"You Are My Servant"
Isaiah 49:1-7
Sunday, June 24, 2012

Introduction: Last Sunday we talked about Jesus’ call, for workers to work in the harvest. Jesus tells us that the need is great (there are many in the harvest who aren’t saved), but there are much fewer people to work the harvest. We talked about needing to have a heart like God, praying the prayer ‘God, use me.’

            Today we are looking at Isaiah 49:1-7 and the important truth of God calling us to do His work. This calling, even back in Isaiah’s time, went out to all people, Jews and non-Jews alike. As Isaiah starts with these words in verse 1: “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations.” The call goes out to all. All who will listen, even from faraway lands, they are asked to heed the call and serve the Lord!

            This morning I want us to see how God knows us deeply and intimately. For those who are attentive to God’s voice, His words will penetrate deep into our being. And God is ever-present in our lives!

I.                   You Named Me- (Isaiah 49:1-2; Psalm 139:13-16; Heb. 4:12; Lk. 9:59-60)

a.      Before I was born- There is a wonderful truth in the Bible, and that is

that God knows us deeply. We read it here in Isaiah 49, verse 1, when it says: “Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth He has made mention of my name.” We read it also in Psalm 139:13-16, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

            Because God is all-knowing, He has known us even before we were born. In knowing us, God knew what our skills, and gifts, and talents would be. God was calling us to be His child and to do His work even before we were born. GOD KNEW US BY NAME. God knows us by name. This is a big deal, that the God of the universe, the God of all creation KNOWS US!

            For some, this causes them to feel fear, because of the way they are living. But it shouldn’t cause us fear, it should excite us. God knows us, and loves us, and gives us a purpose for living: to do His work. God made us to be wonderful people. The challenge is to live up to this. Some of us do, but many others squander their lives away. How often have you seen someone’s life, and said: “They had so much potential, but they aren’t doing anything with their life?!”

            Psalm 139 tells us that ‘all the days ordained for me were written in your book…’ Would you say that you are becoming the person God created you to be? In what ways do you need to grow more? In what ways do you need to serve the Lord more? In what ways do you need to give up your selfish choices, and choose things more in line with what God would have for you? As long as you run away from the purpose and call that God has for your life, you will not be satisfied with life. You will always be wanting, and wondering why you are not at peace with life.

b.      Give me words to speak- Isaiah knew that God knew him from birth.

Isaiah knew that God had called him to be a servant of the Lord. Isaiah knew that this call was to be a prophet of the Lord. As a prophet, Isaiah was to speak the truth of God to God’s people. This was not always easy, because it required Isaiah to reprove God’s people for their wrongdoing. Isaiah had to let the people know that they had turned away from God, and that they were suffering because of their turning away. In their turning away, they had left God’s presence and God’s power.

            Isaiah says in 49:2, “He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. In the shadow of His hand He hid me; He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver.” If you have been with us on Wednesday nights as we have studied the book of Isaiah, you have seen how eloquently Isaiah writes. The book of Isaiah is filled with wonderful poetic like statements that make powerful points. In this verse Isaiah is saying that God is the One who gives Isaiah the words he is to speak. His words will be like a sharpened sword which will be able to cut deep into the people’s hearts, and minds, so that they will hear and understand what God wants them to know. We see a similar illustration in Hebrews 4:12, which says: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

God will not leave Isaiah to do the work alone, God will give

Him help in what he is to say! The words Isaiah speaks

will penetrate like the word of God itself.

            Have you ever wondered about how you could speak for God? We are not called to be prophets, but we are called to speak God’s truth. There are many scriptures that tell us that our calling is to tell people about the Lord. Jesus, in Luke 9, is talking to a man, and calls him to follow. The man starts to make an excuse as he says in verse 59: “…‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’” Jesus wasn’t being unkind to the man by telling him not to go bury his father. Jesus knew the man was just making an excuse, and was basically saying that if he didn’t follow now, he might never follow. And the call when we follow is to go and proclaim the name of Jesus! AND GOD WILL GIVE US THE WORDS TO SAY.

II.                The Splendor of God is on Me- (Isaiah 49:3-4; Colossians 3:17)

a.      God’s blessings- Helen Keller once said: “The best and the most

beautiful things in life cannot be seen or even touched…they must be felt.”

            Illus. “A King who did not believe”: Once upon a time there was a king who did not believe in the goodness of God. This king had a slave who, in all circumstances would say: ‘My king, do not be discouraged, because everything God does is perfect, no mistakes!’ One day they went hunting and along the way a wild animal attacked the king. His slave managed to kill the animal, but could not prevent his majesty from losing a finger. Furious and without showing his gratitude for being saved, the nobleman said "Is God good? If He was good, I would not have been attacked and lost my finger." The slave replied only "My king, despite all these things, I can only tell you that God is good, and he knows the "why" of all these things. What God does is perfect. He is never wrong!"            Outraged by the response, the king ordered the arrest of his slave. Later, he left for another hunt and was captured by savages who made human sacrifices. While on the altar, ready to sacrifice the noble, the savage found that the king had a missing finger and so he was released. According to them: he was not so complete to be offered to the gods. Upon his return to the palace, the king authorized the release of his slave to whom he said very affectionately: My friend, “God was really good to me! I was almost killed by the wild men, but for lack of a single finger, I was let go! But I have a question: If God is so good, why did he allow me to put you in jail?” My King, “If I had gone with you in this hunt, I would have been sacrificed for you, because I have no missing finger."

