The Lord's Servant Will Settle The Case

Isaiah chapter 42. We are going to read the first 17 verses.! Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight.

! I will put my spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out or raise his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice.

He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.

This is what God, the Lord, says. He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people and life to those who walk on it.

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness. I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

I am the Lord. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare.

Before they spring into being, I announce them to you. Sing to the Lord a new song. His praise from the ends of the earth.

You who go down to the sea and all that is in it. You islands and all who live in them. Let the desert and its towns raise their voices. Let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.

Let the people of Silas sing for joy. Let them shout from the mountaintops. Let them give glory to the Lord and proclaim his praise in the islands. The Lord will march out like a mighty man.

Like a warrior, he will stir up his zeal. With a shout, he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies. For a long time, I have kept silence.

I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out. I gasp and pant. I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation.

I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools. I will lead the blind by ways they have not known. Along unfamiliar paths, I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do. I will not forsake them.

But those who trust in idols, who say to images, you are our gods, will be turned back in utter shame.

What is the greatest crime on earth? Is it mass murder?

What James Holmes did to unsuspecting moviegoers in Aurora? What Hitler did to Jews in Europe?

Is it child abuse? What Jerry Sandusky did at Penn State? These are the things that hold the attention of our nation.

And to be sure, they're horrific crimes. But they don't come close to the greatest crime committed on earth, which is idolatry.

That men and women, boys and girls who have been made by God and received every good thing from God. Should not love him with all their heart and soul and mind and strength.

But should instead give to God's substitutes. Their trust and love and devotion. And that central place in their lives.

Their delight. Isaiah helps us to return to a God-centered view of sin. You see, sin is not in the first place bad things that people do to each other.

Oh, it gets to that. But it is first of all against God. Against thee and thee only have I sinned, David says. God who says you shall have no other gods besides me.

And we would push him away from the throne of our hearts and put substitutes in his place.

Idols. Idols. Money. Things. Career. Health. Image. Body. Beautiful. Recreation.

Sport. Hobbies. Music. Movies. Ease. Pleasure. Fun. Family. Boyfriends. Girlfriends.

Friends. There's no end to the variations of substitute gods that we fill our lives with. Rather than keeping our hearts loving God supremely.

And sin has made us chronic idolaters. Our hearts are idol factories, Calvin says.

And we've done it so long that we forget just how serious this is in God's sight. But you see all these other crimes against men flow from this crime against God.

It's when we fail to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and strength that we fail to love our neighbor as ourselves as well. It's when God is not holding the ruling position in my heart that other people are not safe around me.

And so Isaiah does us a favor in this chapter, in this book. Look, he shows us. He shows us all. Even as he showed his own generation. Just how wicked idolatry is.

There are some 45 times in his prophecy that we read of idols and graven images and other gods. And here in chapter 42, we're right in the midst of God's challenge to idolaters.

He's challenging these idolaters. All the nations, you see, are sunk in idolatry. Our nation, too. Our hearts. Our people, too.

And here's the issue that is to be decided in chapter 41. Who is really God? Is it the idols? Or is it the Lord? And so in chapter 41, we saw last week, the nations are called in.

Come on in. Present your case. Verse 21 and 22. Set forth your arguments. Bring in your idols. Let them predict the future that we may know that they are gods.

And so this is the test. Who is the real God? Your idols? Or Jehovah, the God of Israel, the creator? And the one who predicts the future?

He is God. He's the one who controls human history. Well, the idols had their chance to speak and they just sat there and did nothing. Proving that they were all false.

That's where the chapter ends. See? They are all false. Behold. Look. See? There's nothing to them. They're just wind.

Whereas God, through Isaiah, foretold 200 years in advance, the one from the east, Cyrus, whom he would raise up to conquer the world and to set the Jews free from Babylon.

He told it ahead of time. He brought it to pass. And now in chapter 42, the nations are told to turn their eyes away from their worthless false idols to the only God who can save them.

Here is my servant. It's a weak translation. Look. Behold. See. The same way that he said, see all the idols are nothing.

Now see my servant. So who is this servant of the Lord in chapter 42? You remember in chapter 41 in verse 8, God called Israel my servant whom I have chosen.

And indeed, God did choose Israel to be a servant to declare to the nations the glory of God. Chapter 43. We'll see where God says to Israel, you are my witnesses and my servant whom I have chosen that I even I am the Lord.

