A Light to the Gentiles
First B Jackson
2018-12-09

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Hello, church family. Would you please stand up and let's start worshiping our savior. Amen? Amen. It's a privilege to be here, and I'm thankful that we get to sing and feel God's presence in this place.

Amen? Amen. Blake, I forgive you. Blake, I forgive you. And I love you too, but I forgive you.

Amen.

Alright. Welcome everyone. How are you? Hey, listen. I'm not Ray.

I'm not Ray. In fact,

I hope he'll be here soon.

Oh, we must applaud. Here he is.

Ray, so thankful. See you more than ever. More than ever.

Thank you, Carl. I appreciate it. Thank you, Bob. I appreciate that. This is all oh, announcements.

That's what we're doing right now. So, Carl, what are we doing tomorrow night? Monday nights? James four. We're talking about that's what Carl's going be preaching a message from James four but meal, music, and a message tomorrow night.

At the same time that Iwana is happening in this room because kids matter to gods. We're pouring scripture into their minds to get to their hearts and tomorrow night is quiz night and the quiz is students against adults. So, it should be something to be withhold. So, yeah, there's a little bit of a friendly competition between students and adults. So, if you think that you're smarter than a third grader and you want to in the biblical quiz time, this would be a good one to come to.

Iwana night. Youth group is happening Tuesday, 06:30 to eight. Mike Demetris is our youth leader and that's his number up there. If you want to give him a call, you can. There's a Christmas party on December 18 for the youth ministry and it he's hoping to have a big turnout for that among not just the folks who normally come but maybe friends too and it's a big white elephant party but he insist no one buy anything.

He says, bring some useless piece of junk from your own home. Don't go out and buy something crazy. It's a white elephant type party. So, that'll happen December 18. Children's Christmas choir, the Christmas choir children will be singing the twenty third in that service.

I'll still have a little sermonette in there but we're going to be using our voluntary Christmas choir for the children to do the music for the twenty third. The caroling, Christmas caroling, and the chili cook off, both are happening tonight. It's 04:30 for caroling. We have a couple of trailers already out here. There's a load of hay that is on the way to be, sitting on hay bales and whatnot to go around, the town Christmas caroling.

And the chili cook off also is happening tonight around six ish. There'll be a that's a little friendly competition too. Lots of different chili from all different stripes. So, that's that ought to be good. There's an annual member congregational meeting that's happening January 13.

We're supposed to announce that ahead of time. So this is that announcement or at least one of them. That's happening in 2019, not 2018. 01/13/2019 at 10:15AM. So that's between services.

If you would get here early for that, that would be great. We have some regular business that needs to be dealt with. We are seeking to go to Israel in 2019, March 23 through April 3. Nick, Stern has done all of the legwork. He's back there in the back.

If you want to go to Israel with your church folk, with your friends and family here from First B, March 23 to April 3, we're making that trip. We had 16 serious last week. We're trying to get up to 25. That's what we'd like to. We based our trip kind of cost based on 25 and so we're looking for that.

I had two people text me in between services that said we're going. So, that's that's 18 and I haven't included myself yet. So, that's 19. We're getting there. '25 is coming fast.

So, if you want to go, please let us know as soon as possible. Let Nick know. Joy to the World is the theme this year for the ladies Christmas luncheon twenty eighteen. It's going to be at this grand ballroom at Snow King on this Wednesday. It's this Wednesday, twelve to two.

We are providing childcare here at the church from 11:15 to about 02:15. So that if people want to go, they can go and leave their kids here to have some fun together here but it's it ought to be good. There's a speaker, there's band, and it's just a good good meal. Snow King actually enjoys doing this. They had their folks in come come in last year to serve completely voluntarily because they love the the previous three years.

So, it's just a nice thing. Joy to the world, that's the theme. Angel Tree, y'all know about that. You know what to do. There are tags hanging on tree back there.

