Sermons | Word of Grace Bible Church [wgbc.org]

Israel has played and continues to play a significant role in world history. Even today, the attention of many people around the world is focused on events taking place in and around Israel. What does this mean in practice? What place does Israel occupy in the spiritual world today, and what place will it occupy in the future? The Book of Isaiah, written 700 years before the birth of Christ, speaks of this with utmost clarity. One day, the moment will come when Israel as a nation will turn to God, acknowledging Jesus as its Messiah and repenting before Him. 

Salvation is the main theme of the book of Isaiah. God sent a prophet to point to the salvation He is preparing for His people. In proclaiming and explaining the nature of this salvation, Isaiah presents a completely unexpected version of salvation. It will not be accomplished by a powerful army, talented commanders, or even an invasion of angels into earthly affairs. God will accomplish salvation through His Servant, who is humiliated and suffering. Realizing that such a version of salvation is difficult to understand and accept, God proclaims and explains in detail how it will happen.

Proclaiming the good news of salvation to God's people was a central part of the prophet Isaiah's ministry. This ministry was fraught with great difficulties. Like other prophets, Isaiah faced opposition from people who were unwilling to abandon their sins and turn to God. Nevertheless, the essence of this ministry was so significant and great that Isaiah specifically emphasizes its beauty. God's message of salvation continues to be beautiful today. What is its beauty, and how can we learn to notice and appreciate it?

We all live in hope. Hope that tomorrow will come. That we will get out of bed. That we will get our paychecks. Hope that life will get better, that the war will end, that our health will improve. All these expectations are based on something. Often, their basis is nothing more than good wishes. God's hope is fundamentally different. It is guaranteed by His unchanging promises, inexhaustible power, and unfathomable purposes.

In His third song, the Servant of Jehovah not only speaks about His nature and the path He will follow. He calls on others to follow Him, explaining that His path is the only true way of life. Those who fear God will surely follow His path, trusting in the Lord and finding their strength in Him. But those who light their own fires will inevitably fall, inheriting eternal destruction.

As we begin the New Year, we return to the most interesting part of the book of Isaiah. We study the third song of the Servant of the Lord presented here, and we have the opportunity to focus once again on the personality of the Messiah, on the character of our Lord Jesus Christ.The songs of the Servant of the Lord are brief prophetic, poetic statements by the Messiah about himself and his ministry, conveyed through the prophet Isaiah. In the passage we are studying, the Servant of the Lord explains the practice of his victorious hope in the Lord. We will talk about this in this sermon.

By bringing light to earth at Christmas, Jesus gave us the privilege of being his witnesses, reflecting that light and spreading it around us. John the Baptist, one of Jesus Christ's closest relatives, was one of the first such witnesses. His life and ministry are a wonderful lesson for each of us during the Christmas season. 

The light that Jesus Christ brought into the human world is of a heavenly nature. Therefore, it is accessible only through the restoration of man's vital contact with God. This is precisely what the Son of God accomplished by taking on human flesh, living a full human life, and dying on the cross for our sins. Today, true light is necessary and accessible to each of us in Jesus Christ. Only by being filled with His life can we truly walk in the light. 

The songs of God's servant, recorded in the book of Isaiah, help us to understand more deeply the greatness, power, and significance of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Born of an ordinary young woman, the Son of God became a real human being. He did this for several reasons. First, it was necessary for Christ to become our representative on the cross of Calvary in order to redeem people from their sins.But there was another reason. Jesus lived a full human life to show what it means to be a real human being. One of these qualities was expressed in the fact that Jesus Christ studied. This is one of the key aspects of the incarnation of the Son of God. He shows us that a true Christian life begins with a willingness to learn.

The main motivation that moved God to save His people by sending the Messiah to earth was His mercy. God's mercy is an amazing quality of His character. God dwells on this in detail in the second part of Isaiah chapter 49. God's mercy is the foundation of our hope today. Its beauty and power continue to amaze our minds. Its faithfulness is the source of our hope. Its greatness is an inspiration for glory.

Covenants between God and people play a significant role in biblical history. God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, and all of Israel through Moses. In addition, there was David's covenant, as well as the New Covenant promised by God through the prophet Jeremiah. The prophet Isaiah also speaks of God's covenant, but in a very unusual way. Conveying God's words, Isaiah asserts that God will make a covenant with the Messiah himself, the Servant of the Lord. This promise is of great significance. It helps us understand the nature of salvation and its practical role.