Jesus Christ as God's perfect servant, highlighting his faithfulness, uprightness, receptivity, consistency, and sympathy, as exemplified by figures like Moses, Job, Samuel, Daniel, and Phoebe. It details Christ's entry into the world, his exercise of ministry by pleasing the Father, his compassionate nature in not breaking a bruised reed, his unwavering energy in fulfilling his mission, his sovereign exit through the cross and resurrection, his role as an example in resisting temptation, and his ultimate exaltation by God. The message emphasizes that Christ's work provides a path of salvation, light, and peace, urging listeners to trust in him.
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Good morning and welcome once again. Yes, we'll look at the subject, Behold Your God, and behold the man, and I trust that we've just heard in song, that this morning again we shall behold him. Can the children breathe to the book of Isaiah chapter forty-two? Isaiah forty-two and reading verse one. Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, mighty length in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him.
He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flak shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law. Verse sixteen plays, And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not. I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.
These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images ye are our gods. Hear ye deaf and look ye blind, that ye may save. Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger that I sent? Who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant? Seeing many things, but not, but thou observeest not. opening the ears, but he hear it not. The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake. He will magnify the law and make it honorable.
Once again the law will bless this priceless reading from his precious word. The subject this morning, again, verse one, behold, my servant. God's analysis of a servant has tremendous coverage throughout the entire range of the Word of God. God expects faithfulness in a servant. You remember the man Moses, he spent forty years as a scholar in Egypt, and forty years as a shepherd in Midian, and forty years as a supplicator in the wilderness. And over the life of Moses, God said that there is none so faithful as my servant Moses.
He's brought again to mind in the Epistle to the Hebrews chapter three, where we see him faithful in God's house as a servant, for as the Lord Jesus, faithful in God's house are his son. He expects faithfulness in a servant, but also God expects uprightness in a servant. If you remember, the dialogue between God and Satan over Job. And God said to Satan, Hast thou not considered my servant Job, that there is none right him, a perfect and enough right man, one that seers God, and escheweth evil, uprightness in a servant.
God also expects receptivity in a servant. and a young lad, Samuel, remember just a boy, and he says, Speak, Lord, for thy servant he rest. Wonderful to see children and young people having a receptivity and listening to the voice of God. I read some time ago in Reader's Digest of all papers of a little boy in a Sunday school class, and the teacher said to him, or to them, if you open up your heart, and invite the Lord Jesus Christ in. Wherever you go, he goes. And this little boy says to the teacher, that is right.
Every time I go to the supermarket, he opens the door for me. Childlike simplicity, except he be converted and become like a little child. He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. And Saul passes with a giant intellect, But he came and he appreciated the simplicity that was found in the word of God. Came not with persuasive words of man's wisdom, lest the gospel should be of none effect. Speak, Lord, said Samuel, for thy servant. Hear it. God also expects consistency in a servant. And this we find in the life of Daniel. The king says thy God, whom thou service continually.
He expects consistency in service. But also the Lord expects sympathy in a servant. And this we see from the encouragement of our ladies in the woman called Phoebe in the April to the Romans. Sister Phoebe, who was a servant of the church at St. Greia. And she was given to hospitality and to sympathy. So God expects these things in a servant, but there never was a servant like the Lord Jesus Christ. God's heart seemed to pulsate with a newfound joy in anticipation of his service, and he wrote to the prophet Isaiah, Behold, my servant, whom I uphold, many elect, in whom my soul delighteth.
God's servant, and we shall look this morning, first of all, at the servant's entry. And then in verse say, two, the servant's exercise. In verse three, the servant's, verse four, rather, the servant's energy. In verse sixteen, the servant exits. And in verse nineteen, the servant's example. And finally, in verse twenty-one, the servant's exaltation. And I promise to finish on time. having meetings in Cleveland some years ago. And there was a gentleman there who was a boxer. And he became blind as a result of his boxing days.