If you would like to help with needy families, you could take one or two of those tags and just get whatever is indicated on the tag, bring it back here wrapped, and with that tag taped to it somewhere accompanying it so we know who is that supposed to go to. And I think that that's all of the announcements. There are prayer requests too in your bulletin. That's always nice. You have a paper bulletin if you didn't grab one on the way in and the picture this week was from an almost impromptu play that was done last Sunday afternoon.

There were several pictures from that. We have an advent reading. Marion Kadal, amen and Armen. Alright. Thank you.

It is the second Sunday at

Is this on? Okay. This Sunday, the second Sunday in Advent, we light the candle of peace. As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the prince of peace, we're reminded that God's timing is always perfect, and his provision is always sufficient.

Second, Thank you very much and y'all can stand and greet one another and we'll bring you back together with a song.

In the little village of Bethlehem there lay a child one day and the sky was bright with a holy light or the place where Jesus was a humble birthplace how much God gave to us that day from the manger bed what a path has led what a perfect with the holy light was the birthday of a king.

Thank you, Judy. That's a good song. Yeah. I've sung it in Christmas cantatas, but I don't remember it being in the hymn book. I I don't remember singing it when I was little.

It is though. It's a number. Yeah. It's got a number right there. 284.

Very good. Emmanuel, 243. Oh, what a beautiful song. God with us.

His name is called Emmanuel.

Let's sing it again. Amen. Y'all can have a seat but I'm going to invite the frontline team to come forward please. Would y'all pray with me? God, we thank you for this day.

I thank you for the beautiful time of Christmas lord that does remind so many of Christ's birth. I know that there are commercial things that have kind of started to cloud that out and I know that there's a lot of stuff that people get anxious about this time of year but lord, I pray that we would recognize the birth of the savior that they'll come now long expected Jesus. I pray that we would see that all the hopes and all the fears for all of the years. Lord, everything. All of human history finds its center point in his life.

I thank you for the birth of Christ. I pray that those of us lord who have experienced your birth from above would carry that that Emmanuel would be God with us and revealed in us, revealed through us to other lord. Would you show this world your love through your obedience servants and as we are that, lord, I pray that we would place our offerings and tithes into these plates and that you would use them, Lord, to further the advance of your kingdom, that whatever is necessary to reach the ends of the earth, Lord, it would be done by your willing servants. Would you bless gift and the giver multiplied to do your work? Amen.

I've just seen Jesus, right? And we shall be holy.

My goodness. And away in the manger at the beginning, right? Yeah. It's

great. This Sunday, it we're building towards Christmas, I promise. We have had a lot of time in the New Testament over the last six and a half years. You know, we've we've been doing that chronological study going forward and then after finishing up first Peter, I don't I'm not sure exactly why. I felt led to go into Isaiah but I I just couldn't get away from the idea of the chosen one and we talked about that last week and it was the introduction Isaiah 42.

Now, I told you, one through 39 are mostly about judgment and then 40 through 66 chapters in Isaiah are mostly about deliverance. There's a change in tone, a marked change in tone. 42 introduces what the difference is. It is the difference in that there is a servant and so, last week was our introduction to God's servant, capital S. We pointed towards everything pointed towards it being Jesus.

Now, this was seven hundred years before Jesus came along. Before he came along on Earth at least. Isaiah forty two one through nine is what we're going to what we went through last week as an introduction and this is this is it. I know you can't read it. I know it's too small to read from right there but would you allow me to read it just as a kind of a ramp up to what we're doing?

I want you to hear it all at once and see what it's pointing towards. I think that this fits the ark of Jesus's life. 42, 49, fifty, and fifty three goes from an introduction into this world like he's that his spirit is upon him and he is going to be born into this desperate mess, okay? And humbly so. He's born into this and then he lives a pretty doggone quiet life for almost thirty years, twenty seven to thirty years.

He lives a quiet life. Have hardly any waves been made at all and then, at the point of his baptism and the beginning of his ministry, we see his ministry and calling being played out, okay? So, if you'll go with me, I think that it kind of the '42, forty nine, fifty, and fifty three point towards not just his birth, Christmas and not this kind of long period of preparation and walking in the spirit, having no sin, living life quietly, and then when he's called into his ministry, baptism, ministry, and then his passion. Fifty and fifty three deal with the conflict and then the passion of Jesus. So, let's read 42.

