12/24/17-5th Sunday in Advent-God’s Christmas Promise Made (Isa. 42:1-9; 49:1-13)
This is the story of a promise, a promise made by God to us.
Isaiah was a prophet that lived around 700 B.C. and a great deal to say warning about destruction, but he also delivered messages of hope of One to come to restore, a Servant of God.
To know more about this Servant, this sermon asks 3 questions: Where is He from? What is He like? & Why has He come?
Where is He from?-To be a perfect servant who carries messages to others, you need to know both ends of the relationship: The Master’s message and how people need to receive it.
If you are the Servant-Messenger between God and humanity, the same applies. The Servant must know the Master (He did because the Servant is God) and the servant must know the people (He did because the Servant is human).
So, Isaiah 49:1-the Servant is a man, and Isaiah 7:14 says he is to be virgin born. So He is Divine yet human.
Isaiah 49:1 also says the Lord, “Delights in Him & Upholds Him”-this would almost indicate a relationship more intimate that just servant and master.
If you combine this with Isaiah 7:14, and it says later of this Servant, “this is my Son, whom I love and with Him I am well pleased”.
Isaiah 49 also says, God’s Spirit will be upon the Servant, and later on we would read of the Holy Spirit coming down as a dove from heaven and resting on a recently baptised One.
Finally, God is faithful because He uses His own holy name to promise this guarantee and will protect and keep His servant safe, now compare this to One later whom God would protect as a child and bring Him home from Egypt when his parents fled.
Where is the Servant from? From God and humanity both, for He is completely one and the other.
What is He like?-The Servant will be Gentle and Encouraging, He will show justice and truth.
Isaiah 42:3-”says that a bruised reed He will not break and smoldering wick He will not snuff out”-This means the Servant will see us when we are hurting, and He will gently pick us up with loving hands.
When the Servant comes, He will not arrive in pomp and fanfare, but poor and lonely, and instead of riding a white horse which would be a symbol of war victory, this Servant will be riding a donkey, a humble animal of peace.
Simply put, this Servant will be perfect in every way. He will be a Perfect King, a Perfect Servant, will be perfectly loving, perfectly protective, perfectly humble.
Why is He coming?-To show God to the world.
Mankind has always asked “is there a such a thing as god?” “if so, can I know Him/Her/It?” In the Servant we hear God give a loud YES!
The Servant does something amazing-He brings God’s new holy agreement, His covenant to humanity, and yet even more, the Servant does not just bring the covenant, He is the covenant!
The Servant is God’s hands reaching out to catch humanity, so we won’t fall, and to pick us up when we do.
This Servant brings and is a New Covenant from God, and what does it include?
-Sins are forgiven
-Past wrongs are done away with
-Freedom from sin’s grip is promised
-Freedom from anger, hatred, and addiction
-Freedom from fear and guilt
-Freedom from sadness, loneliness, poverty, debt, hunger
God loves us so much He doesn’t want us to stay trapped in these struggles, instead He sends this Servant who comes and says, “I came not to be served but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many”
This Servant who we celebrate who lay in a manger, comes to offer us God’s grace, a chance for life as it was meant to be, so that we are no longer a slave to sin, but a child of God.
Why has this One come? To show God and His love, because that’s exactly who He is!