FBC Adult Sunday Bible Study

What is it Oh antiques roadshow That's probably the majority of you've watched

I don't watch it religiously some people do it's like any time It's on but I have happened to come across it a few times

Usually when I see it on the guide, you know, I just go right on by I'm looking for something else and don't pay attention

To it, but sometimes I say yeah, I wonder wonder what's going on and that's you know So I turn it on and it's really a fat, you know

Once that once I do that, it's really fascinating and I've often wondered why don't I watch that more because it it is such an interesting

Interesting show and and those of you watched, you know, the premise people come They travel all over the place and go to these different venues and they let people know plenty of time ahead of time that they're coming and there's actually a screening process that people have to go through in order to in order to be on there, but The people that come to the venue they they're bringing something with them that they want to know the value of it how much is this worth and What's interesting?

Of course is they they show you the item and they they tell you all about the item and of course what everybody wants to Know is but what's it worth?

Well, what's it worth right and and sometimes When they hear what it's worth you can you can see the person kind of crestfallen they were hoping it would be really worth something and but of course the most exciting ones are the things where you know,

I bought this thing at a yard sale for $30 and then they find out it's worth like $35 ,000 or something like that and it's a wow.

I had no idea that that phrase I had no idea is probably the most common phrase.

You kind of wonder are they told to say that? It's it's repeated so many times but let's hypothetically suppose

It's totally hypothetical. It's hypothetically suppose that someone actually had in their possession the actual physical wooden cross of Christ and it was verified to be such and They haul this thing in to antiques roadshow and they're able to demonstrate that this is indeed

The very cross of Christ What kind of value do you think that they would place on that?

What do you think they would claim it to be worth how many millions of dollars at a wonder, right? Well in Isaiah 49 where we're going to be focusing our attention this morning in Isaiah We discover what the cross of Jesus is worth

But before we get there we want to do, you know, the the bird's -eye view of chapters 49 through most of 52

We're gonna come back to chapter 49 and do it look at it in detail So we'll pass over the the summary that's on your handout but in chapter 15

I'm sorry chapter 50 in Chapter 50 the

The people are at an exile remember Isaiah is speaking to God's people in 200 years in the future as they're in a

Babylonian exile All right, and he's addressing them and he clarifies that the reason for the exile was not because God was weak and he couldn't deal with their

With their attack brings that out in verses 2 & 3 Especially in look in the middle of verse 2 is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem or have

I no power to Deliver, of course he does so that's not the problem. What is the problem?

Why are they in exile? It's because of their sin. So for example in verse 1 he says

At the end of the verse he says for your iniquities you have sold yourselves and for your transgressions

Your mother has been put away So the reason for the exile was Judah's sin

And also in this chapter in contrast to the nation of Israel, which we're going to see in a little bit is the servant of the

Lord the servant ultimately Jesus Has Faithfully conveyed the message that has been given to him by the

Lord Even though doing so has brought great abuse. So for example verse 4 He says the

Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak a Word in season to him who is weary.

He wakens me morning by morning. He wakens my ear To hear as the learned and the servant takes what he hears and faithfully communicates that the first 16 verses of chapter 51

And begin with isaiah calling god's people To remember the rock from which they were hewn

See at the end of verse 1 and then in verses 2 and 3 And he clarifies that rock from which you have been hewn is abraham

And uh, he says look to abraham your father and remember how god has faithfully

Fulfilled the promise to abraham says at the end of verse 2 I called him alone and blessed him

And increased him so he's speaking specifically about that blessing of Of posterity

And that that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky If he could count them and that has happened that has occurred.

There has been an innumerable number of descendants that have come from abraham And so god's been faithful to fulfill his promise verses 4 through 8

The prophet emphasizes that god's salvation will last forever See that at the end of verse 8

He says my but my righteousness will be forever and my salvation from generation to generation

Why? how so That salvation will last forever because in verses 9 through 16

The ancient monsters have been destroyed have been defeated what ancient monsters look at verse 9

Uh in the middle of the verse it says are you not the arm? that cut rahab apart and wounded the serpent or perhaps leviathan this ancient sea monster

Whether literal or figurative But the point is that god has indeed

Defeated these ancient monsters rahab the name rahab there. It's not it's not rahab the harlot

Rahab is uh, egypt. Let me show you this. So so you don't think i'm just pulling this out of the air back in chapter 30

Verse 7 Says for the egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose

Therefore I have called her Rahab hem shabbat Uh, I have a little marginal note in my bible takes you down to verse 7 footnote number one and it says that means

Rahab hem shabbat means rahab sits idle Rahab meaning egypt

Okay, so egypt and the uh, leviathan the serpent

Perhaps that's a reference to satan and his angels Tim chester remarks.

