1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,760 Invite you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the Old 2 00:00:02,760 --> 00:00:07,000 Testament book of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 50. 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:11,000 I believe that's on page 611. If you're using the red Bibles 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:15,720 and the chairs around you, if you haven't been at Trinity very 5 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,120 long, then you probably don't know this, that we've been 6 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:21,360 working our way through the book of Isaiah. 7 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:26,200 We took a pause in November as we went through Advent, and then 8 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,240 we've had some guests, preachers, but we're picking up 9 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,280 where we left off. We finished Isaiah 49 in 10 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:35,160 November. And so today we're going to be 11 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:40,800 looking at Isaiah chapter 50. Invite you to read along as I 12 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:42,880 read this to you, read you God's Word. 13 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,360 Thus says the Lord. Where is your mother's 14 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:52,600 certificate of divorce, with which I sent her away, Or which 15 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,600 of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? 16 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,840 Behold, for your iniquities you were sold, and for your 17 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,120 transgressions your mother was sent away. 18 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,400 Why, when I came, was there no man? 19 00:01:05,519 --> 00:01:08,080 Why, when I called, was there no one to answer? 20 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:12,000 Is my hand shortened that it cannot redeem, or have I no 21 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,000 power to deliver? Behold, by my rebuke I dry up 22 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,880 the sea, I make the rivers a desert. 23 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,560 Their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst. 24 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,080 I clothe the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth 25 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,640 their covering. The Lord God has given me the 26 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,240 tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain 27 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,640 with a word Him who is weary morning by morning he awakens. 28 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,280 He awakens. My ear to hear is those who are 29 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,040 taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, 30 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:45,760 and I was not rebellious. I turned not backward. 31 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:50,120 I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those 32 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,960 who pull out the beard. I hid not my face from disgrace 33 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,080 and spitting. But the Lord God helps me. 34 00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,240 Therefore I have not been disgraced. 35 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:03,040 Therefore I have set my face like a Flint, and I know that I 36 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,960 shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. 37 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,320 Who will contend with me. Let us stand up together. 38 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,920 Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. 39 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,160 Behold, the Lord God helps me who will declare me guilty. 40 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:20,640 Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment. 41 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:25,440 The moth will eat them up. Who among you fears the Lord and 42 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,960 obeys the voice of the servant? Let him who walks in darkness 43 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,880 and has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his 44 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:36,480 God. Behold, all you who kindle a 45 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:41,000 fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches, Walk by the 46 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,800 light of your fire and by the torches that you have kindled. 47 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:49,880 This you have from my hand. You shall lie down in torment. 48 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,840 Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for your 49 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,880 word, for giving it to us. We pray that as we read it and 50 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:02,080 as we reflect on it, that through the work of your Holy 51 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:06,120 Spirit, you would open our eyes to see what you want us to see. 52 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,280 That you would teach us what you want to teach us. 53 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:12,040 But above all, Father, we pray that you would change us through 54 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,200 your word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, for we ask it 55 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:24,080 in Jesus name, Amen. What's the difference between 56 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:32,040 cheap grace and costly grace? What's the difference between 57 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:39,080 cheap grace of God and costly grace of God? 58 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:45,960 Cheap grace as God loves his people, but at no cost to 59 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:50,240 himself. Costly grace is that God loves 60 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,760 his people at a great cost, at the greatest cost to Himself. 61 00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:00,440 Jesus came into this world as the ultimate servant, and he 62 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,280 suffered and he gave everything for his people, even his own 63 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,160 very life. This is one of the great truths 64 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,800 that we see here from Isaiah 50 today. 