And he had a seeing-eye dog. And the seeing-eye dog used to bring him into the chapel and take him right up to the front seat, put him down. And the dog sat, he lay there rather, for a solid hour. But at twelve o'clock at the conclusion of the Bible hour, that dog would have been shook himself. Well, I paid not much attention. The first Lord's Day, but the second Lord's Day at twelve o'clock, when I should have been finishing, the dog went into motion. He either heard the bell or a clock, I do not know which. But anyway, I told that story, a man who were keen in the Bahamas, to Brother Hazio. He says, Brother Neil, you should never have told that story. But my brother Cyril walked out by one of those dogs.
He doesn't like a preacher that goes over his time. the servant's entry, and we thank God this morning for the day that he came to Bethlehem. Paul reminds us in Philippians chapter two, he thought it not something to be grasped at to be in equality with God, but made himself of no reputation, took upon himself the form of a born slave, and was made in the likeness of men. And in verse one, Behold my servant whom I uphold, many elect in whom my soul delighteth. Notice again the servant of the Lord here was clean.
Behold my servant whom I uphold he was clean. Perfect, impeccable, he knew no sin, he did no sin, and in him was no sin. No wonder God's heart pulsated with a newfound joy when he came up out of those waters of baptism on the banks of the river Jordan. This is my beloved Son, in whom I find all my delight. He was clean, and he was commending, mine elect in whom I so delighted. and he was controlled. I have put my spirit upon him. So we're grateful for the day that the Lord Jesus came to this earth as a servant to identify himself with a human race in order that he might become a kinsman redeemer.
And a kinsman redeemer must have three qualifications. He must be a blood relation. He must be an avenger and he must be a restorer of that which was lost. And that's why he came. And he came as a blood relation. He came as an avenger. And he came as a restorer of that which was lost. Hebrews two fourteen says, For as much as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him. who are the power of death that is the devil, and deliver them who fear of death for all their lifetime subject abundance.
And throughout the countless ages of eternity, we will never forget Bethlehem when the Lord came down in order to become a kinsman redeemer. In verse three, or rather verse two, he shall not climb and lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the street disturbance exercise. I once heard a preacher say that the Lord Jesus Christ was a great revolutionary he never was. Revolutionaries draw attention to themselves. The Stalin's and the Hitler's and the Saddam Hussein's and the Castro's, they draw attention to themselves.
But that never was the objective of Lord Jesus. He came with a specific purpose to reveal the Father, and he could say, I always do those things that please the Father. He pleased not himself, but he always did those things that pleased the Father, his exercise. He came in order to glorify God in his work and to finish the work which God gave him to do. What an exercise. And you now hear this morning the recipient of his work, having possessed eternal life, gathered in Christian and priestly capacity, all because of the work of the Lord Jesus.
In verse three, a bruised green shall he not break. You remember the woman in John's Gospel chapter eight, that was caught in the act of sin. And the men sought to challenge the Lord Jesus regarding the law. So obviously the men had to be there, but they were pinning the woman, if you will, to the wall. And in moves the Lord Jesus, a bruised breed shall he not break. Where are thine accusers? And he wrote upon the ground what he wrote. We do not know. But it might have been there is none righteous, no not one.
There is none to understand this. There is none that seeketh after God. We are all as an unclean thing. And they went out one by one. The Lord Jesus Christ, in his heart of compassion, neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. A bruised wound shall he not break. And time and time again in his ministry we see the evidence of his confession. Abruz read, shall he not break. In verse four we have the servant's energy. He shall not fail, not be discouraged.
If anyone had a right to be discouraged, it was the Lord Jesus. He came unto his own things, but his own people received him not. They said, This is the heir come, let kill him. This perverseth a nation. This speaketh blasphemy. But the scripture says, He shall not fail nor be discouraged. And so it's a sad reflection when some have suggested that the Lord could have failed as a man. And yet the scripture says, He shall not fail. And in his high priesthood prayer in John seventeen, before he went to Gethsemane, Gabata and Golgotha, the work was as good as done.
I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. He shall not fail. And to thee at God's right hand he lives, as the great and the merciful, the faithful, the sympathetic, the perfectly unseen and the unchangeable priest. He shall not fail. He ever lived to make intercession for us. He came up out of death the mighty victor. He shall not fail. But in verse sixteen the servant exits.
