Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. The founder and perfecter of our faith. In his first coming, he was a servant to the will of God, giving his life to save his people from their sins. Today we begin a look into three chapters of Isaiah, chapters that reveal what kind of servant Jesus was. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Wind with Dr.
Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, we've all heard about Jesus washing his disciples' feet. It's almost unimaginable that the King of Kings himself would stoop so low. And you know, Dave, we should not be surprised that Peter objected, but let me tell you something that has often brought tears to my eyes. In the book of Luke, we read that in the coming kingdom, The Master Himself will gird himself.
and serve us. Can you imagine that? Here we are, we are seated, and Jesus comes along, and still plays the role of a servant. to serve us. And I can imagine that we will be just like Peter and say, Lord, let us serve you.
And then, of course, we're reminded of his words. that those who are greatest are the ones who serve. We're so thankful for the coming of Jesus Christ, for the fact that He gave Himself for us as a Redeemer, and yes, as a servant. I want to give you a website. You can go to rtwoffer.com.
That's rtwoffer.com, where we have a very special resource for you. It is a daily devotional for the brand new year, 365 devotions, written by D. L. Moody and myself. We think it'll be a great blessing to you even as you anticipate.
the new year. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's RTW offer. Yeah. I maintain that we will always misunderstand Jesus.
We'll always misunderstand him unless we allow the whole Bible to define. who he is. I was reminded of that watching television about 10 days ago when there was a discussion of the Christmas Wars, which I'm going to be speaking about near the end of this message. And somebody said, Well, the last I read my Bible, Jesus said, Love one another. And uh the argument and the conclusion was therefore he was into tolerance and we should not proclaim anything as truth.
That's what one person said, because love trumps truth. Is that what Jesus meant when he said, love one another? I also know somebody who said, Well, you know, Jesus was a revolutionary, and he was drawing on that, and Jesus was a revolutionary. Looked at in one way, and he was drawing on that to justify his own view of a revolutionary lifestyle. Jesus is used for all kinds of things today.
People find in Jesus what they want to find, but until the whole Bible speaks to the issue of who Jesus is. Our view is always distorted. And then we come to Christmas. He is the one in the manger, someone says, who shows us the love of God.
Well, yeah, that's true, but what are you implying? What are the implications of that? Where does it lead? All that becomes important. And at no time does it become as important as it does at Christmastime.
What about the Christmas spirit? Could I speak to that for a moment? On Thursday, my wife and I went shopping. A scratch beneath the Christmas spirit, just a little bit, and this is done during the Christmas season in parking malls. You scratch beneath the Christmas spirit.
You don't find a whole lot of love and cheer and consider others better than yourselves when you're looking for a parking spot, do you? You have honking horns and angry stares at one another. As I was parking and then went into the store, wall-to-wall people, it wasn't Walmart, but it was wall-to-wall people.
Well, what in the world does this really have to do with Jesus Christ's birth? Where did we get off track? What's the connection between Jesus here and what's happening there? I'm not sure exactly what the connection is. And I think that most people have long since lost that connection.
But back to the question of who Jesus is. We've been studying the book of Isaiah in the last two messages, and we mentioned that Christ is predicted 700 years before he appears on the scene. He is predicted, first of all, as the Son, for unto you a child is born, and a son is given. We've learned that Christ is a king, for the law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Today we're going to look at Christ as the servant.
And then next time, Christ as the deliverer to complete the picture. Who is Jesus as the servant? There are some very famous servant passages in the book of Isaiah that we're going to be looking at in just a moment, but. When you realize that a servant, first of all, is somebody who gives up his own right to please himself. He sets aside his own desires to obey his master.
Isn't that what a servant does? You think of Jesus who was so high. Never before has anyone been so high, and then he was willing to stoop so low. As the scripture says, that he was willing to take upon himself the form of a servant. A servant is somebody who gives up all rights.
What was Jesus saying when he was born in Bethlehem? Was he saying anything? According to the book of Hebrews, he was saying this: Lo, it is written, in the volume of the book it is written, I delight to do thy will, O God. Jesus said, my own desires, that which would please me, have been all set aside because now I'm committed to my Father. And a servant gives up all independent right to his life and making his own decisions.
And Jesus did that at Bethlehem. A servant also has the responsibility to report to his master. To keep his master informed. And Jesus gave that ultimate report on the cross when he said, it is finished. What he meant by it is finished is, Master, I've done it all.
You remember that plan that we had before I stepped out of eternity into time at Bethlehem? It is all completed in terrifying detail. I have finished it. It's a servant reporting to his master.
Something else about a servant, and that is that he evaluates his success according to whether or not his master is pleased. And Jesus said, The Father hath not left me alone, for I do always those things that please him. I don't know about you, but kingship comes easier to me than servanthood. And Jesus models for us what servanthood is all about. With that introduction, I'd like us to look at three quick descriptions, three descriptions that we're going to handle.