65 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:16,760 And as we meditate on God's costly grace, how it cost him 66 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:21,480 everything, we should be moved to love him more deeply and to 67 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,080 trust him more faithfully and to rely on him more, more 68 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,520 consistently. That's what Isaiah 50 tells us 69 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,760 today. To get there, let's look at the 70 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:36,080 passage and let's consider three things, the continued rebellion 71 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:40,440 of God's people, the faithfulness of the servants of 72 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:44,600 the Lord, and the call to trust and obey. 73 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:48,480 And then let's ask, So what? What does this mean for us 74 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:50,600 today? Now before we jump into the 75 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:53,600 passage for today, it's been a little while since we finished 76 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,160 Isaiah 49. It was on November the 23rd. 77 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,760 Let's remind ourselves of some of the background, some of the 78 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,920 context of this book. We're told that it was written 79 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,120 by a man named Isaiah. We don't know much about him. 80 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,040 We're told that he was the son of Amos. 81 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:11,040 We don't know anything about Amos. 82 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:15,320 We're told that he was married and had children, and he 83 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:19,200 ministered in the second-half of the 8th century BC, probably 84 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:24,240 starting his ministry around the seven 40s or seven 30s BC, and 85 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,000 he prophesied for some 40 or 50 years. 86 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,920 The Kingdom of Israel had split. At that point. 87 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,560 There was a northern Kingdom named Israel in a southern 88 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,360 Kingdom named Judah, and Isaiah lived and ministered in the 89 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,760 southern Kingdom of Judah. He also addressed the northern 90 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,160 Kingdom of Israel, and he also addressed the nations around 91 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,760 Israel and Judah. He was a contemporary with the 92 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,800 prophet Hosea who also ministered in Judah. 93 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:54,840 Isaiah's Hebrew is beautiful and complex. 94 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:59,800 There's poetry, alliteration, metaphors, analogy, word play, 95 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,720 and the section that we're in now, chapters 40 through 66 is 96 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:08,160 some of the most beautiful poetry in all of Scripture or 97 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:12,120 maybe anywhere. We also know why Isaiah was 98 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:14,640 called the prophecy as the book began. 99 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:19,120 You may remember we we read of of a court scene, a courtroom 100 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,280 scene. A jury is called to assemble. 101 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,560 Charges are laid. God's people have rebelled 102 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,880 against the Lord and broken the covenant, covenant relationship. 103 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:30,920 Their, their religion is heartless. 104 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:34,480 Their worship is empty ritual. There's a lack of justice and 105 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,360 care for the poor and the oppressed, and they worship 106 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:41,000 idols. A verdict is announced, they are 107 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:45,240 guilty and a sentence is given. Judgment is coming. 108 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:48,600 For the northern Kingdom of Israel, they were would be 109 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,240 conquered and taken into exile by Assyria. 110 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,800 And 7:22 for the southern Kingdom of Judah, they would be 111 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,600 conquered and taken into exile by Babylon in 586. 112 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,200 Throughout the beginning part of the book, in chapters one 113 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:08,920 through 39, it's filled with all of these woes and judgements to 114 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,920 God's people. Judgement is coming. 115 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:14,960 But even in the midst of all of the judgement we read in the 116 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,240 first part of Isaiah, there are words of hope that are sprinkled 117 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:20,200 in. Ultimately, God would not 118 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,000 abandon His people. He would not leave them or 119 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,080 forsake them forever. If there is no repentance on the 120 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:29,280 part of the people, if they don't turn back to the Lord, 121 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:33,440 then yes, judgement is coming and they would be taken into 122 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,360 exile. But the Lord would bring his 123 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:41,360 people back, He would preserve a remnant of his people, and 124 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:46,560 ultimately he would send the great servant Messiah to save 125 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:50,600 his people from their sins. As we have transitioned to the 126 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:55,120 last half of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah is primarily addressing 127 00:07:55,120 --> 00:08:00,200 in these chapters a future Judah, those who were in exile 128 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,000 in Babylon. And what we've seen and what we 129 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,200 will continue to see is the movement is from condemnation 130 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:10,000 and judgment to a focus on hope and comfort for the people of 131 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,560 God. There is great news about a 132 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,880 promised Servant who was to come, who would suffer, but who 133 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,320 would rescue and redeem God's people. 