We are overwhelmed when we think of Bethlehem. predicted by Micah in his little prophecy, Thou Bethlehem Ephrata. Would there be the least among the thousands of Judah? Yet out of thee, shall he come forth unto me, who shall be the ruler of the meeting? We thank God for Bethlehem. But truly, when we think of his exit, we are absolutely overwhelmed. I will bring, notice the repetition of the two words I will, I will bring the blind by a way that they do not. I will lead them in paths that they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them and not forsake them. I will bring the blind by a way. And truly, beloved friends, That way led him to the cross. And we must need to go home by the way of the cross. There's no other way but this. And he said, I am the way. The truth and the light. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And in his sovereignty he is bringing men and women, boys and girls, by the way of the cross.
And the old rugged cross. makes a difference. I will bring them. The blind. We were blind to the beauty of the Lord Jesus. There was no beauty in him that we should desire him. But the moment the sovereign spirit enlightens us, we can truly say he is all together lovely. Blind. Men and women are blind today. to the beauties of Christ, who have never experienced the new birth. And Paul says, God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
And you remember the dialogue between the blind man and the Sanhedrin in John's Gospel chapter nine, and he got somewhat tired of their arguments. They said, we know, we know. He says, one thing I know, that once I was blind, now I see. That is the experience of everyone who puts their trust in the Lord Jesus. blindness removed, and the light of the glorious gospel of Christ shines in in all its effulgence. I will bring the blind by a way.
There is the flesh, the place called Calvary. The hearts are thrilled when we sing from time to time, Calvary, O Calvary, mercies vast and fondancy, love, eternal love to me, the Savior, We adore thee. For him it was the place of sorrow. For us it's the place of joy. Who, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross and despised the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens. I will bring, and if perchance as one here this morning not saved, what a glorious opportunity for you in this lovely spiritual environment to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and put your trust in him.
I went not too long ago to visit a lady in a nursing home in Worcester, Massachusetts. I pointed a sister to the Lord many, many years ago in a hospital. I knew she wasn't saved and it was her eighty-seven birthday. So I thought here's a glorious opportunity to go and visit her and talk to her about the new birth. And so she was very, very receptive that day. We talked about her parents. And I said, your mom and dad, they are in heaven, aren't they? She said, yes. And if anyone had a right to be in heaven, it was my mom and dad. I said, how did they get there? She said, because they were born again.
Well, I said, Margaret, what about you? She says, I'm not saved, but I want to get saved. I want to make sure I'll see my mom and dad again. I said, are you for real? Oh, yes, she says. I want to look with you at the subject this morning about being saved. A lady in the next bed was listening. And so I took her to Revelation three-twenty. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and stop with him and he with me. I said, Margaret, is he near or is he far? She said, is near. He's knocking at the door.
And the old girl in the next bed says, don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. She says, I will do it. And there simply, and in sincerity, we open up the scriptures and she prays so intelligently. When it was over, I said, Margaret, let me ask you a question once again. What did the Lord do for you? She said, he died. A king crucified. To save a poor sinner like me. And she had not been in a church building for fifty years. Her childhood days and the memory of words that she had memorized came to light.
She died. A king crucified. To save a poor sinner like me. And I visit her since. And she's certainly rejoicing in God's salvation. I will bring the blame. by a way that they do not the place of sorrow, but for us the place of joy. And then notice again, the servant, he refers to the path. And I will lead them in path, not only the place of sorrow, but the path of success. We are grateful to the Lord that he leads us as a good shepherd into the paths of righteousness. how productive it is to be in God's family, to be blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavens and Christ.
Truly, it's a path of success, all because of the Lord Jesus. And he says, and I will make darkness light before them, not only the place and the path, But here is the power that is available to him. I will make darkness light. And what a wonderful day that was when we put out trust in the Savior. And the light of the glorious gospel of Christ shone into our hearts. And step by step learn more and more about him, his work, his words, and his ways.
Darkness light. Men today are in darkness. Men love darkness rather than light, for their deeds are evil. And the darkness is intensifying all around us. But thank God for one who can make darkness light and who makes the crooked things straight. And there are many of God's children today, and sometimes they don't know where to turn. But when they consult him, he's able to make the crooked things straight. He casts his light upon the sacred scriptures and opens up avenues to us for why we can see his guidance on his direction.