This I'm saying is about calling him into the midst of this. Behold, look, my servant whom I uphold, my chosen or elect one, in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit upon him and he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. Now, the Gentiles was everybody outside of the Jews. Everybody outside of this the chosen people of God, right?

So, he's one of them. He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out nor raise his voice. He lived this long kind of quiet period of his life nor calls his voice to be heard in the street. He's gentle, a bruised reed, he will not break and a smoking wick or flax, he will not quench.

He will bring forth justice for truth. The second time they mentioned justice just in those three verses. He will not fail nor be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands shall wait for his law. The coastlands are the outermost parts. That's as far as it can get.

We what they'd say in the New Testament to the ends of the Earth and thus says, God the Lord who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that from which comes from it, who gives breath to people on it and spirit to those who walk on it. I, the Lord. Now, this is God, the father speaking right here and it's going to be important to kind of keep up the day because in Isaiah 49, it changes voice a couple of times. It's Jesus speaking sometimes and it's the father speaking sometime. So, here is, I, the Lord, have called you, Jesus.

Son, in righteous ness, I, father, have called you, son, in righteousness, and I will hold your hand, and I will keep you, and I will give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, that light to the Gentiles concept is not new right here in chapter 42. He has mentioned that Israel was supposed to be a light to the Gentiles multiple times. So, this is about 700 B BC and we've got 700 BC. A lot of Psalms that were written in between 1,101,000 BC, some of the Psalms of David mentioned being a light to the nations and being for all peoples. He said it multiple times but this light to the a light to the Gentiles is going to be an important idea for the servant and consequently for us.

To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house and I and the Lord, that is my name and my glory. I will not give to another. Why not? Because God deserves it. God deserves the glory.

He is that good and he will not share his glory with another nor my praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass. You know, at the time when Isaiah was writing this, all of that destruction that he was talking about in the Assyrian onslaught and the judgment of God. A lot of times he mentions over and over idolatry, over and over idolatry. It comes up again and again and again and God is not pleased with that and he doesn't share his glory with another nor give praise to carved image.

Behold, the former things have come to pass and new things I declare. Before they spring forth, I tell you of them. Now, that is saying, there is such a thing as predictive prophecy where God knows from the beginning what will come to pass and so predictive prophecy is possible. Isaiah is speaking seven hundred years before and he is giving a very accurate timeline of Jesus' life. It it will be uncanny by chapters fifty and fifty three.

How specific it can be but before they spring forth, I tell you of them. Praise to the Lord. So, here we are. Forty nine one through 13. I'm actually going to skip verses nine, ten, and eleven and twelve and just go one through eight and then 13 to cap it off.

The calling and ministry of the servant. Capital S servant. So, here it is all. Oh, actually, this is last week's but I wanted you to see. Last verse that we did last week was sing to the Lord a new song and it's praise from the ends of the earth.

You who go down to the sea and all that is in it, you and he says, coastlands again, the uttermost parts. You coastlands and all you inhabit of them. And then 40 nine:one starts off. Listen, O coastlands to me. So these songs, the song of the servant ties together.

It seems, if you read Isaiah straight up, straight through, and you started in 40 and read straight to 66, you would see themes that come up from time to time. But it's it seems stream of consciousness. It really does seem like, oh man, who can read this? It's like Jesus is talking then father's talking and then it seems like Israel is one thing. It seems like Israel is another thing.

What can this possibly really mean? But I'm trying to work through some of that for you, okay? I've I've gotten gone out ahead of you on this. Listen, oh Coastlands to me. So, he's picking right up right where he left off in '42.

Listen, oh Coastlands to me and take heed you peoples from afar. Now this is a rather sudden kind of thing. Who's speaking right here? Well, it's not clear right there. Listen, oh Coastlands to me.