And apart from me, there's no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed. I am not some foreign God among you. You are my witnesses, declares the Lord that I am God.

You see, that's the issue in these chapters. Who is really God? I made you my witnesses to declare to the nations that I alone am God and savior. And so Israel, by serving the Lord and looking, keeping his ways and trusting in him and in his salvation alone.

By that, the whole world was to learn that the Lord, he alone is God and savior. But what have we found in Isaiah?

Well, we found proud, willful, rebellious Israel is anything but the faithful servant of the Lord. They're a miserable failure as the Lord's servant and witness.

Instead of bearing witness to the idolatrous nations about the only true God, what does Israel do? She turns her back on the only true God and she worships the nation's idols.

What does that tell the nations about their God? Some of you have seen the progressive ad insurance company in the ad where the two fellows from a rival, a competitive insurance company come into the progressive store and they're shopping for their own personal insurance.

What does that say about their company? It's inferior to yours. What does it say when Israel is worshiping the idols and gods of the nations?

What does that say about their God? It says to the nations, your gods are better than our God. You see, they were blaspheming God.

They were dragging God down in the eyes of the world. They weren't glorifying him before the nations. They were robbing him of his glory.

They were sending the wrong message to the nations. Israel is the unfaithful servant of the Lord. That's what we see in Isaiah. But here in chapter 42, we meet another servant of the Lord and he will be faithful precisely where Israel has been unfaithful.

He will bear effective witness of God's glory to the nations. He will show that the idols are a sham and that the Lord alone is God.

Now, this is the first of four servant of the Lord songs that we have in Isaiah. We'll meet them along the way. They don't bump into each other one after another. There's space in between. But this is the first of the servant of the Lord songs.

And I want us to notice five things about this servant of the Lord. Six things. First of all, his identity. Jesus Christ is God's chosen servant.

Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight. Now, when Matthew writes his gospel, when you come to chapter 12. He tells us that Jesus Christ fulfills our text.

He quotes Isaiah 42, one to four. And he says this was to fulfill what was written by Isaiah about our Lord Jesus. Jesus is this servant of the Lord.

The New Testament tells us plainly. So we're looking this morning at the Lord Jesus. Jehovah's servant. 700 years before he arrives on the scene.

And it was the message by which God meant to comfort his people. Notice Jesus is a servant. You remember what Paul says about the eternal son of God.

That in the incarnation, he who was equal with God. Did not consider that something to be grasped. But laid aside his glory and he became a man.

That means he became as human as you and I. Besides his divine nature, he now has a human nature that is as human as yours. As dependent upon God as you are dependent upon God.

That's why Jesus prayed so much. And besides becoming man, Paul goes on to say. And he took the very nature of a servant.

Philippians 2, 7. That means he was here to do the will of another. Not his own will. Indeed, Hebrews 10 says when Christ came into the world, he said.

Here am I. It is written about me in the scroll. I have come to do your will. Oh my God. That's why he's here. He's here as a servant to do the will of his father.

A servant doesn't do as he pleases. He obeys his master. And this servant of the Lord perfectly obeyed his master. He never worshipped any other God.

No idol ever found any room in his heart that was so packed full of God's glory and love to God.

And obeying God was more important to him than his own comfort, his own ease. Indeed, even more important than his own food, as we find in the desert when Satan tempts him.

He always did what his father commanded. It is written, carried the line with him. He's a servant. And when God's command sent him to the accursed cross as a sacrifice to atone for sin, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death.

Even the death of the cross. He's a servant, you see. And this servant has one thought dominating him day and night. To serve and please my master.

A loving slavery is what it is. It's a willful abandonment to God that we find in Jesus. No wonder God the Father delighted in him and said so at his baptism and at the transfiguration.

This is my beloved son. In him I am well pleased. God chose him.

There was none other good enough for this work. So the identity of this servant? It's the Lord Jesus Christ. We come then to his equipping for his work.

And we find that supernatural power is given to him. When you get a job, there's often things that you need to equip you for that job. Maybe it's knowledge. Maybe it's a degree.

Maybe it's certain skills. Maybe it's equipment. Maybe it's equipment. A computer. A phone. A tool. There's things that you need to be able to function and do your job and to do it right.

So it was with this servant. He needed to be equipped for his work. What was his equipment? Here is my servant whom I uphold.

You see, as a man, he was as dependent upon God as you and I. And here's the reason for his success.