He says egypt or rahab is the ancient oppressor nation perceived as a monster of mythic evil

Slain by the power of god All right. So god's salvation is forever and then our section this morning that we're considering in isaiah

Chapter 51 verse 17 through chapter 52 verse 12

Two times god, uh, isaiah doubly calls god's people to wake up You see this in verse 17 awake awake.

He says and in chapter 52 verse 1 awake Awake calls god's people to wake up All right, and in verses chapter 51 verses 17 through 20

Uh, he says god's people judah specifically Has received judgment from god

So look at verse 17 He says stand up. Oh jerusalem you who have drunk at the hand of the lord the cup of his fury

You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling and drained it out All right.

So judah has received this judgment From god expressed in the form of the cup of his fury but look at verse 22 and um

The lord says i'm going to take that cup away from you Thus says your lord the lord and your the lord and your god

Who pleads the cause of his people? Here's what he says see I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling the dregs of the cup of my fury

You shall drink it no longer Well, let's think about that That cup of the fury of the lord and the lord taking it out of the hands of the people whom he is judging

When did that happen? When did he do that? Well again, isaiah is prophesying, uh to people in the babylonian exile

And there is a partial fulfillment of this and this by the way, this often happens in especially old testament prophecy

We see it in old testament prophetic writing where there is

The prophet makes his declaration and there's sort of a telescopic view of the fulfillment of that of that prophecy and what

I mean by that is it's like when you you you look through a

Binoculars or a telescope at a distant mountain range You'll you'll see

Uh, you'll see a mountain you can like see the whole mountain right in front of you Part of you can see the whole mountain right in front of you, but then in the background

You see just the peaks of other mountains and A lot of this old testament prophecy

You're seeing a mountain in front of you where there is an initial fulfillment But the prophet is also looking forward to some mountain peaks beyond that Where you see just the peaks the tips of the mountains you don't see everything in between You don't get a full understanding of how all that's going to happen

But but you do see some indications of an even future application

Of this of this prophetic message and that's the case here so this removal of the cup of trembling and the fury of the lord initially and partially is fulfilled at the

At the end of the babylonian exile the babylonian captivity when the people of judah are

Free to go anybody who wants to go back to jerusalem is able to do so but that can't be the full the

Total fulfillment of that right because for the next few hundred years Even after the return to the land of promise

The nation is still not a nation Yes, jewish people are there but the nation is still not a nation

And their attempts to become one are met with uh being crushed You know, the romans came and crushed them.

There were some other things in between there and so forth But even at the time of christ the people are living in the fear of the oppression of the romans

So there's a fuller fulfillment to this And a fuller fulfillment the ultimate fulfillment is of course the lord jesus himself

Because remember in matt and mark chapter 10 You had james and john the sons of zebedee they come to jesus and they say to him we want you to do for us

Whatever we ask and he said what do you want me to do? He says I want you to give We want you to give us the places of authority and positions of honor

When you come into your kingdom one of us on the right one of us on the left And jesus responds to them in this way.

He says you don't know what you've asked. He says Are you able to drink the cup? that I drink

They think they are well, yeah, we we can drink the cup that you drink Are they able to drink the cup?

What is that cup? We find out in the garden of gethsemane, don't we? because jesus is

Uh facing the cross and you know 24 hours And he's praying in the garden of gethsemane

And he prays to the father and says if it is possible take this cup from me

What is that cup the outpouring of god's wrath? upon the sins

Of those for whom christ is dying on that cross In the next day and it is the full fury of the wrath of god

That christ is taking upon himself as the cup is poured out so it is

Ultimately fulfilled this promise that god is going to take the cup away it's fulfilled in jesus because god in the in in In having christ drink that cup and drain it down He takes it away

From those who are redeemed from god's people as we continue on here in chapter 52

In verses 1 to 6 and then at the the end of the last couple verses in this section verses 11 and 12 when that cup is

Taken away god's people will then be able to awake from their captivity So verses 11 and 12 depart depart go out from there touch

No, unclean thing get out of the midst of her be clean you who bear the vessels of the lord for you

Shall not go out with haste nor go by flight for the lord will go before you And the god of israel will be your rear guard.