134 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:25,400 These servant songs that we're looking at here in Isaiah point 135 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:29,960 us to a greater and an ultimate and a better servant that was to 136 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:33,320 come, ultimately being fulfilled in Christ. 137 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,600 Our chapter today, chapter 50, contains the third of the 138 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,919 servants songs, but notice how it starts. 139 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,680 It starts with the continued rebellion of God's people. 140 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:46,600 You can see that in verses one through three. 141 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:51,240 You may remember from when we looked at Isaiah 49, God's 142 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:55,160 people in exile in Babylon felt and thought that God had left 143 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,640 them, that God had abandoned them, and even though the Lord 144 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:03,800 reminded them again and again of His promise of redemption, they 145 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:05,560 believed that they were forsaken. 146 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:09,840 The Lord insisted to them that that was not the case, that He 147 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:13,960 was faithful to His promises and He indeed would rescue and 148 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,280 redeem His people. But Judah didn't believe it. 149 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:22,160 So as we come to chapter 50, verse one, we see that God gives 150 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:25,480 them proof. He gave them two illustrations 151 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:27,080 here in verse one to prove his point. 152 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,640 He's not abandoned his people. He has not forsaken his people. 153 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:34,200 The first illustration in verse one was from divorce. 154 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:38,920 In Deuteronomy chapter 24, instructions are given for a man 155 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:43,480 if he divorces his wife, he was required to issue a certificate 156 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,920 of divorce. That's how it was ratified. 157 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:51,600 That's what made it official. And here in Isaiah 50, beginning 158 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,560 in verse one, it's as if God is saying, if you think that I've 159 00:09:55,560 --> 00:09:58,560 divorced you, if you think that I have left you, that I have 160 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:01,120 abandoned you, where is your certificate of divorce? 161 00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:05,080 You don't have one because it doesn't exist. 162 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:11,000 You are still my beloved bride. The the second illustration is 163 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:14,680 someone who is in debt to another and they are put into 164 00:10:14,680 --> 00:10:17,600 servitude to them to pay off their debt and the Lord asks 165 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:20,360 which creditor have you been sold to? 166 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:23,360 You can't tell me because there isn't 1. 167 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,720 You haven't been abandoned into eternal servitude. 168 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:30,960 They're in exile not because God abandoned them. 169 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,400 But notice he does tell them why they're in exile. 170 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:35,960 The end of verse one. It was because of their 171 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:37,880 iniquities. It was because of their 172 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,280 transgressions. That's what caused them to go 173 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,640 into exile, not because God abandoned them. 174 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:47,040 The word here for iniquities has the sense of the inner sinful 175 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,120 hearts, and the word transgressions has the sense of 176 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:54,040 outward willful disobedience. It was because of their sinful 177 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:59,120 hearts and their sinful actions that they are in exile, not 178 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:04,600 because God has abandoned them. And in verses 2 and three, God 179 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:07,960 goes on to say, I am completely capable. 180 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,600 I am completely able to rescue and to redeem you. 181 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:18,440 The Lord is powerful enough. The Lord is sovereign to save 182 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:21,560 his people. His his arm is not too short to 183 00:11:21,560 --> 00:11:26,200 save his people. And so he asks at the beginning 184 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:31,920 of verse 2. So why don't you respond when I 185 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:34,680 call out? Why do none of you respond 186 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:37,000 literally? He says. 187 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:42,880 No one answers the call. That's a dramatic contrast with 188 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,440 what comes next. The faithfulness of the servant 189 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,600 of the Lord could see that in verses 4 through 9. 190 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,520 These these verses 4 through 9 are considered considered the 191 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:55,080 third of the the servant songs in Isaiah. 192 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:59,120 We have one more servant song coming in chapters 52 and 53. 193 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,200 Now the the servant here is not identified until we get to verse 194 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:06,560 10, but there we're told that these words here that are being 195 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:09,240 spoken are being spoken by the servant of the Lord. 196 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:13,720 We've seen several times in these servant songs that the 197 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:17,400 servant of the Lord can have an immediate human reference. 