Oh, capital M, they helped us out. That's that's the godhead. It's either father, son, or Holy Spirit. Listen, oh Coastlands to me and take heed you peoples from afar. The Lord has called me from the womb.

Oh, the me is from the womb. That has to be the son. Are you with me? But listen, oh Coastlands to me, Jesus, and take heed you peoples from afar for God the father, the Lord has called me, Jesus, from the womb, from the matrix of my mother, from the womb of matrix, Matrice is the word, Latin in Spanish for womb. From the matrix of my mother, he has made mention of my name.

Oh, name of Jesus. This is an earlier prophecy in Isaiah nine six and we hear it a lot around Christmas. For unto us, a child is born and unto us, a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called. It's about his name. His name shall be called wonderful.

Counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, the prince of peace. He goes on in verse two to say, and he has made my mouth like a sharp sword. Wow. He has made my mouth like a sharp sword. In Revelation, there is a picture of Jesus when he comes in judgement and his tongue is like a sword and he's dividing between those who believe and those who do not believe.

He's referred to in the gospel of John as the word, the very word of God. So, what God wants to communicate to humans has happened through the man, Jesus Christ. And he has made my mouth sharp like a sharp sword. Can you think of times where in the New Testament, the Pharisees or the sadducees or anybody when they were seeking to trick him, they brought him some impossible conundrum and they were trying to trip him up in front of other people in a crowd and he'd say, what about this or what about that? And Jesus would then just confound him with the simplest, most elegant answer and it would just like,

we thought we could get him on that.

He has a very sharp, not in an ugly sense but he has a way with words that divides and gets right down and God's word, sharper than any two edged sword, Divide, join, and marrow. He has made my mouth like a sharp sword. Father has made the son mouth like a sharp sword and in the shadow of his hand, he has hidden me. Now, there are a lot of commentaries on these verses right here that say on this verse right here, and he's made me a polished shaft in his quiver. He has hidden me.

About half of the commentaries say, well, it's a sharp sword and an arrow or a polished shaft is an arrow. Most translations say arrow. But then the other half say, but it's hidden. Like I said, he lived that pretty quiet life and it was in a little backwater of the Roman Empire, right? When he was born into and he didn't have, it wasn't a grand thing.

We we celebrate that at Christmas that it was a very humble beginning and he's hidden him in his quiver. He's made my mouth like a sharp sword and the shadow of his hand, he has hidden me. It's kind of a secret weapon. It's what this is saying for for God. He's made me a polished arrow or shaft and in his quiver, he has hidden me.

And he said to me, that is God the father said to me, Jesus, you are my servant. Oh Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Now, last week, I said that the Jewish nation, the Jewish people believing Jews, believing Israel. Say, see, this is it right here. It says it explicitly right here.

It says, you're my servant, Israel. Well, it does say, you are my servant, Israel. There are even some some Christian folks who would like to remove that but it's in there. It's no doubt about it. It's in there.

In the manuscripts, there's no doubt that Israel is in there but there's some people say, that's uncomfortable and I don't like it. He just called Jesus Israel but look at this. We've got what has been in the first 39 chapters and forward to. He refers to Israel and almost every time he refers to Israel in Isaiah, it is blind, deaf, rebellious, unbelieving, scoundrels basically. Unbelieving Israel, blind and deaf and rebellious.

That which they do hear, they ignore, that which they do see, they ignore, and they rebel against it. And that is one use of Israel in the book of Isaiah. There is then again, there's believing Israel where these are those who have been preserved by God. He'll go on to say in this text. Those who are preserved by God are believing Israel.

They are putting their trust in Messiah. Before him, they were putting it in the future and then during the New Testament times, they would be putting it in Jesus and then anyone who is a messianic Jew that believe Jesus, that's believing Israel but I believe that in this course, it is the ideal Israel. Now, what is the word Israel mean? Do you all know? One who contends or wrestles with God.