He's talking about that New exodus right as a has a an initial fulfillment

Deliverance from the babylonian captivity and an ultimate fulfillment in verses 7 to 10

These three verses or four verses that sandwiched between that section Um notice how it begins with the proclamation that that That the proclaiming of salvation the declaration that proclaiming salvation is a beautiful thing to do

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news who proclaims peace?

Well, if you recall that verse here from isaiah 52 7 is quoted by paul in romans 10 15 and And and in and that's in that context of you know paul talking about How his care for his own people

Romans 9 10 11 in chapter 10 verse 15 Paul quotes this verse to say that it has it has always been god's intention

Always been god's intention For quote all the ends of the earth to see the salvation of our god

All right So that is a beautiful thing when the the salvation of our god is proclaimed to all the ends of the earth

All right. Now, let's go back to chapter 49 It's in chapter 49 isaiah reveals

What the cross of jesus is worth and he does so by introducing us to the servant of the lord

Who is this servant? Who is this servant We we have him mentioned in verse five

The lord says who formed me from the womb to be his servant. All right, who is this servant on the one hand this servant?

Of the lord is israel Now he's identified as such in verse three

He said to me you are my servant. Oh israel You are my servant.

Oh israel now you go back to chapter you go back to verse one and in verse one you

You see reference to this divine election where god in his grace chose

This people israel to be his servant So he says listens. Oh coastlands to me and take heed you peoples from afar

The lord has called me from the womb from the matrix of my mother. He has made mention of my name

Now hang on there's going to be a fuller application of this and you're already ahead of me. I'm sure but but initially at least

This servant that he's talking about Is israel And this servant is created to serve god verse five now the lord says

He who formed me from the womb to be his servant to bring jacob back to him so that israel

Is gathered to him the the servant of the lord is created to serve god and what is his task?

What is the task of this servant of the lord his task? Is to live under god's law

I'm talking about old testament israel now to live under god's law in such a way

That the nations would know That it's a good thing to know god

The nations would see that And you know, there's passages in deuteronomy and so forth

We could look at I don't want to take the time to do that this morning, but this is their task This is what god wants israel as a nation to do to show forth the blessings and benefits

Of knowing god and living under god's law Their task is to walk in the light of the lord

Look back at chapter isaiah chapter 2 All the way back the beginning of the book isaiah 2 and verses 2 through 5

Notice particularly verse 5 Oh house of jacob come and let us walk in the light of the lord.

This is the task of the servant Israel to walk in the light of the lord why verses 2 and 3

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains

And shall be exalted above the hills and all nations shall flow to it Many people shall come and say come and let us go up to the mountain of the lord to the house of the god of jacob

He will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his paths for out of zion shall go forth the law

And the word of the lord from jerusalem. All right, so As isaiah is speaking of this future purpose

He is he's actually Reiterating what the purpose for israel has been all along To walk in the light of the lord so that the nations

Might see and the nations might be drawn to get to the to the god of israel

In other words to summarize it this way the point is That the people of israel were to attract the nations to god by their righteous living but Isaiah is writing to god's people

Looking forward again to god's people who are in the babylonian captivity

So what has happened Well, tim chester explains. He says quote instead of attracting the nations to the ways of the lord

Israel has been attracted to the ways of the nations right

And instead of honoring his name among the nations She has profaned his name and if you just think in a

You just think in a From the standpoint of a 30 000 foot overview of the history of israel.

That's exactly What has happened? They have taken on the gods of the other nations

And and become more and more like those nations that got and it's just the opposite of the way it should be

Which leads in back in isaiah 49? verse 4 To the conclusion that these years and years of nation building

Have come to nothing Verse 4 then I said the servant right the servant of the lord, which is israel then

I said I have labored in vain I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain

Well, why is that? because As isaiah is writing and as the people

In the babylonian captivity read what isaiah had written 200 years earlier

As they read that as they read this in this book the land

Of israel lies desolate The king of israel is in captivity

And the temple is in ruins in other words Israel has failed as the servant of the lord

On one hand that servant of the lord Is the nation of israel But on the other hand the servant is someone else

Someone who as verse 5 begins Will bring israel back to god

And now the lord says Who formed me from the womb to be his servant to bring jacob back to him?

So that israel is gathered to him and he this

Servant who is someone else we see at the end of verse 6 Will be the light he will be the light that israel was supposed to be

He says at the end of verse 6. I will also give you as a light to the gentiles

That you you should be my salvation to the ends of the earth

So this servant of the lord, uh, who is supposed to be Which israel was supposed to you know function as such in such capacity and do these things failed miserably

There is another servant Who is going to fulfill that? responsibility

And that servant is then honored Remember what jesus said in john 8 verse 12.