None other than the grip of the Almighty holds him up and sustains him in his work. Furthermore, he's anointed with God's spirit.

You see, I will put my spirit on him, Jehovah says. This servant is empowered and equipped by his work then by the very spirit of God.

There's such difficulties in his work that nothing less than the very spirit that hovered over the earth and brought forth creation is strong enough to help this servant to do his work.

And so he has the spirit of the Lord put upon him. Isaiah 11, 1 to 3, the spirit of the Lord will rest on him, we saw.

And he will be a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear. Everything he needs will be provided for him by the spirit of the Lord resting upon him, enabling him.

And that was true throughout his ministry. So from the very get go, what do we find? We find that it is the spirit of the Lord by which he was even conceived in the womb of Mary, the virgin.

And then at his baptism, what do we find? As he's ready to begin his earthly public ministry, the spirit of God descends on him like a dove to equip him for his ministry.

And as he ministers in his preaching, he says, quoting Isaiah 61, The spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach the good news to the poor, to give sight to the blinded eyes and release the captives.

The spirit of the Lord. It was by the eternal spirit. That he triumphed over temptation. Luke chapter four.

It's by the eternal spirit that he offered himself to God on the cross. Hebrews 914. It's by the power of the spirit that he rose from the dead. Romans 811. He's completely equipped for every aspect of his job.

By the spirit of God. But precisely what was that work? How does our passage define the mission of this servant?

And that's our third point, his mission. He brings a just verdict to the nations. Three times in the first four verses, we read of this mission of the servant.

It dominates this whole section. Verse one at the end. He will bring justice to the nations. Verse three.

In faithfulness, he will bring justice. He will bring forth justice. Verse four. Till he establishes justice on earth. Now we're first of all struck with the worldwide scope of his mission.

He did not come to do something just with Israel. He's got the nations in his assignment. Do you see that? He'll bring justice to the nations.

Plural. In verse four. Until he establishes justice on earth. It's clearly a worldwide mission. His coming will change the whole world.

But what is this justice he brings? That's the issue. What is this justice he brings? The word mispat has several meanings. It's a rich term.

I think that we're wrong to limit Jesus' mission to any one aspect. I think rather what we see is that the very book of Isaiah will show that Jesus fulfills this word in all of its aspects.

Now, when you read, first of all, that he'll bring justice to the nations, right away you may think of one of its meanings, which is a perfect society in which God's laws are followed.

We live in a world where wrong seems to triumph. And we look forward to a day when the servant of the Lord will bring justice to the whole earth.

That's going to happen. But that's just part of what it means. And we're wrong if we just limit it to that. This word justice is also the word for righteousness. He will bring righteousness to the nations.

Well, what's the state of the nations? They're all idolaters. They've all gone their own way. They're all worshiping themselves and their idols. There's nothing but unrighteousness in the earth and among these nations.

And oh, what is this mission? That he will come and bring righteousness to the nations so that they will be made and declared righteous. What a work.

And we'll see how he does that in this very book. But there's also the meaning of right, of justice, and that justice can... The word judgment is another way that it's translated.

And the Psalms talk about the precepts, the laws, the judgments of the Lord are right and so on. It's another word for the truth of God. The judgments of God.

What God says is right and wrong and true and false. In other words, he'll bring God's word to the nations. And was he not the great prophet who was sent to teach us the will of God and to show us who God is?

Yes, I think all these are involved in bringing justice to the earth. The judgments of God. The word of God. But I think the last that I'm saved for last is perhaps the truest due to the context we're in.

He will bring a just verdict to the nations. It's a legal term. The judgment of the court. The decision of the judge.

And it fits well the context because we're in a court case, remember? We're in a court case to determine who is really God. Is it the idols or is it Jehovah? And Jehovah says, my servant will bring forth a just verdict on this matter.

He will bring forth the judgment. The court decision on the matter. He'll establish the truth of the matter. He'll set the nation straight on this one who is God.

He will show that the idols are nothing and that God alone is God and Savior. My servant will clear up this issue. That is the mission.

He comes on to set before the nations the truth about God, the only Savior, and to expose their idols as nothing.

You see, the great mission and objective of the servant is to glorify God. It's to uphold God's honor in an earth where the nations are challenging his honor with their idols.

They're saying, this is better than your God. This is better. This God, this idol, this thing, this one, this. And it's all challenging the honor and glory of God.