You remember when Jacob wrestled the angel? He had this all night fight with this angel and pulled his hip out of joint. You remember that? So, he said, from this point forth, your name will be Israel. Because you have wrestled with God.

So, that's the etymology of that. He, these folks, didn't seem like they wrestle real hard at all with God. They weren't really believing and they came up just out of it. Believing Israel wrestle with God but still finds it next to impossible or impossible without the ideal. To please God, they fall short over and over and over again.

Even the ones who lean into him and want to be with him without this one, the ideal Israel and so I think that when he says this, he's referring to Jesus Messiah. That's the within Orthodox Christian circles, that is the only meaning. Let me back up for just a second. When he says this, and he said to me, you are my servant, oh Israel, in whom I will be glorified. He's speaking of Israel more in its function rather than identity.

Does that make sense? So, you are the Israel of God. You are the one who wrestles with me and comes up winning, contending with God, and accepting, submitting even to me. Are, oh Israel, my servant in whom I will be glorified. Israel was supposed to make God's name great, right?

Through their godly lifestyle and through their way that they live their life, they were supposed to make God's name and his glory great. How did they do it now? In Old Testament, not very good. It kind of waffle back and forth, you know, kind of sometimes it was good, sometimes it's bad. Every once in while, they'd rediscover his word like Josiah, the king, eight year old king.

Hey, what about this? Why don't we just do this? Things went well. And then in a generation that falls back away. You are my servant, oh Israel, the ideal, in whom I will be glorified.

No doubt about it. Are you are you with me? So, there we go and then I said, this is Jesus speaking or the servant speaking I should say in Isaiah forty nine three. Then I said, I have labored in vain. I've spent my strength for nothing and in vain.

You remember Jesus ever having a time where he felt that way? How about Matthew 26 and he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed and he said to them, my soul is consumed with sorrow to the very point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me and go in a little farther. He fell face down and

he prayed, my father, if it is possible,

let this cup pass from me. Does that feel like he's feeling like there's no way this is just I can't take anymore of this. Yet, not as I will but as you will. So, immediately after that, you know, he's arrested. Kangaroo Court.

He's hung on a cross and here at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Eloy, Eloy, Lomasa Baktana, is translated, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Another thousand year old at that point, thousand year old prophecy. Psalm 22, messianic Psalm that he's quoting right there as he's hanging on the cross. Says the same thing in Mark about the ninth hour. Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, that is my God, my God.

Why have you forsaken me? Hebrews even mentioned. Hebrews says, during the days of Jesus life, on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries, deep wails, and tears to the one who could save him from death. Praise God that he was reaching out to God but he felt just like we feel. Does that make sense?

He was tempted in every way that we are tempted yet without sinning. He's feeling it. We don't spend a lot of time on that but he really did feel. Yes. And he was heard because of his reverence submission.

That goes to the second part of this verse. Then, I said, I have labored in vain. I've spent my strength for nothing and in vain. You Can imagine what it's like to go and just have a three year ministry where you gain a small group of people, humanly speaking, you know. There are thronging masses all around him.

He's constantly in conflict, growing conflict. Yet, surely, my just reward is with the Lord and my work with my God. This hit me in first Peter and I've mentioned it 10 times probably since we passed at first Peter two. This last line, while being reviled, he did not revile in return and while suffering, he uttered no threats. He didn't fight back.

But he kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. Jesus kept entrusting himself to the father who judges righteously. Even when he felt the scorn and abuse and the mocking that all the people. And now the Lord said, who formed me from the womb to be his servant. So, that's Jesus speaking now.

Now, the Lord, he looks up to the father. He's constantly submitting to the father's will and now, the Lord says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him. Jacob, it's calling him Jacob right there. Jacob is Israel, the same thing. You know, he's bringing Jacob back to him.

I think he's talking about unbelieving Israel right there. I want to bring them back. So, that Israel believe in Israel at that point. So, that Israel is gathered to him. So, he would like to as the servant.