Crooked things straight. I was over in England a few years ago and I stopped to ask a gentleman how to get to the next town. He says, a very crooked road but keep going straight. And I thought to myself, that is indeed the answer. Things look crooked and difficult before us, but we can keep going straight, knowing that the Lord Jesus is leading the way. I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd, and he leads his flock along the way. And he says, And I will do unto them and not forsake them, not only the place that he bring us to Calvary, and do the paths of righteousness, the power displayed in his works, but also there is a peace.
And here is peace for the soul. So in essence, it's a place of sorrow for him. And that's why it was called the man of sorrows. It was a part of success for us to have put out trust in him. We are more than conquerors through him that loved us. And power in service is available. Paul says, I can do all things through Christ who keeps on pouring his strength into me. And there is peace for the soul. gratifying to see a sinner coming to the Savior and the peace of God entering into their heart, into their soul and into their life.
In the assembly where Alan Parks comes from Silver Springs, Maryland, a young lady, a nurse from Brazil by the name of Sheila. She had a very stormy childhood and one evening invited to the meetings in Silver Springs working with my colleague Boyd Nicholson. And she became under conviction and asked to talk to us one night. So we sat down and, oh, she had a tremendous history to reveal. And that night, in simple trusting faith, she got down on her bended knees in the basement of the chapel in Silver Springs and yielded to Christ. Night after night, as she went out, it seemed the only word she could say, Oh, the peace.
Oh, the peace. Oh, the peace. Three brothers assemble one day. Brother number one says, I have the peace of God. Brother number two says, I have peace with God. Brother number three says, I have more. I have the God of peace in dwelling the soul and the spirit. I was back in Silver Springs and I said to Brother Sam Ray the correspondent, how is Sheila doing? Oh, he says she's one of the best men in the meeting. I says, please explain. He says, if there's some shrubs to trim, she's there. If there's grass to cut, she's there.
If there's a cake to be baked, she's there. In fact, the night before I arrived, she was down in the basement at one in the morning, painting the Sunday school rooms. And a state trooper looked in the window, two troopers looked in the window, saw this lady in Washington. What are you doing? Trying to finish this before I go home. Peace, peace, peace. The service takes it. And throughout eternity, we'll always remember the place called Calvary. The Song of Solomon says, we will make the borders of gold with studs of silver.
Amidst the glory of that celestial city, we will never forget the studs of silver. We will never forget the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus. The servants' heads. A very practical line is found in verse nineteen, the servants' example. Almost a paradox. It seems difficult by way of interpretation, who is blind but my servant or deaf as my messenger? How could this ever have an application to God's servant? Well, I think there is a picture here of the Lord Jesus Christ and his reaction to the temptation of Satan.
If you remember the first Adam, as we heard yesterday, he really was God's masterpiece. But both Adam and Eve fell at the temptation of Satan. There was the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Satan says, Thou shalt be as God's. And the woman saw that the tree was good. The lust of the eye she saw. She used the eye which was her downfall. and that the tree was good for food, the lust of the flesh. And the pride of life, thou shalt be as gods, coveted a position beyond the environment into which they have been placed.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. The first Adam failed miserably, and he became a mess. But the last Adam was a marvel. And so in Matthew's Gospel chapter four, the Lord encounters Satan in the wilderness in relation to these three aspects of things. You remember, he said to him, after being in the wilderness, unhungry, after falsities, if thou be the son of God, make thee stone into bread. And so he was challenged regarding the flesh.
It is written, it is written, said the Lord Jesus. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded forth out of the mouth of God. He wasn't finished. And so he took him to the pinnacle of the temple, and he said to him, Cast thyself down, for it is written that the angels will take charge of thee, and bear thee up, lest thou cast thy food against the stones. So first of all, I was appetite. Make these stones into bread. That's in the relation to the body. Now here it is in relation to the spirit.
Adventure. Cast thyself now. And we certainly thank God for every record of angels in the Word of God. And how precious to know that we as God's people have come to myriads of angels. And they're ever ready to come to the assistance of the Lord Jesus and to us his people. We owe much to God for giving us the angelic hosts. Hebrews twelve says we have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, to heaven in Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. We thank God for guardian angels that go with us day by day.