The servant will come and he'll set forth the matter plainly. He'll uphold the glory of God, not just in Israel, but in the whole world.

As he saves men, turning them from their idols to serve the living and true God. That's his mission. It's a broad mission.

It's a full mission. It's a full salvation. We'll see that as we proceed through the book. But fourthly, what's the character of this servant?

How does he carry out his mission? And two things are noted. He's quiet and he's gentle. Look first, he's quiet. Verse two, he will not shout or cry out or raise his voice in the streets.

We can think of many loud mouth rulers of the world in Iran and Venezuela and Cuba. But that's not this great conquering servant.

That's not how he comes. There was no shouting of orders like a drill sergeant to his men. That's not how Jesus dealt with people. His own disciples were often slow to understand.

He doesn't scream at them. His enemies often attacked him, but his reply was always controlled and measured and restrained.

Powerful truths softly spoken. No loud quarreling or shouting down his opponents. Why?

Because he's a servant, remember? And the Lord's servant must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to all men.

Able to teach. Not resentful. And those who oppose him, he must gently instruct in the hope that God will grant them repentance. And that they will come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil who's taken them captive to do his will.

He's quiet in his approach. He's gentle. He's gentle. And if in serving the Lord, opposition arises, well, then this too is part of my master's plan for me.

No reason to panic. No reason to shout and try to make things work. My I submit to him. I depend on his spirit for help. And so he speaks with quietness and calmness.

He's not seeking conflict. He's not yelling. Jesus shows you don't have to yell to speak with power. Remember, we read in the Gospels of those who heard him went away saying, no one ever spoke like this man.

He wasn't shouting. Forceful truths quietly spoken. You know, when Matthew quotes this passage in Isaiah 42, it's when the Pharisees were plotting to kill him.

And Matthew says he withdrew from that place. He didn't say, oh, goody, a fight. Come on, let's have it up. He withdrew. Many followed him and he healed all their sick and warned them not to tell who he was.

This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. Here is my servant. He will not shout or cry out or raise his voice in the streets.

He's not only quiet. He's also gentle in the way he carries out his mission. A bruised reed he will not break. Verse three in a smoldering wick. He will not snuff out.

You know what a reed is. It grows in a marsh. It's hollow. What's weaker than a reed? A bruised reed. And yet even a bruised reed he will not break.

Oh, it's very easy to break a bruised reed. Or a wick on a candle that's just about gone out. It's just a little redness in the wick. It's very easy to snuff that out.

He won't snuff out a smoldering wick. Maybe he's in contrast with Cyrus who in the last chapter tramples on others.

Not so this king, this servant king. No. He doesn't even break a bruised reed. Doesn't even snuff out a smoldering wick.

Doesn't crush the weak. But heals the weak. Teaches the weak. And eventually conquers not by bullying people, but by laying down his life for them.

How gently he deals with people in the gospel. Those who are oppressed and broken by sin. Those who are disillusioned and deceived by their own idols. How does Jesus bring justice, the just verdict to them?

How sweetly he comes to them. Remember the woman caught in the act of adultery? And they bring her to Jesus. Well, the law says we stone her. What do you say? And they're trying to catch him.

And Jesus just quietly, silently bends down and starts riding on the ground. And they keep pressing him for an answer. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.

After a while. All of them, from the oldest to the youngest, had walked away until there was only Jesus and the woman.

And Jesus says, where are your accusers? Is no one here to condemn you? No one, Lord. Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.

A bruised reed he will not break. Smoldering wick he will not snuff out. He offered grace to the guilty.

He offered forgiveness to all who would repent of their idolatries and put their trust in him. His lips were anointed with grace. Those at the synagogue in Nazareth were so used to the words of the scribes and Pharisees.

That when they heard Jesus, the Bible says they were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. He's quiet. He's quiet. He's gentle.

He gently leads his flock like a shepherd. To those weighed down by life's trials and their own sins with no savior and no God and who find no help in their idols.

He says, come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. And you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Now, I know you lost people don't believe that. But there's a lot here, more people here that know that it's true.

The yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden is light. He is a gentle savior. As he comes to expose the idols in our hearts and direct us back to the living and true God through his son, Jesus.

Jesus. And so he deals with his own disciples, bumbling and falling. Doesn't jump over them, all over them and read them the riot act, does he?

