The Servant Nature
of Christ Jesus
Book of Isaiah 42
We have been seeing
that since chapter 40 in the Book of Isaiah, we get a picture of the
New Testament and the life of Jesus Christ. In this lesson, we will
see that when the Messiah first came, He came as a servant.
In all honesty, the
Messiah first came to this world to teach us all to have the mind of
a servant and the actions of a servant, just as He has given His
example to follow!
Mat 12:17 That it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Mat 12:18 Behold my
servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well
pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to
the Gentiles.
Mat 12:19 He shall
not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the
streets.
Mat 12:20 A bruised
reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till
he send forth judgment unto victory.
Mat 12:21 And in
his name shall the Gentiles trust.
Jehovah Himself came
to this Earth to present His plan of salvation.
Php 2:5 Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name:
Php 2:10 That at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.
Next to Jehovah,
Jesus Christ turns out to be the most important figure of prophecy!
In fact, Jesus
Christ is the most important figure to have ever walked on this
earth!
As a servant, the
Lord came to mend the breach between Jehovah and His chosen nation
Israel.
As a servant, the
Lord's mission was not only to Israel but also to the world, a "light
to the Gentiles”.
As a servant, the
Lord was also a Prophet, who was very patient and faithful in the
work He came to accomplish at His first coming, despite the
opposition He encountered.
As a servant, who
was sinless and innocent, He came to suffer and die for the sins of
all others!
The Lord Jesus
Christ for His enemies so they could be saved!
Let's begin:
*****Isa 42:1
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul
delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth
judgment to the Gentiles.
The very first thing
we should notice is the Triune God at work.
The Holy Father is
speaking.
This servant is the
Lord Jesus Christ, Savior, and the Redeemer of this world, The
Messiah.
The Holy Spirit is
resting on Christ Jesus, the Messiah, to qualify Him for the work He
will accomplish, which He did when He said, "it is finished"
the words He spoke as He gave up the Ghost, on the cross.
What is the work of
God's servant, The Messiah?
1) He has a mission
to Israel:
Isa 49:8 Thus saith
the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of
salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee
for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to
inherit the desolate heritages;
Isa 49:9 That thou
mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness,
Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures
shall be in all high places.
2) He has a mission
to the world:
Isa 49:6 And he
said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise
up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I
will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be
my salvation unto the end of the earth.
3) He is to be the
true Prophet, patient and faithful in His work, despite the
opposition to the Word of God.
Each true prophet of
God was a type of the true Prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Isa 50:4 The Lord
GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how
to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning
by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
Isa 50:5 The Lord
GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned
away back.
Isa 50:6 I gave my
back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair:
I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
Isa 50:7 For the
Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore
have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be
ashamed.
Isa 50:8 He is near
that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together:
who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
Isa 50:9 Behold,
the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they
all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
Isa 50:10 Who is
among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his
servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust
in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
4) We also know that
being innocent Himself He was to suffer and for the sins of all
others:
Isa 53:4 Surely he
hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we
are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we
like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Isa 53:8 He was
taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his
generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the
transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9 And he
made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death;
because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it
pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he
shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in
his hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear
their iniquities.
Isaiah laid it all
out many years before the Messiah came the first time!
With this Scripture
and many others, no one can say the Word of God does not speak of the
Holy Trinity, the Triune God!
*****Isa 42:2 He
shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the
street.
The Messiah will be
humble, peaceful, not threatening and certainly not lawless as He
adhere to all the Word of God.
The Messiah would
never take part in any riot, nor cause a revolt.
The Messiah would be
calm with a restful spirit.
The Messiah would
speak of harmony, with each other and with the Living God.
Eph 2:13 But now in
Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood
of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is
our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle
wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having
abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man,
so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that
he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having
slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17 And came
and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were
nigh.
*****Isa 42:3 A
bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not
quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
Bruised reeds are
useless so people break them and toss them away, but the Lord would
not harm even one. He would not break or throw away anyone who is
useless to society, because no one is useless to the Lord, when they
follow His ways.
The Lord would be
compassionate, like a dimly burning wick, instead of crushing the
elements of goodness, He will strengthen and purify them!
BUT we should be
aware the Messiah will bring forth "judgment" unto the
truth of God.
Rom_3:4 God forbid:
yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That
thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when
thou art judged.
Christ had
compassion upon the weak, those that had no purpose in life, upon all
who had lost faith and hope, those who were wandering in this world
aimless, the sick and the diseased, those who could not pay their
debts, the blind, the lame, and the leper, the unclean of society.
*****Isa 42:4 He
shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the
earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
The Lord, the
Messiah, would be steadfast in His mission!
The Lord would never
show any sign of weakness. Even death was defeated by the Lord!
No obstacle and no
opposition could stop the Messiah in His task!