198 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,880 King Cyrus was referred to as a servant of the Lord. 199 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,160 He was the one who would release people from Babylon to go back 200 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,560 to the promised land. But we have seen over and over 201 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,840 again in these servant songs that they always have a larger, 202 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:35,040 bigger reference. They always point us to a 203 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:38,960 coming, greater and and better and ultimate servant who will 204 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:44,200 come and redeem His people. You can see that as we look at 205 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,880 the description of the servant here in verses 4 through 6. 206 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:51,760 First of all, notice how this servant refers to the Lord 4 207 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:55,000 times. He calls him the Lord God. 208 00:12:55,720 --> 00:13:00,160 You see it in verse 4, verse 5, verse 7 and verse 9. 209 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:03,840 That can be translated as the sovereign Lord, and it has the 210 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,600 sense of the closest possible relationship between the 211 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:11,680 servants and God. It also has the sense of 212 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:15,680 absolute certainty of success in the mission of the servant. 213 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:20,600 And in verse 4, we, in contrast to the people of Judah who do 214 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,640 not answer the call of the Lord, hear the servant is faithful. 215 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,200 He is the faithful mouthpiece of the Lord. 216 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:31,720 Each morning we're told the Lord speaks to him and gives him the 217 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:33,640 message that is to be proclaimed. 218 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:36,880 And the servant faithfully listens. 219 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,600 Notice his words. He speaks the Lord's words as a 220 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:45,240 gentle counsellor to the weary. He says the servant is caring 221 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:49,040 and compassionate. Verse 5 we're told that the 222 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:52,600 servant listens to the Lord his his ears are open to hear. 223 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:55,600 He does not rebel. He does not turn back from the 224 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,080 Lord. Again in dramatic contrast to 225 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:02,800 God's people in exile who didn't open their ears, who didn't 226 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,640 listen to the Lord, who did rebel and turn away from the 227 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,440 Lord. This servant is faithful to the 228 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:12,200 Lord in all the ways that God's people have failed to do so. 229 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,400 Verse 6 For we see the servant described as one who would 230 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:21,880 endure great suffering. We're told he would be stricken, 231 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,280 his beard ripped from his cheeks. 232 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,640 Now that certainly would be painful, but it's also a sign of 233 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:36,240 disgrace and shame. And notice the Servant wouldn't 234 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:40,120 shirk back from the suffering. He he embraces it as part of his 235 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:43,240 calling and his mission. He he gave his back to those who 236 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,000 would strike him, His cheeks to those who would pull his beard 237 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,600 out. He would not hide his face from 238 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,440 disgrace. He would not hide from people 239 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:54,800 spitting on him, but would faithfully endure suffering. 240 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:57,840 That's the description of the Servants. 241 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:02,400 And notice that we're also told how he was able to endure such 242 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,800 suffering. You can see it in verses 7 243 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:06,600 through 9. Verse 7. 244 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:08,960 He trusted in the Lord who helps him. 245 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,280 He knew that he was not disgraced or forsaken. 246 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,400 He knew he was not put to shame as if the Lord had abandoned 247 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,560 him. He was able, we are told, to set 248 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:22,720 his face like Flint to stay focused on his mission. 249 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,600 He was driven to accomplish the purpose for which he was called. 250 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,160 He was able to endure the suffering, as we read in verses 251 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,000 8:00 and 9:00, because he knows the Lord is near to him. 252 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:37,160 The Lord will vindicate the servants, he says. 253 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:39,200 Who will contend with the Lord's servant? 254 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:42,240 Who would be his adversary? Who would call him guilty? 255 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:47,520 The Lord God is his helper. The Lord God would vindicate the 256 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:50,320 servants. All those who oppose the 257 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:55,880 servant, we read, will be worn out like old garments, eaten up 258 00:15:55,880 --> 00:16:01,160 like moths. Eat clothes the servant loves 259 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:03,480 that serves and loves the Lord faithful. 260 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:06,080 He even endures incredible suffering and shame. 261 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:08,840 And he's able to do so because the Lord is faithful and 262 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,480 strengthens His servant and vindicates his servant and 263 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:13,920 defeats the enemies of His servant. 264 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,200 Then notice how the chapter ends in verses 10 and 11. 265 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:24,160 It's a call, call to trust and obey the Lord. 266 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:29,640 Look at verses 10 and 11. Who among you fears the Lord and 267 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,800 obeys the voice of His servant? Let him who walks in darkness 268 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:37,480 and has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his 269 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:39,960 God. Behold all you who kindle a 270 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:44,400 fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches, Walk by the 271 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:47,120 light of your fire and by the torches that you have kindled. 