He says I am the light of the world Israel was supposed to be and failed.

Jesus said I am the light of the world What makes him different Jesus what makes him different than the failed servant?

israel Let's notice some things here in verse 3 One of the things is that he jesus the servant of the lord displays god's glory

He said to me you are my servant. Oh israel in whom I will be glorified

In whom I will be glorified and you know, john 1 14, right? We beheld the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory

The glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth and in hebrews 1 verse 3

We read that the son speaking of jesus is the radiance of god's glory and the exact Representation of his being

Israel couldn't do that this servant of the lord Does it?

Perfectly displays the glory of god Again, let me quote tim chester.

He says if you want to know what god is like Look at jesus It's in jesus

That we see the true holiness grace wisdom justice

Compassion power and love of god And what we see is splendid for he displays god's splendor

God's honor has been brought into question by the failure of israel

Because remember the Remember the typical pagan thinking about the gods

You claim to have this god as your god. Oh israel How is it that your god couldn't deliver you?

How is it that you? Have been totally decimated. How is it that your god's place of worship is in utter?

Utter ruin and lies in rubble in the heap Must not be much of a god

That's the conclusion of the nations but the servant of god will restore god's reputation

He displays god's glory second way. He did he he differs Is that he receives god's reward?

He receives god's reward the end of verse 5 He says for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the lord and my god shall be my strength that I shall be glorious could be translated.

I am honored in the eyes of the lord What is this servant worth

What reward Does his obedience merit? In the first place the first part of his reward is that god rewards him with a restored israel

See that there in verse 5 his purpose bring jacob back to him so that israel is gathered to him, but that isn't enough god's reward

For this faithful servant Is far more Look at it in verse 6 indeed, he says

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. This is too small of a reward I will also give you as a light to the gentiles that you should be my salvation to the ends of the earth the cross

Desert deserves more than simply the restored people of israel the cross deserves the gentiles to the ends of the earth

So he reward he receives god's reward a third difference is that he this servant fulfills this passage

This servant carried out fully the servant's work You remember um philippians chapter 2 verse 7 this very

Very wonderful and descriptive passage regarding christ's servanthood

Says that jesus made himself of no reputation taking the form of a servant

Bondslave and becoming in the likeness of men. And what did he do?

Being found in the appearance of the man as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death what kind of death even the death of the cross

Even the death of the cross so jesus the servant was obedient even unto a cross death

And that obedience merits a great reward

At the end of verse four here in chapter 49 Um, he says yet surely my just reward is with the lord and my work with my god

The servant says i i'm going to be i'm going to be Amply suitably rewarded by god the sham judgment that the

That the world rendered upon jesus on crucifixion day right

He's guilty of death crucify him crucify him take him away And they crucified him the sham judgment said he is worthy of death as an evil doer but the judgment of god rectifies all that And gives him a just reward and it is a great reward and what is that reward we're back in philippians chapter 2

It is universal exaltation Therefore god has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of jesus every knee should bow his reward is universal exaltation and a global people a global people

At the name of jesus every knee should bow Of those in heaven those on earth and those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father

One of the other prophets daniel he speaks of this global people

As the servant's reward in daniel 7 Verses 13 and 14

Daniel says I was watching in the night visions and behold one like the son of man Coming with the clouds in of heaven.

He came to the ancient of days And they brought him near before him then to him to this son of man

Was given dominion and glory and a kingdom That all peoples and nations and languages should serve him

His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed people from every tribe and tongue and nation

Will be his people We read of that in the book of revelation now compare that with what jesus

What we think of as the last words of jesus before the ascension matthew 28 verse 18 to 19

What did he say? Go go to the house of israel and bring all the

All the the wayward from the house of israel back to me, right? Is that what he said?

All authority is given unto me Then he said what? Go where? Where? Go into all the world

Go into all the world and make disciples of all the world so Matthew 28 verses 19 18 and 19 19 20

These these closing verses this great commission that jesus gives to his disciples

You know, we we ask the question why missions? Why missions and the answer is to gather nations to worship israel

This is the task. This is the reward that is given to the servant the nations of the world

Well the rest of chapter 49 back in isaiah We meet we've met the servant and uh his reward we get get some insight into what his

Cross is worth But now in the rest of this chapter we meet the servant's children

We meet the servant's children So verses 1 to 7 establish that the obedience of the servant jesus merits the nations as a reward verses 8 to 26 describe

How jesus will receive his reward? A little background you see in verse 8 that the covenant

Expands as it's renewed in jesus. Look at verse 8 He says in an acceptable time.