He wants to bring God's chosen people into alignment and agreement with God. He wants to bring them into God's salvation. Parenthetically, for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength. He had to keep on entrusting himself and be completely reliant upon the father. Indeed, he says, so he started off and now the Lord says in forty nine six, he says, indeed he, the father says, it is too small a thing that you should be my servant and I'm I'm going to add a word, just.

Just to raise up the tribes of Jacob and just to restore the preserved ones of Israel. Are you with me? What Jesus said, he what he wanted to do. He's speaking. It's a divine conversation.

He's, what I want to do is bring back your people to you and the father says to him, it is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. Those preserved ones, I think, that's believe in Israel. Those are the ones who will turn to him, who have turned to it. You know, every time that Paul started out in the synagogue, he started out in the synagogue, right? He started out in the synagogue because they already knew the story.

They knew how it goes. They should know Isaiah and he could say, hey, this could be you. It this is all depends on how you respond to the servant. Come on. He attributes it to Jesus over and over throughout the New Testament.

I like this divine conversation where the father says, it's too small a thing that you should just raise up the tribes of Jacob or restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also give you capital Y, Jesus. As a light to the Gentiles. Now, Jesus said that. He said, I'm the light of the world.

He also said, you are the light of the world. Israel is a light to the Gentiles. You know, over and over and over and over again, all the way back to at least Genesis 12, probably earlier than that. If you count the flood narrative, everything in the whole Bible is pointing to the fact that God wants to bless every tribe, tongue, and nation. That's his idea.

That's what he wants to do but it seems over and over and over again, we see the people of God begin to hoard the blessing of God and so, we see that in Israel. We see it. They were supposed to be a light to the Gentiles. Listen to these Psalms. There's some argument as to exactly when these were written long before the time of Christ though, okay?

So, it's 539 during the Babylonian captivity. Some people say, I think it's it's listed as a Psalm of David. So, somewhere around a thousand BC. God be gracious to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us. Selah, ring, let that ring out.

Oh, that sounds like a pretty selfish prayer, doesn't it? God be gracious to us. Bless us. How's your face to shine on us? Let that ring.

But why? The next line answers it that your way may be known on the Earth. That your salvation will be known among all nations. All of the other people. Let the peoples praise you, oh God.

Let all the peoples praise you. Let the nations be glad and let them sing for joy and you will judge the peoples with uprightness and God, the nations on the earth. He rules the world with truth and grace. Makes the nations prove. Say a lot.

Let the peoples praise you, oh God. Let all the peoples praise you. The earth has yielded its produce, God. Our God blesses us. God blesses us so that all the ends of the earth may fear and revere him.

This is Derek Kidner calls this the spreading circle. It's not just us. It is us to be a blessing to others. All the way back to 12, Genesis twelve one and one through three where he says to Abraham, I want to bless and those that you bless, I'll bless and those that you curse. I'll curse.

If you turn their back, your back on them. That's bad. Psalm 96. This is around a thousand BC too. Sing to the Lord a new song.

Sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord. Bless his name. Proclaim good tidings of his salvation from day to day. Tell of his glory where?

Among the nations. His wonderful deeds among all the peoples for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all small G gods. For all those small G gods of the peoples are just idols but the Lord made the heavens, splendor, and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, oh families of the peoples, all the peoples, S, plural, ascribe to the Lord, glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord, the glory that is due his name. Why? Because he deserves it. God really is that good. Bring an offering and come into his courts.

Worship the Lord in holy attire. Tremble before him all the earth. Say among the nations, the Lord reigns. He rules the world with truth and grace. Amen.

Indeed, the world is firmly established and it will not be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice. Let heaven and nature sing. Can you hear it?

He's going to go into this in a Let the sea roar and all that contains. Let the field exalt and all that is in it. Let all the trees of the forest sing out for joy before the Lord for he is coming for. He is coming to judge the earth. This is a thousand years before Christ.

He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. One more. Psalms 117. This is just a sampling. These are just three of em that I thought of.

Praise the Lord all you nations. Lord him all you peoples for his loving kindness is great towards us. Those who know him need to be transmitting to those who don't. And the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord.