272 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:52,520 This you have from my hand. You shall lie down in torment. 273 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:57,240 You hear the call. The call is to trust, to fear 274 00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:01,000 the Lord, and to obey the voice of the servant. 275 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:04,319 Notice we're told here there are only two kinds of people. 276 00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:07,560 The first kind of people are described at the end of verse 277 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,160 10. These are people who walk in the 278 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:13,800 darkness of this world and don't have any light of their own. 279 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:16,680 But even in the midst of the uncertainty and maybe even the 280 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:21,520 fear of the darkness, they trust in the name of the Lord and rely 281 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,359 on God. And notice they trust on the 282 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:26,920 name of the Lord. And in your Bibles, there the 283 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:31,080 Lord is in all capital letters. They trust in Yahweh. 284 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:35,640 They trust in the covenant, keeping promise, keeping God. 285 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:40,760 They don't look to other things to give them meaning. 286 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:42,360 They don't. They don't look to other things 287 00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:47,200 to bring light into their lives. They trust and they rely on God. 288 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:51,120 The second kind of people are described in verse 11. 289 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:55,000 Rather than trusting and relying on the Lord to protect and 290 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,920 sustain them in the darkness of the world, they kindle their own 291 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:00,120 fires. They walk by the light of their 292 00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:03,000 own torches. They look to their own devices 293 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,040 and self-sufficiency to bring light into their darkness, 294 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,480 rather than trusting and relying on the lights of God's truth and 295 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:14,640 grace. And notice we're told what the 296 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:16,960 end of that second kind of people is. 297 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,720 Again in verse 11, the Lord's hand will bring judgment on 298 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:23,960 them. We're told they will lie down in 299 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:29,600 torment where there has the sense of grief and displeasure 300 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:35,600 and pain, the pains of sin under God's curse for not following 301 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:41,400 the Lord. So what do we do with this 302 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,400 passage today? What does this mean for us? 303 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:46,480 Well, first of all, it means we should love the servants. 304 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,680 We should love the servants. I said earlier in the Servant 305 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:55,200 that the Servant songs in Isaiah point us to a greater, better, 306 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:57,600 ultimate Servant and ultimately to Jesus. 307 00:18:58,120 --> 00:18:59,720 But don't just take my word for it. 308 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:05,200 Matthew chapter 12. Matthew specifically says that 309 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:11,080 Jesus is the fulfillment of the Servant song in Isaiah 42 and in 310 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,360 Acts chapter 8 we read the story about the Ethiopian eunuch who 311 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:19,240 had the Bible opened and he was reading from Isaiah 53, the 312 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:23,440 servant song in Isaiah 53. And Philip comes by and he stops 313 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,720 Philip and he asks who is this talking about? 314 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:28,360 And Philip says this is about Jesus. 315 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:35,120 You can also just see how this points to Christ by considering 316 00:19:35,120 --> 00:19:38,000 the description of this servant here in verses 4 through 6. 317 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:41,560 He he's in deep, close relationship with the Lord. 318 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:46,040 The Lord gives him his word that The servant listens to the word, 319 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:50,000 he hears it, he speaks it. Think of all the times that 320 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,160 Jesus spoke the word of the Lord. 321 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,520 How many times did he say it is written? 322 00:19:57,680 --> 00:19:59,360 The servant ministers to the weary. 323 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,960 The heavy laden sounds much like our. 324 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:08,560 Assurance of grace earlier in the service. 325 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:11,920 Jesus says, come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, 326 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:15,920 and I will give you rest. The servant is a gentle 327 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,560 counsellor, compassionate and caring to the hurting, to the 328 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,160 weary, to the worn down. He's faithful in his calling. 329 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,440 He does not rebel. He does not turn away from the 330 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:29,040 Lord, but he faithfully serves. He endures incredible suffering. 331 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:32,840 He is stricken and spit on and disgraced and shamed, but he 332 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:36,920 doesn't turn away from it. He embraces it as part of his 333 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:39,880 mission, and he is faithful in the midst of the suffering. 334 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:43,680 That may remind you of Luke chapter 24. 