Some years ago, Richard Hill from Long Island, New York, the great Richard Hill, was traveling with a friend in Albany, New York, who had a big Cadillac and a heavy foot. And he was traveling along at a tremendous pace. And Mr. Hill began to shudder. He says to him, it is Jack going to think they're going too fast? Oh, he says, don't worry, Mr. Hill, the angels will take care of us. He said, when you reach sixty miles an hour, they got out. He will never violate spiritual law. So angels were ever available at the command of the commander-in-chief of the Lord Jesus.
But here he did not succumb to the temptation of Satan. Satan is written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. appetite, adventure, but he's not finished. He took him to the highest mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world in a moment. And I like what John Ramhall said. That's all he had to offer and that was the time available in a moment. But the Lord's kingdoms are eternal. Of the increase of its government and peace there shall be no end.
unfolding throughout the countless ages of eternity. Here, appetite, adventure, ambition. You see how subtle Satan was? He was trying to cause the Lord Jesus to make a deviation and not go to the cross. I'll give you these kingdoms and the Lord didn't deny that he had those kingdoms. He's a very powerful fool. But our Lord is all powerful. And so, He says, it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Now, beloved saints, he is our example. The eye gate is a very, very vulnerable vehicle, and it either makes us or breaks us.
And Satan is using the eye gate today as never before to cause God's people to deviate from the things of the Lord. And you know what I'm talking about. the eye gate and let's use the eye gate for his glory remember he said through Solomon rather through Jeremiah he said is it nothing to you all ye that pass by behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow let's be occupied more and more with what he did at the place called Calvary the eye gate when we think of what he did It will preserve us from dishonoring him.
Ancest Pot says the writer to the Hebrews, We see Jesus, made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, now crowned with glory and with honor. And very soon we'll use the eye gate to welcome him here. Every eye shall see him. The eye gate. So the Lord Jesus in essence, he turned a blind to shut off the eye gate to Satan's evil machinations. And he closed his ears to his evil suggestions. And that's where he's our example. Let's use the eye gate for his glory and to shut off the ear to his evil things.
The servant's example. And finally, in verse twenty one. We are the servants' exultation. The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake. Well pleased. And everything that the Lord did brought pleasure to the heart of his God. Thirty years of apparent obscurity in Nazareth. One phrase, this is my beloved son. In whom I find all my delight. He was well pleased with his days in Nazareth.
He was well pleased with his days from the commencement of his public ministry to his exit. God was well pleased with everything he did. Isaiah fifty three says, Therefore, will I divide him a portion with a great? Because he has poured out his soul into death. and because he was numbered with the transgressors God is well pleased with the work of the cross and in view of this God has highly exalted him given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus how precious is that name the name of Jesus it was precious to the apostles John and Peter going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, man begging by the gate beautiful, seeking begging, Peter says, silver and gold, have I none.
But such as I have, give I thee, and the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. That name is precious to God's people. And it certainly is precious to God. His eyes, says Job, seeeth every precious thing. And truly, that name is precious. That the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow. Things in heaven, things in earth, and things under the earth. Things in heaven, celestial beings, every celestial being, in adoration, falls at the feet of God, dear Son.
Things on earth, terrestrial beings. Every creature that was ever born on this planet earth will bow either now or in a coming day to the Lord Jesus. And things under the earth, celestial beings, terrestrial beings, and infernal beings. And what a day that will be for God's people when we see Satan and the beast. the false prophet, and all the enemies of Christ bow the knee to the Lord Jesus, to the glory of God the Father.
Look, ye saints, beside his glorious. See the man of sorrows now. From the fight returned victorious, every knee to him shall bow. I trust today that every one of us here have had that experience, if not, We would appeal to you, as time is running out for this poor old world, to bow the knee to Christ and acknowledge him as Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Shall we pray? Father, we thank thee again for thy great servant, the Lord Jesus, unsurpassed in every avenue of his activities. We pay homage to him today, and we adore him because of what he has done for us, what he is doing, and what he will yet do.
So, Father, take care of thy word. And again, would you pray, if perchance does one hear not say, that they will put their trust in him before this day is over? We ask it in his precious name. Amen. Thank you.