(Isaiah 52:13) Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.We would like to take notice this morning of the first three words found in Isaiah 52:13 and then speak to you about the explicit commandment that is given unto all of mankind therein.
'Behold, my servant ...'We acknowledge that there is a punctuation mark found in verse 13 and that those three words taken by themselves do not fully convey the declaration and teaching of verse 13. Yet, we do not believe that we are doing any violence to the Word of God by focusing only on these three words in our study this morning. Nor do we feel that we are presenting any thoughts that are inconsistent with or contrary to the rest of God's revealed Word.
(Isaiah 42:1) Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.And then in the New Testament there is a reference to Isaiah 42:1 we read in Matthew 12:18.(Isaiah 52:13)Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
(Matthew 12:18) Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles.The expression 'my servant' is used seventy-three times in the King James Version of the Bible. Four of those times it is used in direct reference to God's servant, the Lord Jesus Christ. Three of those times we have just read in your presence and the fourth usage is found in Zechariah 3:8.
(Zechariah 3:8) Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.So based upon those four times that the term 'my servant' is used in reference to the Lord Jesus we can say that in seventy-five percent of the times the Holy Spirit used that expression in reference to the Lord Jesus He declared that He is to be 'beheld'.
(Hebrews 12:3) For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.Here we see that the Holy Spirit used the expression 'consider Him' to express the same mandate as conveyed by the words 'Behold my Servant'.
(Matthew 17:5) While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.Before we proceed any farther we desire to take note of some definitions of the words under consideration. We are well aware that definitions can be laborious and tiring yet it is imperative that both the speaker and the listener have the same concept of a word's meaning or else there will be confusion and misinterpretation of what is being presented.
(Hebrews 12:3) For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.When the Holy Spirit here charges that we are to 'consider Him' He is alluding to much more than a cursory or passing thought of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(John 10:30)I and my Father are one.The apostle Philip who desired to see the Father was informed by the Lord Jesus that he had seen the Father when he had seen Him.
(John 14:8-9)Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. {9} Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?That the Lord Jesus is fully God is emphatically declared in numerous Scriptures. Due to time constraints this morning we will only notice a few of them.
(John 1:1)In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.The Word, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, is here clearly and undeniably declared to be God.
(Titus 2:13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;Here our Saviour is referred to as 'the great God'.
(Titus 3:4-7) But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, {5} Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; {6} Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; {7} That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.In verse 3 it is written that our Saviour is God and then in verse 6 it is penned that our Saviour is Jesus Christ. The obvious and unavoidable conclusion is that the Lord Jesus, Who is our Saviour is our God.
(Luke 5:18-25)And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. {19} And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. {20} And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. {21} And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? {22} But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? {23} Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? {24} But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. {25} And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ was here displayed in a twofold fashion in that He exercised divine omnipotence in giving life to a dead soul by forgiving his sins and in healing of the body.
(1 Timothy 3:16) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.As God the Lord Jesus Christ is omnipotent or all powerful. As God He is the sole owner of absolute power.
(Psalms 62:11) God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.(2.) This brings us to the second aspect of the Lord Jesus Christ that we want to 'behold' and that is His creation of all things.
(Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.As there is total and perfect harmony in the Bible it is declared elsewhere in the Scriptures that God the Son was the divine Person Who did that creating.
(John 1:1-3) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} The same was in the beginning with God. {3} All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.Then a few verses later any and all question of Who verses 1- 3 are referring to is clearly and forcefully answered.
(John 1:10)He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.There is another verse of Scripture we wish to call your attention to on this Creator aspect of beholding the Lord Jesus Christ. This verse not only declares who the Creator is and Who keeps the creation together but also answers the question of Who everything was created for.
(Colossians 1:16-17) For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: {17} And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.There is one final Scripture we wish to note on this point. And in perfect harmony with the rest of Scripture it declares the deity of the Lord Jesus and the unity of the thrice Holy God.