So when he says I will give you as a light to the Gentiles. He says about Jesus that you, capital Y, Jesus, should be my salvation. That you should be my salvation, Jesus. Isn't that great? That's it.

He is it. He's the way. He's the truth. He's the life. That you, Jesus, should be my salvation to the very ends of the earth.

Paul picks up part of this. It's an almost quote from Isaiah. It's an almost quote because he knows that he's not Jesus. He knows that he cannot be the salvation but look what he says right there in the middle. I have let me back up a little bit.

Paul and Barnabas, they're in Antioch. It's the first place where Christians are called Christians. Next Sabbath day, nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord in the synagogue by the way but when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and they began contradicting the things that were spoken by Paul. Everything that he was presenting to him was from Old Testament. We didn't have the New Testament at the point.

We did have the life of Jesus but they were preaching Jesus. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting things spoken by Paul and they were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, it was necessary that the word of God to be spoken to you first. Everywhere he went, he spoke in the synagogues first. Since you repudiated it and you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, you're not believing Israel.

You are the blind and the deaf and the rebellious. That's what he's telling. You might think of yourself differently than you are but it was necessary that we present this to you. You've judged yourselves though unworthy of eternal life not accepting God's ideal. Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles for so the Lord has commanded us.

I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Paul recognizes that he cannot be salvation. He says that you may bring because you can carry the message of Jesus forward. You as the body of Christ can carry that forward. You can bring it to the ends of the earth and he sought to do that and here's the result.

When the Gentiles heard this, all of the other nations, the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord and as many as had been appointed to eternal life, believed and the word of the Lord was being spread throughout that whole region. Forty nine seven goes on from there and it says, it it's kind of interesting. One through six is a real tight unit that seems to make a whole lot of sense that divine conversation thing and then, forty nine seven is transitional between the first six verses and the next six verses. Thus, says the Lord, the redeemer of Israel, that's father God. Their holy one, the holy one of Israel.

To him whom man despises. So, the father, God, thus says the father, redeemer of Israel and their holy one. To him whom man despises. Oh, that's the servant. Jesus, we're starting to see the conflict in his life that people are rejecting him.

To him whom man despises.

He came into his own and his own new hymn.

To him whom the nation abhors, the nation, they had two different ways of being of naming peoples back that in that time. The Jewish people were the nation and then the Gentiles were all the other nations, okay? So, this is probably pointing to the nation of Israel, mostly unbelieving Jews. To him whom that nation. Unbelieving Israel abhors.

To the servant of rulers. Kings shall see and arise. Princess shall also worship because the of the Lord who is faithful. The holy one of Israel and he has chosen you, Jesus. Jesus is it.

He is the way. He's the truth. He's the life. That's forty nine seven. Eight says, and thus says the Lord.

Father, in an acceptable time, I have heard you, that's Jesus. And in the day of salvation, I have helped you. I will preserve you and I will give you as a covenant to the people. We had communion last week and we talked about covenant. In fact, it was in verse the covenant was in forty two six.

I am the Lord and I've called you, Jesus in righteousness and I will also hold you by the hand and I will watch over you and I will appoint you as a covenant. That's a one-sided promise. It's a promise to all the people as a light to the nation. He says that he will save whoever will call out to him. I'll preserve you and I'll give you as a covenant to people to restore the Earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritage.

I like it in the NLT. The New Living Translation says it this way. This is what the Lord says at just the right time. I will respond to you. On the day of salvation, I will help you.

I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Jesus is God's way. Through you, I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again. Paul's taking this in second Corinthians. He he says, just like father God helped Jesus in the day of salvation.

Now, the day of salvation for Jesus, I'm pretty sure was the crucifixion or resurrection. I think it'd be the crucifixion. That's the day where salvation is secured. But Paul transfers that idea of God saying, I will help you in the day of salvation. He ascribes it to God saying that he will help us.