He would not give up
until true justice, truth and righteousness would be established on
this world!
The Messiah is
totally committed to the teaching of the Word of God and He will not
rest until He has accomplished what He has come and will come to do!
This is the greatest
example for every Christian!
We must never be
ashamed of the Messiah and we must not fear what this world can do to
us because we are like the Lord, death has been defeated.
1Co 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord.
It is Jehovah God
that instructs us in all these things.
*****Isa 42:5 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:
The truth is we have
God's guarantee of the success of the Messiah!
It’s too late to
try to understand how the Jews missed all the things, because we know
God has a purpose in everything that happens in the world but is
always the right time to come to the Lord.
Because we serve the
Living God and not some figment of man's imagination, we can know all
these things are true!
And God has always
known that many would not trust in the Messiah nor accept the truth
of God but it does not change God's plan in any way!
The world should
understand the truth!
1) The world may
deny it, but there is a Creator and God's creative power is the
guarantee that the Messiah will finish what He has already started!
We all breath God's
air and even the most powerful humans and the healthiest humans, and
the most protected human, can last but a very few minutes without
God's air!
In fact, all things
that sustain our life on this earth come from the Living God!
Job 33:4 The Spirit
of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me
life.
God's program for
this world has been placed in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, the
true Messiah.
Everything that the
Messiah is sent to accomplish, is a fulfillment of the "will of
God"!
What do we know?
The Messiah was
chosen for the service of God.
The Messiah dwelt in
the Love of God, His Father,
The life of the
Messiah was held in the hand of God.
Then God says, "I
have placed My Spirit upon Him"
This is the same for
every Christian.
*****Isa 42:6 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;
The Messiah would
come to do things right.
This world we live
in has forgotten how to do things right!
This world is in
desperate need of salvation before we destroy ourselves!
The Messiah would
also be the tool to establish a righteous relationship with those who
believe and establish a righteous relationship with each other!
The covenant God has
given us is the New Covenant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Heb_12:24 And to
Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
It would be the same
for the Jew and the Gentile!
The Messiah would
fulfill the covenant to Abraham (The Promised Seed) and the covenant
to King David (The Promised King).
*****Isa 42:7 To
open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and
them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
The Messiah would be
the cure to both physical and spiritual blindness. People would not
have to wonder which way to go or how to handle their problems.
God's Messiah would
open all the eyes to the truth and set free all the captives held in
the darkness of sin and yes, even death.
All these things are
conditioned on the willingness to see the light of the Messiah, God's
Servant, The Lord Jesus Christ!
I certainly cannot
understand why some people will not consider anything after this
life.
*****Isa 42:8 I am
the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another,
neither my praise to graven images.
Isa 42:9 Behold,
the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare:
before they spring forth I tell you of them.
God has a name but
no one on this earth named Him. God named Himself!
Exo 3:14 And God
said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exo 3:15 And God
said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of
Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name
for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
When we see, LORD
written with all capital letters then that name is Jehovah!
Jehovah is the
Living God, self-existent, eternal, self-sufficing, independent,
omnipotent and therefore unique!
God's glory cannot
be shared with any other being that exist least of all man-made
images which are vanity and nothingness!
It is God's power
that has already caused the fulfillment of many prophecies of the
Bible and it is God's power that will cause the fulfillment of the
work of the Messiah!
Israel had been
delivered time after time all by the power of God and there will be a
final deliverance to these people.
God says before
these things happen He would remind us again.
1Pe 1:10 Of which
salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who
prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11 Searching
what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them
did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ,
and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom
it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did
minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that
have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from
heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
God is saying read
the Book and you will see what He has already done and you will get a
good idea of what He will do in the future.
2Ti 2:15 Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun
profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more
ungodliness.
So, if there are to
be New Things then there is a need for a New Song!
*****Isa 42:10 Sing
unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth,
ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and
the inhabitants thereof.
Isa 42:11 Let the
wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages
that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let
them shout from the top of the mountains.
Isa 42:12 Let them
give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.
If we as Christians
cannot celebrate now, that Jehovah God has redeemed His people but
has just not pick us up yet, we are sad bunch of Christians!
Whether we travel by
sea, or by caravan, or live in the deserts or live in the rich
communities, let us shout from the top of the mountains the saving
"Grace" of Jehovah God, and the "Gospel" of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
It could be true,
that the Lord will not return until His message of salvation has
reached to the ends of the earth!
Mat 24:14 And this
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Jesus said:
Mat 28:18 And Jesus
came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo,
I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus even repeats
Himself:
Act 1:8 But ye
shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Gal_3:13 Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
If we cannot praise
the Lord for what He has already done, then we do not deserve to live
because we are living in the sin of disobedience!
Psa 150:6 Let every
thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
It is through the
Messiah, that all human beings can be saved and all God ask of us is
"faith" that He will save us!