Quite quickly, of Jesus in the book of Isaiah as the servant of God. First of all, Isaiah chapter 42. Isaiah chapter 42. You'll notice it says verse 1 Behold, my servant whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights, I have put my spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. Verses two and three He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street.
A bruised reed he will not break. A faintly burning wick he will not quench He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth, and the coastlands wait for his law. Jesus serves gently, confidently. This is a picture of Jesus meek and mild.
I love the imagery, which is quoted in Matthew chapter 12, as having been fulfilled when Jesus was here on earth. The text says there In verse 2, he will not cry up or lift up his voice. He's not boisterous. He's not a politician, and if you're here today and you're a politician, we love you very, very much, and we understand the kind of pressure that you're under. But Jesus didn't run like a political campaign.
He was not the kind of person who got into people's face about things. Most assuredly, he did not do that to promote himself. He was not boisterous. He wasn't loud. He was gentle.
In fact, that's what the text means: a bruised reed he will not break. You know what a reed is? It's like a grass blade. That's hollow. And we've all seen it broken.
And it just hangs there. Jesus doesn't come along and just rip it apart. And in the scriptures, a reed is often spoken about as a weak person, somebody who maybe is undependable. A bruised reed, he does not break. Jesus does not come to crush people under the weight of his power.
And then it says, A smouldering wick he will not put out. Have you ever had the experience of lighting a wick or seeing a wick burn and then blowing it out? And you'll notice that oftentimes there's that one little spark that remains. Jesus doesn't come along and snuff it out. If anything, he'll encourage the wick to burn.
This is Jesus meek and mild. As a matter of fact, Charles Wesley once wrote a hymn using those words. And there was a pastor by the name of John Goh who was doing visitation in London, and he found a 10-year-old boy hiding. in squalor. And the boy was bruised and beaten, and his face was ashen.
And the pastor asked him and said, Tell me your story. And the boy said that he had been beaten by his dad because he refused to steal. His dad told him to steal and he wouldn't because the boy had attended Sunday school. and discovered that stealing was sin, so he didn't do it. He said, Pastor, don't tell my father that I'm here.
But before he left, the boy said, May I sing you a song? And he sang Charles Wesley's song in his own way: Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child. Pity my simplicity, suffer me to come to thee. Last part of the second stanza: Give me, dearest God, a place in the kingdom of thy grace. That's Jesus, meek and mild.
A few moments ago, we had the children up here on the platform. The Bible says that when Jesus was sitting down, children came to him and he held them and he blessed them. That's Jesus, meek and mild. That's not all that there is to Jesus, but that is authentically Jesus. Jesus Jesus, Jesus, mild Jesus.
So he serves gently. But he also serves very effectively, and for this we go to a second portrait in chapter 49. Here Jesus is also spoken of as the servant.
Now, some people read this and they say, Well, the servant is Israel, because it says in verse 3. And he said to me, You are my servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
So they say, Well, Israel is the servant.
Well, Israel was supposed to do much of what Jesus came to do. Israel was to speak the word. Israel was to be a light to the nations. It didn't turn out that way, so it becomes very clear in the text that God leaves off speaking about the nation Israel and now speaks about the Redeemer, about the Messiah. You'll notice it says in verse five that Israel is distinguished from this.
Servant. And now the Lord says, He who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring back Jacob to him. and that Israel might be gathered to him.
Now we have a servant who is going to gather Israel. Israel is not the servant that's going to do the gathering, but rather be gathered. For I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength. He says It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will make you as a light for the nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
And we'll skip to the middle of verse 7 where it says: Kings shall see and arise, princes and they shall prostrate themselves because the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.
So, what Jesus here is predicted as doing as bringing back again the nation Israel. You'll notice that in the text. Not going to stress that because if you were here last time, you know that that was part of what we spoke about: is that Jesus, as the king, is going to regather Israel. And he is going to rule from Jerusalem. And he is going to be the one who will bring the nation back and they will recognize him to be the Messiah.
But in addition to that, you notice that Jesus is to be the light of the world. You'll notice the light. to the nations. And when Jesus arrives on this planet, what does he say? I am the light of the world.
He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The great difference between a Christian and a non-Christian has to do with the degree of light. There's a lot of darkness out there in the world. And I love that verse in Proverbs because it is so descriptive when it says that the wicked walk and they stumble in darkness, but they don't know what it is that they are stumbling over, but they keep stumbling. Yesterday afternoon, I read a great description of stupidity.
Yeah. Stupidity is doing the same thing today that you did yesterday and yet expecting a different result. I think that's pretty good, don't you? Have you seen people like that just stumbling, doing the same thing over and over again? You say, Can't you see that it's not working?
But they walk in darkness and they think that they are seeing. That's the deception. Jesus is the light of the world, and when we come before Him, He reveals who we are. Our own self is exposed. in all of its great need, but he also reveals God to us.