Such patience, such forbearance, not to break the bruised reed. We think how he dealt with Peter's threefold denial as he succumbed to the idol of the fear of man.

And Jesus deals with him with a silent look. Of wounded love. And he goes off and weeps in repentance.

And when he comes to Peter. Yes, and three times. Peter, do you love me? This is our Jesus. This is how he brings the just verdict on the idols of our hearts.

And our need to turn back to the living God and his son, Jesus Christ. Thou art the true and perfect gentleness.

No harshness hast thou and no bitterness. We sing of him. I wonder if we. Are as quiet and gentle with our own children.

With those who oppose us in our lives. And ministries. Servants of the servant of the Lord have much to learn from him.

In the manner in which we go about our mission. For we come fifthly to his success. This work.

This hard work. And yet, here's his success. He will not fail to achieve his mission. Verse 4 says. He will not falter. Or be discouraged. Till he establishes justice.

On earth. And in his law. The islands will put their hope. Do we understand what's being said here? He's bringing God's truth. To the nations.

About their idols. And about the living God. And only Savior. And he's not going to stop doing so. Until the earth's remotest bounds. Have those who put their hopes.

In what he the servant says. And those from the idolatrous nations of the world. Over. Will stake their eternal future. On what the servant of the Lord reveals to them.

They will take him at his word. They'll cast off their idols. And worship and serve the living God alone. If ever there was a mission impossible.

It was this mission. Given to the servant of the Lord. You see men don't give up their idols willingly. Difficult mission.

You know a lot of missions in life. Come short of success. Simply because men grow weary. And give up. Don't they? They meet with some setback. And discouragements.

That overwhelm them. And they run out of their initial steam. And until finally they quit. Mission aborted. Oh well. Guess. Something else. Not with this servant.

Not with this servant. Oh he has everything of difficulty. And setback in his way. But he is undeterred. He does not falter.

He does not discourage. He keeps going. Until his mission. Is complete. He sees it through to the end. So 5,000 plus.

Are picking the fish. And bread out of their teeth. While they are singing the praises of Jesus. Who just multiplied it. So they could eat. The very next day.

Jesus is preaching to that same crowd. And many of his disciples were offended. And grumbled.

This is a hard saying. Who. Can accept it. And John says. From this time. Many of his disciples. Turned back. And no longer followed him.

Rejection. Rejection. Rejection. He felt it. He is despised. And rejected of men. Isaiah will tell us. In chapter 53. May I say.

He felt that rejection. As much as you feel rejection. He felt it. Even more. Keenly. He's the perfect.

God man. And in his rejection. He turns to the 12. And says. You don't want to leave too. Do you? Peter says.

Well to who else. Would we turn? We believe. That you're the holy one. From God. You have the words. Of eternal life. You're the one. Who is bringing truth. From God. That we need.

God. And so on he goes. His face set as a flint. To go up to Jerusalem. For the last time. And he's rejected. Along the way. Rejection. Rejection. When he gets there.

The whole nation of Israel. Rejects him. And conspires together. With the Gentiles. To put him to death. Where is the mission now? Jesus. You can't even win.

The worship of Israel. To the living God. All their hosannas. Have been turned in. To crucify. What now of your life's work?

What now of your mission? And even the twelve. The chosen band. The tightest. To him. They too. Turned away. He's betrayed.

By one. That he trusted. A Judas. And one of his three. Dearest friends on earth. Peter. Denies three times. That he even knows him. And in the pinch.

All of them. Deserted him. And fled. No one. Stuck with him. Leaving him. All alone. He's let down. By men.

He poured. His life. Into. And mothers. He felt it. As much. As you do. When those you poured your life into. Let you down.

Oh yes. He was one of us. He was wounded. He was rejected. And despite. He. Was tempted. In every way. Like we are. You talk about setback.

Disappointment. What are the mission now? Servant of the Lord. But on he goes. On he goes. On he goes. He will not falter.

Or be discouraged. Until he establishes. Justice. You see. Servants don't have the option. Of quitting. We need to learn that. Servants don't have the option.

Of quitting. So he carries on. Obedient. Unto death. Even the death. Of the cross. Even the death. Of the cross. Even when all grew. Dark as night. And his own heavenly.

Father's face. That used to shine. On him. And declare. His delight. In him. Is now hidden. From him. And nothing. But God's wrath. For sin. Is now poured out.