335 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,000 After Jesus's resurrection, he was walking on the road to 336 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,680 Emmaus, and he came across two men who didn't recognize who he 337 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:53,040 was. And eventually Jesus revealed 338 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:57,280 himself to him and he said, didn't you know, I had to come 339 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:04,000 and suffer, to go to the cross and be crucified and killed. 340 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,800 The servant, the servant of the Lord is ultimately Jesus. 341 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,560 And the more brothers and sisters in Christ, the more that 342 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:15,440 we see the beauty of the story of Scripture, the story of our 343 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,320 suffering servant Jesus. The more that we see all that he 344 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,640 endured for us, all that he experienced so that we never 345 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:26,000 will have to, The more that we see how he took on the wrath and 346 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,280 the judgment and the justice of God that was poured out on him 347 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:34,000 so that we would never have to face it, the more we should be 348 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:40,920 moved to love our servant Jesus, the more that we become 349 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:44,320 saturated with the story of the gospel and God's grace to us, 350 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:47,440 the more we should be moved to love our servant Jesus. 351 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:55,920 Do you love Jesus? Oh, never perfectly, always in 352 00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:00,480 flawed ways. But do you genuinely love the 353 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:06,760 servant Jesus? If we do love Him, then 354 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:09,280 secondly, we should obey the voice of the servant. 355 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:13,480 That's what it says at the beginning of verse 8. 356 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:15,720 Obey the voice. The beginning of verse 10. 357 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:18,120 Excuse me, to obey the voice of the servant. 358 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,440 We can obey the voice of the servant a couple ways. 359 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:25,480 First, we can obey the voice of the servant by living like he 360 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:30,240 lived, by following his model, having the heart of a gentle 361 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:36,320 counsellor, seeking to love and to serve the weary, speaking the 362 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,720 comfort of God's Word and the comfort of the gospel to those 363 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,880 who are weary and worn out and are hurting. 364 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:48,520 Are we people like that? Do we care for the hurting and 365 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,320 the weary, those needing help? Do we? 366 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,960 Do we see people like that? Do we look for them? 367 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:59,280 Do we move toward them with gentle, caring compassion? 368 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,040 Jesus did. Jesus does. 369 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,480 We can obey his voice by seeking to live like he did. 370 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:14,600 But remember, his model wasn't only a gentle compassion for the 371 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:18,640 weary. The servant also lived with 372 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:23,920 unmoving focus. We're told the servant didn't 373 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,080 turn back from the Lord. He didn't draw back. 374 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:29,480 He didn't run away. But he set his face like a Flint 375 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:33,040 toward faithfully following the Lord. 376 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,000 He trusted the Lord with His vindication. 377 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:40,480 His His identity is so firmly focused in the Lord that he 378 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,720 could be resolute and unmoving and focused even in the midst of 379 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:48,480 incredible suffering. Thankfully, we are not called to 380 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:51,400 go through the kind of suffering that our Savior went through, 381 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:56,920 but we can still obey His voice by having our identity so 382 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,720 anchored in the Lord that when we are called to go through 383 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:03,400 seasons of difficulty and challenges and suffering and 384 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,480 even possibly persecution, that we won't turn back. 385 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:11,000 That we will trust in the Lord as our vindicator, That He will 386 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:12,640 give us the strength to persevere. 387 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,920 So we can obey the voice of the servant by following His model 388 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:23,640 of living in life, being gentle, compassionate, caring people for 389 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:27,840 the weary and those in need, having our identity so anchored 390 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:31,280 in the Lord that there's an unmoving resoluteness in the 391 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:36,440 midst of the storms of life. But we can also obey the voice 392 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:39,840 of our servant by literally listening to what he tells us. 393 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:45,000 How does our servant Jesus speak to us today? 394 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:51,520 Through the Word of God. That's how we hear the voice of 395 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,480 our servants, the voice of servant Jesus. 396 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:55,720 It's through the Word of God. Think. 397 00:24:56,000 --> 00:25:01,000 Think of how much Jesus immersed himself in the Word of God. 398 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,640 Think of all the times that he quoted from the Scriptures. 399 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:09,400 He quoted from at least 24 of the 39 books of the Old 400 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:13,080 Testament. Think of how many times he used 401 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,400 the Scripture to argue with his opponents. 