There is no greater
gift that can be given to anyone than eternal life, and to be in a
place that we cannot even realize the glory of!
Isa_64:4 For since
the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the
ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath
prepared for him that waiteth for him.
The "Gospel"
is here now and there is no saving power beyond the Gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ!
*****Isa 42:13 The
LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a
man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his
enemies.
Certainly, when the
Lord returns, He will go forth as a Mighty Man!
The message of the
Lord, should be going forth in a "Mighty Way", by the
redeemed of the Lord even today and every day!
Why should we that
know the Lord be praising Him today?
There is certainly
coming the day the Lord will take the field before all His enemies!
The world will again
meet Jehovah God in the flesh!
Jehovah knows that
this world will not appreciate the Messiah.
Jehovah knows that
His Christ would be rejected.
Therefore, Jehovah
also knows these enemies would need to see the Messiah in all His
power, go forth as a Mighty Man!
And therefore, we
have this prophecy of these future events.
There is coming the
day when the Lord will just have had enough of the mistreatment of
His children!
The God of Love will
become the God of Wrath!
Jer 25:30 Therefore
prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The
LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy
habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give
a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants
of the earth.
Jer 25:31 A noise
shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a
controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will
give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
It has taken a lot
of power and a lot of love and patience for the Lord God of this
world to finally say "enough is enough"!
*****Isa 42:14 I
have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained
myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and
devour at once.
We must know that
these are the very words of God Himself!
We should realize
the pain and suffering that God has felt as He has allowed the Devil
and his servants to prevail in this world.
One day soon, God
will no longer allow these things to continue!
When God sees that
His chastisement has no effect on the lost, He will bring all these
things to an end, and they will then see His "Judgment"!
A travailing woman
when she has reached her time will then be free of that pain. Such as
described for what our Lord has been suffering as He has encouraged
the lost to repent but now they all refuse.
Our God is more
powerful than anything we know of, but it has also taken a lot of His
power to refrain Himself from returning until that last soul is born
and saved!
When the Lord
reaches this point, He will destroy and devour at once!
Rev_22:12 And,
behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be.
As we have already
seen many times, the "time of Jacob's trouble", the 7 years
of tribulation, will come to an end in a dramatic and a terrible way.
*****Isa 42:15 I
will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and
I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.
When the Lord God
vents His frustrations on this world there will be great destruction,
such as this world has never seen!
God will make waste
the mountains and the hills and dry up even the best watered regions
making them a wilderness of arid waste.
This is not only in
nature but also kings and rulers and all those who set themselves
against the Messiah.
Rev 6:14 And the
heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every
mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15 And the
kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the
chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16 And said
to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of
him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the
great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Rivers will become
dry land such as islands and all sustainable food products will
perish, except for those that are used to sustain the redeemed of the
Lord.
Isa_35:8 And an
highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of
holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for
those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
Isa 35:10 And the
ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and
everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
*****Isa 42:16 And
I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them
in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before
them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them,
and not forsake them.
Isa 42:17 They
shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in
graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.
These are not the
spiritually blind, these are those who cannot see the pathway to
Mount Zion through all the destruction.
These will be, for
the most part the house of Israel which are blind in the way that
they knew not.
God will provide
that highway, the way of holiness for them to travel on
Isa 57:14 And shall
say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the
stumblingblock out of the way of my people.
That stumbling block
has always been the Christ, the Messiah when He first came to bring
the "Gospel" message!
God will not forsake
the Jews who turn to Him along with the strangers that dwell with
them that have done the same.
In fact, God will
never forsake anyone who repents and calls on His name at any time in
their lifetime!
God will fulfill
every promise He has ever made!
Rom 10:9 That if
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.
Rom 10:13 For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
The only limits to
this promise is that it is done before we die a physical death!
There will never be
the day the Lord will reject the true believer!
*****Isa 42:17 They
shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in
graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.
While those who have
repented, and returned to the Lord with eyes wide open, all those who
have not will be turned back!
They will suffer
defeat and their personal god will have no power to help them no
matter who or what it is!
The revelation of
the glory of God will only cause confusion to those who have rejected
Him all their lifetime.
They will feel
utterly ashamed, like Judas but they will not find the power to
repent.
Mat 27:3 Then
Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned,
repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to
the chief priests and elders,
Judas, being ashamed
of what he had become, could still not find in his heart, the "faith"
needed to be redeemed from his sin.
So, will be this
world we live in on the day of the Lord.
Isa 44:17 And the
residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth
down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith,
Deliver me; for thou art my god.
Isa 44:18 They have
not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they
cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
Note: Everyone in
Hell is already a believer but it is too late for them!
But we do not have
to join them there!
Questions?
Let's Pray!