Upon him. Still. He is not discouraged. And doesn't give it up. But he's. Pressing on. With his mission. Until he can cry.

With triumph. It is finished. The whole. Accomplishment. Of the redemption. Of people. From every nation. Of this world.

Will be made. Just. And righteous. Through my. Sacrifice. And into God's hands. He commits his spirit. Oh.

What a servant. Of the Lord. Do you not love him? Do you not. Want to. Entrust. Your life. Into the hands. Of such. A servant. Of the Lord.

The servant's mission. Is not yet completed. Though. It still. Grows. It's still. Filling the earth. Even now. The risen. Servant. Of the Lord. Is bringing. That saving. Word of God. To the nations.

Through his church. Whom he tells. Go into all the world. And preach. The good news. Expose the idols. For what they are. And preach up. My salvation. And the one.

And true God. Turning men. From their idols. To serve the living. And true God. Verses. Five to nine. God tells his servant. The reason.

His mission. Will not fail. It's because. It's none other than. The almighty God. The creator. And sustainer. Of all things. Who stretches out. The heavens. He's the one. Who called him.

He's the one. Who's taken hold. Of his hand. He's the one. Who keeps him. And makes him. A covenant. For his people. And a light. For the Gentiles. You see. God's own. Creative power.

Is at work. In this servant. To bring gospel light. To blind people's hearts. To open eyes.

That are blind. To free. Captives. From prison. To release. From the dungeon. Those who sit. In darkness. This creator. Is more than able.

To bring the mission. To completion. What picture. Of idolatry. That the nations. Are sunken. It's darkness. It's blindness. It's a dungeon.

Sinners. With their idols. You see. Are unable. To see. That the very thing. That they hold. In their right hand. Is a lie. Isaiah 40. 22. They're unable.

To see. That the things. They live for. And trust in. Are all false. And cannot save them. They can no more. See the truth. That could set them free. Than a blind man.

Could see his hand. Right in front of him. And they can no more. Escape from this darkness. Than a man. Chained in his. Dark dungeon.

And folks. That's all of us. That's how we all were. By nature. In sin. In nature's night. Unable. To see the truth.

That alone. Could save us. Unable. To see any glory. In the living God. Unable. To not see glory. In our idols. Until as Wesley says.

Thine eye. Diffused a quickening ray. I woke. The dungeon. Flamed with light. And I rose. Went forth. And followed thee. My chains fell off.

My heart was free. I rose. Went forth. And followed thee. You see. The God. Who created the heavens. And earth. Is able to say. To the dark.

And blind. Idolatrous nations. Let there be light. And into the heart. Where there's nothing. But darkness. And captivity. He brings freedom.

And the light. Of salvation. Through Jesus Christ. There's another reason. Why the savior. The servant's mission. Will not fail. Not only because.

God's own creative power. Is at work. In this servant. To bring gospel light. To people's heart. But secondly. Because of God's zeal. For his own glory.

Guarantees it. Verses 8 through 9. I am the Lord. That is my name. I will not give my glory. To another. Or my praise. To idols.

Why is it that this mission. To expose idols. For what they are. And to bring men. To bow before the living God. Why will it succeed? Because God. God. Is determined.

Not to share. His glory. With idols. He alone. Is God. So he wants. All the glory. It's not right. If there's one idolater.

That is still. Not giving glory. To him. He's not going to share it. With that idol. And he doesn't just want to be known. As the supreme God. Over the whole pantheon of gods.

He alone is God. He alone. Is to be glorified. As such. And it's that determination. In the heart of God. That guarantees.

The servant's success. And the reason you can believe this. And the reason that. Isaiah's hearers. Could believe such a. An amazing prophecy.

About this servant. Bringing. Such wonderful things. To pass. Is because. Of his earlier predictions. About the former things. That have come to pass. Just as he said. You see verse 9.

See the former things. They've taken place. And new things. I declare. Before they spring into being. I announce them to you.

So here's the judge's verdict. He alone is God. Who can foretell. The future. Who foretold. The former things. And now declares.

700 years in advance. The new things. That his servant will do. And when he comes. And he does all. That had been foretold. It will be seen. He is God. This God.

Is not like. The dumb idols. Who cannot tell the future. This God. Alone is God. That's the message. To comfort the people. It's a message of joy. And so what.

We have. In verses 10 through 12. Is the whole earth. Invited to turn to God. From their idols. And to sing. To the Lord. A new song. Because of the new things.