402 00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:20,640 Every time he was tempted by Satan in the wilderness he 403 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:28,880 responded with it is written, it is written, it is written in 404 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:32,000 Matthew chapter 5, Jesus in Jesus sermon on the mount, he 405 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:36,120 says not an iota, not a dot will pass away from the word of God. 406 00:25:37,120 --> 00:25:38,880 The iota is the smallest of Greek. 407 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:42,680 The Greek letters A dot or a jot or a tiddle was the smallest 408 00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:47,560 part of a letter. Jesus was immersed in God's 409 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:49,520 word. He used it in his ministry. 410 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:53,200 He used to argue with the used to argue with the religious 411 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:55,120 leaders. He used it in moments when he 412 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:58,480 was suffering. Brothers and sisters in Christ, 413 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:02,240 how much more so should we immerse ourselves in the Word of 414 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,480 God? This is how our servant Jesus 415 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:08,800 speaks to us. It's how we can hear Him and and 416 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:14,320 and obey His voice. Are we immersing ourself in the 417 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,160 Word of God? It's how we can listen and obey. 418 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:24,880 Obey the voice of our servants. Lastly, we should trust and rely 419 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:28,760 on the Lord. That was the call at the end of 420 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:34,600 verse 10. Trust the Lord, Trust Yahweh, 421 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:40,360 our faithful covenant, keeping promise, keeping God, and rely 422 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:45,240 on the Lord rather than living in the midst of darkness of this 423 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:48,760 world and seeking out our own devices and our self-sufficiency 424 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:50,720 and a light supply from the world. 425 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:54,400 We are called to live in the darkness of this world, trusting 426 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:59,760 the Lord and relying on God, His light of truth and grace. 427 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:04,520 That's true for us if the darkness that we go through is 428 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:08,840 of our own doing, if the darkness is because of our own 429 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:11,480 sin that we have produced in our own lives. 430 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,160 In the midst of that kind of darkness, we are to trust that 431 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:19,600 the Lord in His ways are better than our sin, to trust that the 432 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,480 how the Lord says I should live is better than how I think or 433 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:28,760 want to live, and to trust Him and rely on Him. 434 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:32,800 But it's also true if the darkness that we experience is 435 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:35,680 because of the sinfulness and the fallenness of this world 436 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,600 that we live in. When we look around and we see 437 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:42,480 the darkness of injustice, we see such a lack of concern for 438 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,440 the sanctity of human life from conception to the grave. 439 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,240 When we hear of wars and rumours of wars. 440 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:51,040 When we see the political unrest and violence. 441 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:53,480 When we hear of Christian brothers and sisters around the 442 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,240 world who are enduring incredible persecution and 443 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:58,880 suffering. When we see what is right and 444 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,720 true being called wrong and not true, in the midst of the 445 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:07,480 darkness of this fallen, sinful world, we must not despair or be 446 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:12,800 undone or lose hope. We are to trust and rely on the 447 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:19,560 Lord, the One who the servants in Isaiah 50 called the Lord 448 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:26,080 God, the Sovereign Almighty. He is on the throne, He is 449 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:30,360 sovereign, He is in control, and He is working all things for His 450 00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:35,000 purposes. He will shine His light of truth 451 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,680 and grace into the darkness of our lives and the darkness of 452 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:43,840 this world. So let's trust and rely on the 453 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:45,880 Lord. Let's pray together. 454 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:59,240 Father, we thank You for the beauty of Your Word, how You 455 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:05,040 have woven the story of Your pursuit of Your people, our 456 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:13,040 redemption, the history of our salvation throughout it, even in 457 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:17,080 a little place like Isaiah 50, where we see the promise of this 458 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:20,360 ultimate servant that's coming, and that has now come and it's 459 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:24,440 coming again. Father, we do pray that You, 460 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,040 through your Holy Spirit, we take Your Word and form and 461 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:29,120 shape us into the people of Your delight. 462 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:33,520 Make us more and more the people that you want us to be, that we 463 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:34,960 might serve you faithfully and well. 464 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:39,240 Draw us into even deeper fellowship with yourself, Deepen 465 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,680 our understanding of the gospel, deepen our understanding of your 466 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:46,640 love for us, and so spur us on to greater good work, good 467 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,760 works. All this we ask in Jesus name, 468 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:50,880 Amen.