Does that make sense? Human beings, mere mortals. For God says at just the right time, I heard you and on the day of salvation, I helped you. Now, forty nine thirteen, the end of this servant song closes like this. Sing, oh heavens, be joyful, oh earth.

Joy to the world, right? Break out into singing, oh mountains, go tell it on the mountain, for the Lord has comforted his people and he will have mercy on his afflicted. Those that were preserved. That's the idea there. He will have mercy on him.

I've got something to read here. Paul's transition from father saying it to son and son saying this, this is a divine conversation too. This is in John 17, Jesus' high priestly prayer. It's in the Garden Of Gethsemane. We've already heard what he was feeling.

He was feeling like everything that he had been done had been rejected. Everything bad. He had wept over Jerusalem less than a week before going in to triumphal entry, had crucify him. He's got a traitor in his midst that has betrayed him and people are coming very soon. To take him in.

So, during his high priestly prayer, he says this, but now I come to you that son speaking to father and these things I speak in the world so that they may have my joy made full in themselves. I have given them your word. His tongue is like a sharp sword. This is what's going to win out. The word of God.

It will endure forever. I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they're not of this world even as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but keep them from the evil one. They're not of the world even as I'm not of the world. Sanctify them.

Change them. Transform them. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word, lord, is truth. Jesus always defended any kind of onslaught with the word of God.

He didn't have to take up for himself any other way. He was continually entrusting himself to God. As you sent me into the world, this is what I want to key on right here. Just as you sent me into this world, the servant, we've seen his calling, we've seen his ministry, we've seen his introduction calling, ministry, and we're starting to see some conflict. Just as you sent me into the world, father, I also have sent them my disciples into the world.

It is for their sakes that I sanctify myself that they themselves may also be sanctified in truth. It's very important. The word is very important. Now, he goes on to say, I do not ask on behalf of these alone. That was the 11, right?

The Jesus's 11 at that point disciples. I do not ask on behalf of these alone or not just Peter, James, and John that right there supposed to be praying and they fell asleep. I don't ask for just on behalf of these alone but for also for all of those who will believe in me through their work. Ain't that something? You, if you're a believer in Jesus, Jesus was praying for you in the Garden Of Gethsemane.

I pray for everyone who will believe because of their word that they may all be unified. One, even as you, father, and I, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us. So that the world may believe that you have sent me. That's eternal life right there. Believe in that.

God sent Jesus. So, that's the last slide but I've got one more thought. We all know the great commission, right? Y'all didn't just wander into a baptist church. Y'all knew this was the baptist church when you came in, right?

Go you therefore baptize and teach them to them. All that. You know that. Great commission. You got it.

What are what's immediately before that? What's what does he say right before that? Before he says, go you therefore into all the nations, baptizing them and teaching them, making disciples, teaching them to obey all that I've commanded you. What does he say right before that? He says, all authority has been given to me.

Isaiah was pointing to the authority that God gave Jesus not just to restore Jacob and Israel back to himself but to be a light to the to go to the ends of the earth just as God has given me all of this authority. He says, all authority has been given me in heaven and in earth and so send I you. That's what he's saying. Just like God sent me, I'm sending you. So, the continuing call and ministry of Christ is the body of Christ continuing to go forth and to proclaim him his salvation, his peace, his joy, all of that.

Are you with me? I think with that turn, it's it's it's very important that we see it like that. Would you all stand with me? Judy, would you come on up? We can play the last song but I I want to pray for us.

God, would you, would you open our eyes to see where where exactly we're hoarding your blessing? God, be merciful to us and bless us and all of that, lord. Would you allow us that hinge, that turning point in our lives that says, so that we may bless others, so that we may bring a blessing of peace, and goodwill towards men. Jesus name, lord, I pray that as we worship and adore you, your attributes would be found in us, that we would be drawing other people, would be reflecting your glory, that we would be like the servant, we would be your servants. In Jesus name.

And number two forty seven.

Let's worship and adore him let's worship him and

Amen. And now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing or as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus name, lord, I pray. It would be so in our lives this week unto others. Amen.