jesus was gentle. He was mild. So that Luke tells
us one of the ways that we know for sure that he was of a gentle
and mild disposition is because Luke tells us, then drew near
unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. Sinners, publicans, they drew
near to him. He wasn't one of those self-righteous
Pharisees who was holier. Step aside. Don't come too close
to me, lest I be contaminated with you. No, no. How many times in the Gospels
do we read, after he had healed someone, worked a miracle upon
them, he said, don't tell anyone. Of course, they went out and
told everyone. Don't tell anyone. You say, well, that's strange.
Well, he had a work to do, didn't he? And if they had spread far
and wide his fame, that work of dying the way he was to die
would have become a more difficult situation, no doubt. What about that woman? woman
who came. There they are in a Pharisee's
house, and you know how they ate. They laid at their meal. They didn't sit at a chair like
we do, but they reclined, and she comes into that house, and
no doubt that Pharisee had invited other Pharisees there, and she's
a sinner. Obviously, everyone knew she
was a sinner. Simon did. Some people say she
was probably a prostitute. I don't know that, but something,
she had a reputation, a bad one. She came into that house, and
I can just see her looking around, can't you? And her eyes fell
upon Jesus, and she went to him. standing at his feet, bathing
his feet in her tears, and drying them with her hair. He was gentle,
he was mild. And another thing, children.
Someone said one time, you can always tell a man if children
and dogs like him. Children felt comfortable with him holding. And number six, he will not discourage
a needy person, one who is like a bruised reed. It says, a bruised
reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not
quench. He will not discourage a needy
sinner, one who is like a bruised reed. It's a cane that grows
in marshland, right? And someone's walked through
and bruised it. It's just all bent over and it's
broken. And what a picture of a man or
woman who's burdened down, loaded down with their sin. A smoking flax, a wick and a lantern
that not giving any light, it's just smoking. One so disheartened. So disheartened at the point
of just giving up hope. There's no hope for me. Oh, yes,
there is. Oh, yes, there is. That's what
it says. A bruised reed shall he not break.
A smoking flack shall he not quench. He will cherish and he
will save those who are poor in spirit. Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In Psalm 130,
the scripture says, let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the
Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. That hymn was, there's a fountain
filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins. With him there's
plenteous redemption, the vilest sinner, Whoever that may have
been or be, the blood of Jesus Christ has the power, if it's
God's purpose, to cleanse that sinner. Number seven, he shall not fail
or be discouraged till he has finished the work given him to
do. Our Lord prayed that night before
He went to the cross the next day, and He said unto His Father,
I have glorified Thee on the earth, I have finished the work
which Thou gavest Me to do. And then on the cross the next
day, just before He dismissed His Spirit, He dismissed His Spirit, He said,
no man taketh my life from me. I have power to lay it down and
to take it again. But just before he dismissed
his spirit, he cried with a loud voice. Most people, when they're
dying, have a very soft voice, a very low voice. You barely
can hear them. You bend down. to put your ear
close to their mouth to hear what they're saying, but no,
he died full of life, and he cried with a loud voice, it is
finished. And why would man, why would
lost man think that he's got to do something to help save
himself? when the Lord Jesus Christ said,
the work's finished. It's done. It's over. He shall not fail or be discouraged
until he has set forth judgment in the earth. Now, here's the
second point I want to make, or third. What does the Lord
say to his servant? That's what he says about this
servant. He tells us those seven things about him. Now notice
these five things quickly that he says to his servant, that
is to the Lord Jesus Christ. Number one, I have called thee
in righteousness. God called him to fulfill all
his righteous purposes, to save his chosen people in a righteous
way. One author said, God's grace set his wisdom to
work. God's grace set his wisdom to
work. God's grace to save sinners,
but yes, it must be done in a righteous way. How is that possible? That God may continue just, and
He is and always will be, and yet at the same time justify
the ungodly. How? I've called the unrighteousness.
Christ came a righteous person, holy in nature, harmless in life. And truly he deserved that title,
Jesus Christ the righteous. How will God justify the ungodly? By taking their sins and imputing
them, charging them to this righteous servant and he paying the sin
debt. Number two, I will hold thy hand. I was thinking about this passage
the other day, and I was in a parking lot at an apartment building,
and next to that apartment, there's an elementary school. And I was
noticing the children coming on their scooters. They were
small children, elementary children, second, third grade, I guess.
And they were riding their scooters in there. And I saw one small
boy. He had one of these scooters
that has, I think, some kind of a motor on it. But I noticed
when they started to cross the parking lot, his dad took his
hand. His dad took his hand. Why? To protect him, to guide
him, to keep him safe. And so the Lord God tells his
servant, I will hold thy hand. More than one time we read in
the Gospels when the Jews would have destroyed him, but his hour
was not yet. I will hold thy hand. I will give thee for a covenant,
we read. I will give thee for a covenant.
Now everything about the covenant concerns him. He's the messenger
of the covenant. He's the surety of the covenant. He's the mediator of the covenant.
And he ratified the covenant by shedding his blood. This is
my blood of the New Testament. That's what we're going to picture
here in just a minute. This is my blood by which the
new covenant is ratified. And all the blessings and all
the benefits in that covenant are going to surely come to all
who are named in that covenant. Why? Because it's ratified with
the blood of Jesus Christ. And that covenant can never be
changed. Everlasting covenant of grace. Also, I will give thee
to be the one way of salvation, a light to the Gentiles. Paul
quoted this in Acts 13, when he said, For so hath the Lord
commanded us, saying, I have sent thee to be a light of the
Gentiles, that thou shouldest be my salvation unto the ends
of the earth. There's one way of salvation.
There's one Savior. There's one God. One Savior,
one way of salvation, and Jesus Christ is that way. He said,
I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man cometh unto
the Father but by me. He made the way. He made Himself
the way. He puts us in the way. He keeps
us all the way. And at the end of the way, we'll
see Him. He is the way to the Father.
There is no other way. And then it says he would open
the eyes of those of the blind. To open the blind eyes, to bring
out the prisoners from the prison. When we come into this world,
all of us, we're born blind. Oh, you say, preacher, I've had
good eyesight. I've never even had to use glasses.
I realize that physically. But when we come into this world,
We're spiritually blind. We cannot see our sinfulness. Oh, you're talking about someone
else. That preacher preached like we're all sinners. I've heard that before. Well,
you just talk like we're all sinners here today. Yes, I do. Because we are. And when God
opens the blind's eyes, we see that. Not only do we see our
sinfulness, but we see our need of a savior. And not only that,
but we see that Christ is that savior that we so desperately
need. And he brings the prisoners out
of the prison. We come into this world, the
scripture says, we sit in darkness. We sit in darkness. And through
fear of death, we're all our lifetime subject to bondage.
but then the Lord Jesus Christ, he brings the prisoners out of
the prison. Now in closing, let me remind
us what God says to you and to me, behold my servant. In other words, the words of
John the Baptist, behold the Lamb of God which taketh away
the sins of the world. He said in a later chapter here
in Isaiah, look unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the
earth, for I am God and there is no other. Behold. You say, well, how do we behold,
how do we, by faith, by faith, we look to Christ. We trust in
him. Behold my servant. May the Lord
bless his word to all of us here tonight. Now we will observe
the Lord's table like we have the last few times when Brother
Reese will serve as a monitor, And we'll come down, we'll start
on the very back and those who want to take the Lord's table
will come down this side and come by and take the cup and
the bread and whenever, take it back