I have heard you And in the day of salvation I have helped you I will preserve you and give you as a covenant to the people to restore the earth

To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages so in christ

Salvation reaches the ends of the earth and that new exodus that is

Again, initially fulfilled in the deliverance from the babylonian captivity And alt is ultimately filled in the promise of a new humanity that make up people of god from every nation

Which is why you and I are where we are this morning because this has

This has become reality people from every nation are brought to into this

Covenant in christ salvation reaches the ends of the earth

Now I want you to notice that this chapter 49 the whole chapter is addressed to gentiles

How do we know that it begins? With a reference to the coastlands

Says listen, oh coastlands to me the coastlands speak of Territory far far away far away

In verse 6 he says I will give you as a light to the gentiles in verse 12

He says look Surely these come from afar look those from the north and the west and these from the land of sinim

He's talking about egypt. So he's talking about people coming from all four corners of the world

So this chapter is addressed to the gentiles And the people who come the people who are addressed here are people who

Become his children. There's a repeated use of this idea of his children like in verse 15

Can a woman forget her nursing child verse 17? Your sons shall make haste verse 20 the children you will have after you have lost the others verse 22

They shall bring you they shall bring your sons in their arms and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders in verse 25 verse 25

I will save your children Okay, so he's talking here about the children

What what do we learn about These children first of all very quickly here.

The lord will remember them The lord will remember his children the complaint of the people in verse 14 is

The lord has forgotten me The lord has forgotten me. This is the cry of the jews in exile

In the babylonian captivity the lord has forgotten us, but this is also the cry of humanity

Isn't it What do people say? when a hurricane roars through Some terror some area like it did a few weeks ago and just levels homes and kills people and devastates things what what is the

One of the first things that people want to know What is it? Where's god?

Where is god? Which is just another way of saying god has forgotten us God has forgotten us.

Where is god the lord's response though in verses 15 to 18 is I haven't forgotten you

I'm, absolutely committed to my children Verses 15 and 16. Can a woman forget her nursing child?

No, it's a rhetorical question. Absolutely not He is absolutely committed to his children and they his children will come to him

They will come to him look at verses 17 and 18 again Your sons shall make haste

Your destroyers and those who laid you waste shall go away from you Lift up your eyes look around and see all these gather together and come to you

All of them come to you God is absolutely committed to his people and they absolutely will come to him

Now an application of this especially as it relates to the servant jesus

Tim chester makes this a very appropriate application He says quote we

Don't have to convert people That's not our job It's not your job

We don't have to convert people God's chosen people Will respond he says when they hear the gospel

Our responsibility he goes on to say all we do Is proclaim the message that's our responsibility

To proclaim the message the harvest is guaranteed None of god's chosen people gets left behind.

This is what this is what god is saying This is what he's saying. I will not forget my people.

I will not forget my children. They will Make haste they will

Gather together and come to you my servant so The the lord will not forget his children.

He remembers his children I think i've already given you the rest of these the lord will multiply his children in verses 19 and 21 and notice the

There will be so many In this multiplying of his children. There'll be so many that the place is too small um

We will verse 19 The the land of your destruction will even now be too small for the inhabitants

So what's the solution? The land is too small, what's the solution?

the new heaven and the new earth You get to the end of the book of isaiah chapter 65.

He promises the the The new heaven and the new earth which is really kind of dovetails very well in um

To the morning message today in second peter In verse 21, he says look there's going to be so many

That you don't even know where they all came from verse 21 You will say in your heart

Who has begotten these for me since I have lost my children and am desolate a captive and wandering to and fro

And who has brought these up? There I was left alone, but these Where were they where did all these people come from?

Where did all they come from? So many don't even know where they came from in this era where the church is

Seemingly the church in the west Is in a state of decline uh seems like This doesn't look like a reality

Perhaps not right now. Perhaps not in the west but Uh in time

The promise stands The lord will multiply his children The rest of it you can follow along in your handout and figure it out.

I think Lord will vindicate them and the lord will liberate his children Let's pray.

Thank you father for these great promises and Connected to the work of the servant of the lord

We thank you lord jesus for fulfilling that role of the servant and in so doing

You have received and shall receive the bountiful reward not only of honor and glory

But of a people an innumerable host of people That have been won to you