(Revelation 4:11) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.(3.) The third aspect of the Lord Jesus Christ that we want to 'behold' is His humanity. Though He is, as has been Scripturally shown, fully God, the Lord Jesus Christ also became, and that everlastingly so by His incarnation, fully man.
(1 Timothy 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;As there is a great volume of Scriptures which teach the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ so there are also a multitude of Scriptures which declare the truth of His human nature. As we can not possibly examine very many of them in the time allotted to us this morning we will restrict ourselves to but a few which, in progression, show the humanity of our Lord and Saviour.
(Genesis 3:15) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.The angelic messenger appeared unto the young virgin Mary and declared that she would bring forth a Son who was to be conceived of the Holy Ghost. In time she did indeed give birth to that Son, she did indeed call His name Jesus as she was instructed by the angel and He did indeed save His people from their sins all of which was declared of Him by that angel.
(Luke 2:12)And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.The Greek word here for 'babe' is brephos and it means infant or babe.(Luke 2:16)And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
(Matthew 2:10-11) When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. {11} And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.They found a young child, (Greek paidion) in the house, not a babe in a manger as is so often depicted by the religious world.
(Luke 2:52)And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.The Greek word here translated 'stature' is helikia, and it means maturity (in years or size) being translated as age and stature.
(John 4:6)Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.The Lord also took rest in sleep as is the nature of humans to do.
(Mark 4:37-38)And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. {38} And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?Therefore we declare unto you that because He became tired, because He rested and because He slept the Lord Jesus has a human nature. A divine nature does not get tired and does not sleep.
(Matthew 4:2) And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.As a man the Lord Jesus Christ ate and drank. The account of the barren fig tree being cursed begins with the proclamation that the Lord was hungry.
(Mark 11:12-13)And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: {13} And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.After His resurrection He ate in the presence of the apostles to demonstrate that He was not a spirit but their resurrected Lord.
(Luke 24:40-43)And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. {41} And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? {42} And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. {43} And he took it, and did eat before them.e.) Fifthly we propose unto you that the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is declared by His death.
(1 Thessalonians 2:15) Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:These Jews were totally responsible for their sinful and wicked actions against the Lord Jesus but those actions were fully within the scope of God's 'determinate counsel and foreknowledge'.
(Acts 2:23)Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:After paying Judas to betray the Lord they apprehended Him under the darkness of night and sought false witness against Him in an effort to legitimize their sinful actions. Finding no two false witnesses whose lies agreed they continued on in their depraved conduct and sought permission and approval from the political leaders to kill the Lord Jesus.
(John 10:15-18)As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. {16} And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. {17} Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. {18} No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.It is a clearly taught Scriptural fact that the Lord Jesus died. And what a tremendous joy it is for us to know that the reason which He died was for the payment of our otherwise unpayable sin debt.
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; {4} And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:There can be no resurrection from the dead if one has not died. And that He died brings us to the next point of consideration.
(Matthew 1:21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.We have attempted this morning to give you a glimpse of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Bible presents them. There is coming a time when every person that has ever lived will acknowledge that Christ is indeed God.(2 Corinthians 5:21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
(Matthew 26:27-28)And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; {28} For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
(Isaiah 53:6-12)All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. {7} He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. {8} He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. {9} And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. {10} Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. {11} He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. {12} Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 45:23) I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.This Old Testament prophecy is referred to in Romans 14:11.
(Romans 14:11) For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.Not only will all of mankind acknowledge the Lordship of Christ but all angels, both fallen and kept, will likewise do so.
(Philippians 2:10-11) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; {11} And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Those of His kin, the Jews to whom Christ came the first time and they received Him not will one day 'behold' Him as the Old Testament Messiah.
(Revelation 1:7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.We have attempted this morning to encourage you to 'behold' the Lord Jesus as He is presented in the Bible. In closing we would like to read one verse of Scripture in which we once again exhorted to 'behold'.
(1 John 3:1) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.The wondrous and gracious manner of God's love for His people, those for whom the Lord Jesus paid the sin debt fully, is manifested and proclaimed in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(01-26-2007)