That he will do. Through his servant. Sing to the Lord. A new song. His praise. From the ends of the earth. It's a universal song. I wonder if you're in that.

Worldwide choir. My friend. Are you singing? Because verses 10 through 17. Show us some that are singing. And others who are. In shame.

Those singing. Have had their blind eyes open. To the truth of their idolatry. And have turned to the living. And true God. Through his son. Jesus Christ. And they sing for joy.

At what is theirs in Christ. But not all embrace the servant. And his truth. Some still cling to their idols.

So verse 17. Ends the section. With a warning. But those who trust in idols. Who say to images. You are our gods. Will be turned back.

In utter shame. Utter shame. A day is coming. When you will learn the truth. About your God's substitutes.

And you will learn the truth. Of who the living. And true God is. But it will be too late for you. If you waited till then.

To bow. In worship. Some singing. Some brought. To shame. Some enjoying. The gentleness. Of the Lord.

Others. Receiving. The severe. Judgment. Of the Lord. Are you clinging. My friend. To the very things. That will destroy you.

In the end. What shame. In the day of judgment. To find that the idols. You live for. Are unable to save you. From God's wrath. And judgment.

But why will you perish. When the servant. Of the Lord. Has come. And he's come. With his truth. And salvation. He comes. Bearing sin.

And shame. So that whoever. Trusts in him. Might never be put to shame. But how will you escape. If you neglect. So great. A salvation. Ditch your idols.

Embrace this savior. That's how this. This section ends. Come on. Join the choir. With the rest of us. Ignore him. No longer. Who is the delight. Of heaven.

Trust. In the Lord. Jesus Christ. Just enjoying. In this eternal song. For the servant. And what he will do. A new song. For the new things.

That God will do. Through his servant. You can do that. Right. While we sing. You can call on this God. To have mercy on you. For Jesus Christ. Remember. He's a gracious.

Savior. He offers. Forgiveness. To all. Who repent. And believe. Upon him. Who will. All who cast themselves. Upon him. For mercy. He turns.

None away. So we're going to take. Our grace hymns. And sing number 21. A new song. To the Lord. Is what we are to sing. Because of the new things.

That he's going to bring. To this earth. That Isaiah talks about. And isn't it wonderful. That here we are. This was a prophecy. That he would bring. This salvation.

To the nations. And here we are. A half world. Away from Israel. And many of us. Have had our eyes open. To our idols. And to the glory of God. In the face of Jesus. And have trusted in him.

And so. Here we are singing. This very song. That Isaiah talked about. Some 2,700 years ago. A song of praise. To the Lord. Let's stand and sing it.

If you're not the Lord. Call on him. Even while we sing. Number 21. In our grace hymns. The end of our passage. And the end of this song.

Reminds us that there is another. Characteristic. Besides quiet. Gentleness. To our. Servant of the Lord. He is that fire.

That everlasting fire. He's coming to judge. In justice. Do you have a righteousness. That will. Stand up. To that. Just judgment. Not in yourself.

We're all sinners. There's one way. By which this servant. Makes. Unjust people. Just. When he. Died for sins.

The just. For the unjust. To bring us to God. Trust in this savior. And all of his justice. His righteousness. Will be brought over to you. And that great day.

Will be a day. You can sing. For joy. He's coming. To judge. In justice. And I have. The full. Righteousness. Of Jesus. As mine. For that day.

Let's pray. Oh Lord. Thank you. For this sight. Of our savior. We think. How it was sent. To that. People of Israel. Pining away.

In captivity. Under Babylon's. Heel. And you. Would encourage. Them. By. Showing them. Your servant. The Lord Jesus.

And here we are. Living. Two thousand. Years. After he's come. And many of us. Are pining. In our own. Trials. And we need. Encouragement. And you come.

And you encourage us. In the same way. By pointing us. To this suffering. Servant of the Lord. This. This. This reigning. Servant. This servant. Who does amazing. Things. To make us. Abandon our idols.

And. Make us right. With the living God. So make us. To love him more. Make us. To be faithful servants. Then. As those. Cleansed by his blood. To go back. Into this world.

And to tell them. Oh. We once. Worshipped idols. And they're nothing. But the Lord. Has provided a servant. To save us. From our sin.

And we pray. You'd help us. To lift up his goodness. And grace. And glory. We ask it in his name. And for your glory. Sake. Amen. Amen.