And it says, the light of the glory of God is revealed in Jesus Christ. But the God of this world blinds people, lest that light be seen. We're in a tremendous conflict when we present the gospel because there are many people out there. As Jesus put it, that they love the darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Light is a terrifying thing.
if you have something to hide. But God shines his light, reveals it, and then provides an answer for it.
So, Jesus not only speaks gently, as we noticed in chapter 42, Jesus also rules very effectively. And he brings justice to the nation Israel and eventually to the Gentiles, and sheds light. in a world that is filled with darkness. There's a third portrait, and that is in Isaiah chapter 52.
Now, Keep in mind that chapter divisions are not inspired. Did you know that? Problem was that they had long scrolls, sometimes 20 or 30 feet long. Certainly, Isaiah would be that long. And they had no way to note exactly Where a specific passage was, and so somebody went through and made chapter divisions.
It's been said facetiously that in the New Testament those divisions were made by someone riding on a chariot, and whenever the horse stopped, he put a little mark and then. picked up from there the next time. That's unfair because most chapter divisions are in a good place, but this one is not in a good place. Because the last three verses of chapter 52 should fit in with chapter 53.
Someday I'm going to preach on this, but actually there are five stanzas, and the first is the last three verses of Isaiah chapter 52, and then the other are. In chapter 53. Four of them are in chapter 53, making a total of five. And so the chapter division should have actually begun three verses earlier. Isaiah, of course, the great, the great prophecy in chapter 53.
But notice what it says about the servant in verse 13: Behold, my servant shall act wisely. He shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted. It's a picture actually of Jesus Christ in his going to heaven, in his ascension, and in his position at the right hand of God the Father. But now, notice the descent. Notice the jarring contrast.
Between him being high and exalted and what he endured when he was here on earth. Verse 14, as many were astonished at you, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance. and is formed beyond that of the children of mankind. That's a description of the crucifixion. Jesus marred, one translation says very accurately, disfigured.
more than any other man. Just look at him for a moment. with his beard plucked out. Look at him for a moment with the crown of thorns. the lacerations along his back.
The weakness because of a loss of blood carrying his cross. See him there in his weakness and in his apparent defeat. and see how mangled his body was. when they nailed him to that cross. He was severely disfigured.
But he was the servant of God. You'll notice I read in verse 13, Behold, take note, don't let this escape you. That's what the behold means. My servant shall act wisely. In obedience to God, this is what he endured.
In chapter 53, Tells us that in detail, does it not?
So it says in verse 15, so he shall sprinkle many nations, kings shall shut their mouths because of him.
Now, some translations say that he shall startle many nations. You say, why do some translations say startle and then others say sprinkle? The reason is because in the ancient Hebrew, oftentimes the vowels of the words were missing.
So you had these consonants. And then you had to figure out what vowels they would be, and some of those words, therefore, could have a different set of vowels and therefore have a different meaning. Either way. It's a powerful passage. He shall startle many nations.
Yes, nations shall be startled because of him. They may wonder who he is, and when he returns, they shall indeed be startled. But I think that the better translation is sprinkle. He shall sprinkle many nations. We're reminded of the book of Leviticus, chapter 14.
It says that the blood was sprinkled on the houses to cleanse the houses. Chapter 16: the blood is sprinkled. and the holy of holies, in the holy place. And then you get to the 36th chapter. Of Ezekiel, Ezekiel chapter 36, and this is what it says: I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you. A heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will be careful to obey all of my rules. God says I'm going to do that for the nation. Sprinkle clean water on you.
What is the symbolism here? the cleansing of the nations. And when you get to Hebrews chapter 9, it says that our consciences can be cleansed and can be sprinkled. Figuratively speaking, remember you can't take steel wool to your conscience and cleanse it. But God can cleanse the conscience.
God can purify your memories. He can break the power of the past. He even breaks the power of canceled sin and sets the prisoner free. He's able to do that. He does set us free.
Mm-hmm. Um You know, even as we think about Christmas, which was yesterday, Christmas Day, we're reminded of the fact that there is a future and Jesus Christ is going to return. And of course, even as we anticipate that, we have to ask ourselves this question, how do we live? until the time when we see Christ either at the rapture or at death. We here at Running to Win do all that we possibly can to help you run the race of life successfully.
We're offering a resource for your daily walk with God. You'll get many of my best reflections on the Christian life, along with the devotional writings of nineteenth century evangelist D. L. Moody. but this certainly is one of the last days we're making it available.
So I hope that you have a pen or pencil handy, because Here is the contact info. You can go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com. The resource is called Running to Win. Because now as we anticipate a brand new year and we anticipate the future, we want to run well.
And you've heard me say it before, running well to the finish line. Thank you so much for joining hands with us. because we are in this race together. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Jesus came in poverty that we might be rich.
On our next running to win, more from the famous 53rd chapter of Isaiah, where we see Jesus the suffering servant who was wounded for our transgressions. We'll continue our look at Christ the Servant, the one whose life, death, and resurrection make Christmas possible. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