            Isaiah tells us in verse 3: “God said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor…” As Israel was God’s servant, so we are God’s servants. As God desired to display His splendor in Israel, so He wants to display His splendor in us! We need to have eyes to see that God displays His splendor in and through our lives in ways we might not imagine, but if we trust we will see it come true. We will indeed see the goodness of God. Because of this we are called by God to live our lives in His will!

            As His servants, we will see God’s glory displayed in our lives. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

b.      Laboring for a purpose- There are many who live their lives and do

not see God’s splendor on them. There are many on whom we do not see God’s splendor. So if God’s splendor is to be on us, why are so many lacking this splendor? The key is that we need to live as God’s people; as God’s servants. We will not experience God’s holiness, goodness, wonder, or care if we are not living in the will and the way of God.

            This was true of Isaiah’s people in Isaiah’s time, and it is true for us. In fact, the Israelites saw themselves taken into slavery by Babylon because they turned from the Lord. The truth is, they were laboring in vain. This is indeed what Isaiah said to God in verse 4: “But I said, ‘I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.’” Have you ever felt like this, like you are laboring in vain? Do you feel that you have no real purpose in your life? It is because you have turned from the Lord and are not following His will and His way.

            Actually, recognizing the fact that your life seems to have no purpose is the first step to encountering God’s splendor in your life. If we think that life is great, and that we don’t need God (like so many do for a time), then we will live life without God being a part of it; we will continue down that path of laboring in vain. So many people go through life seeking to find happiness and meaning in things. Life will never have meaning and purpose until we make contact with the One from above —God. When we try and find meaning apart from God, we tend to do what everyone else is doing, and we fail to see what life really is about.

            Finishing verse 4, Isaiah says: “Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” Once you accept that God has your best interest in mind, and accept that what He gives you is what is due to you, and don’t compare it with what is going on with everyone else, THEN you will understand that what you have is God’s reward to you. More often than not, the greatest reward you will receive is when you are serving the Lord, and you see how God touches the lives of people around you because of your service! Affecting people’s lives for good, and for God, is truly a wonderful reward.

III.             Your Hand is on Me- (Isaiah 49:5-7)

a.      Bring us back- Illus. “Footprints, the New Version,” You might be

familiar with the poem, Footprints, but I came across a new version of it that I think illustrates our next point well. Let me read it to you… Imagine you and the Lord

Jesus are walking down the road together.  For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns. For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling, His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends! This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.  Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.
            This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change.  The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one. This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints. You are amazed and shocked…..Your dream ends. 

            Now you pray: "Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits.  I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You." "That is correct."  "And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely." "Very good. You have understood everything so far."
When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way." "Precisely."
            "So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."……There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice. "You didn't know?  It was then that we danced!"

            Isaiah gives us these beautiful words in 49:5, “And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength.” God does not let us go off on our own without seeking us out. God calls us to Himself, and when we stray, He pursues us, and reminds us of His love. God is ever waiting for us to come to Him. And when we do, we realize how we need to be like Him; walk in His steps. And when we reach that place, we do indeed feel like dancing because we find our place in this world, and for eternity!

b.      Even greater purpose- Yet, in all that God calls us to do, God has an

even greater purpose for us! Hear verse 6: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” God is letting Isaiah know that more was being asked of him. Not only was Isaiah being called to speak out to God’s people so that they would return to God. God wanted Isaiah to speak to the Gentiles (the non-Jews) and call them to God as well.

            If we were to think about what this means for us, it means that as we find ourselves in a diverse community, we are to reach out to all people. It is probably the easiest to invite people to church who are Christians, but don’t have a church. Yet, God wants us also to invite people who aren’t Christians to come to church. Even more, God wants us to invite people who are different than us to come to church. Who we invite should not be about comfortability, but about fulfilling the call to reach out to all people; for all people need the Lord!

            God wants to make us a light to all people. What does a light do? It shines in the darkness so you can see. As a light for the Lord, we are to shine the light of God’s love and salvation. As a light, we are to help break through the sin and selfishness that have a hold on people, and help them to be free of that burden. As a light, we shine the way, so that people can come into the presence of the Lord and become children of God.

            Who do you know who have strayed away from the Lord? Reminding them about the Lord is like Isaiah bringing back the tribes of Jacob. Who do you know who doesn’t know the Lord? This is like Isaiah being a light to the Gentiles. Let the Lord speak through you. Receive the words of God into your life, and let them shine from you to those around you!

Conclusion: For the last month or so I have been talking about how we are called to call others to the Lord. If we were to do this faithfully, and successfully, we would see our church filled with people praising God. We would see people coming to know the Lord and being saved. We would experience baptisms, and confessions, and spiritual vitality. I hope you will really hear the words of Isaiah from chapter 49. Let yourself understand that God knows you deeply and intimately. Be attentive to God’s voice and let His words penetrate deep into our being. Know that God is ever-present in your life! Be a light for the Lord, shining to all who need to see Jesus. Let us commit ourselves to doing this, today, and every day. Amen.