So, turning with me one more time to Isaiah chapter 40, no, I'm sorry, Isaiah chapter 50. We come to the third of the so-called Isaianic servant songs this morning, where the focus on this particular song is on the obedience of the servant of the Lord. Isaiah chapter 50, verses 4 to 11. The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with the word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens, he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord has opened my ear and I was not rebellious. I turn not backward. I gave my back to those who strike. My cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helps me. Therefore, I have not been disgraced. Therefore, I've set my face like Flint. And I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God helps me. Who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment. The moth will eat them up. Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches, walk by the light of your fire, by the torches that you have kindled. This you have from my hand, and you shall lie down in torment. This is God's Word. Let's go before the throne of grace and ask the Lord, our Heavenly Father, that He would help us to understand these things written about His Son. Our gracious God and Heavenly Father, as we come to Your Word and seek to sit under it, to hear of the work of our Savior, we pray that You would give us an open ear that we might be inclined to hear those glad tidings of great joy, that in hearing you would incline our hearts to do your will and trust in the name of your Son. We ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. What comfort is there to be had in the midst of suffering? It's a legitimate question to ask, and it is one that has been the focus of Isaiah's attention these past several songs. Isaiah 42 and 49 and here now in Isaiah chapter 50. As the servant of the Lord comes to bring comfort to his people, there is a stark reality, one that awaits the people of God. What do we do in the midst of unjust suffering, especially as the body of Christ? How difficult it is this time of year for so many believers who come from families who are not believers. who will meet and gather and suffer ridicule and insults, passive aggressive remarks over the dinner table? How many believers throughout the world find themselves subject to the ridicule of friends and neighbors? even within the broader community of those both ignorant of and hostile to a gospel of great joy. It seems rather startling that the gospel would arouse such hostility within those around them, and yet certainly this is what we have seen in the history of God's people How should we respond? How should we then live, to quote the words of Francis Schaeffer? You know, I think according to our old way of living and lifestyle, we would instinctively wish to retaliate when insulted and ridiculed, to return that passive aggressive remark for another in kind, to match insult for insult or even blow for blow. I think even the smallest child, whether believer or unbeliever, recognizes when gross injustices happen. Think about some of the first sentences you hear from a child's mouth. Once they move beyond the individual words of no or mama, what are some of the first words they seem to be able to string together and learn? And it is this, that's not fair. How often do we feel the same impulse? And yet, even as believers, when we are ridiculed for doing what is right, when we suffer for doing righteous, practicing righteousness, we do not know what to do, and sometimes we respond sinfully. Sometimes the circumstances leave our heads spinning and we are left as men groping in the darkness, uncertain of a proper response or a proper way forward. Being left bewildered and perplexed, devoid of comfort as our faith is put in the midst of the fire, we feel as if our compass is left spinning round and round and round about. What do we do? These past few weeks, we have been considering Isaiah's message of hope, of the appearing of the great servant's arrival, of the one who will bring comfort to the bruised and light that will shatter the darkness. And as we come to that third servant's song this morning, we find that the one who comforts us is the same one who instructs us in the path of obedience, even when that obedience is painful and costly. he instructs us as one who has himself blazed the trail as the pioneer of the faith. This morning, I'd like us to consider the servant's own obedience and what it means for us as those who heed his voice and his instruction. There's three things I'd like us to consider this morning. First, I'd like us to consider the teacher in verses 4 to 6, Secondly, I'd like us to consider the helper in verses 7 to 9. And finally, I'd like us to consider the call that goes forth in verses 10 and 11. So, the teacher, the helper, and the call For those of you who are familiar with Shakespeare's Hamlet, much like Hamlet's soliloquy, that speech, to be or not to be, we find here that the spotlight shines on a single figure, the servant. In this chapter, he speaks, but he addresses, at least initially, no one in particular. Here it says, if we are given a window into his own thought life, Isaiah chapter 42, we heard the Lord speak first to the nations and then to His servant. In Isaiah 49, the servant addressed the nations, but here the servant is simply speaking to himself. Here we are given a window into his own thought processes as to what it is he has been called to do and his own internal response to that call. What is it that he speaks of? What does this soliloquy consist in? What is the subject of his speech? Here the servant speaks of his daily communion with the Lord and his obedience to the instruction he receives morning by morning. We've already heard in chapters 42 and 49 that this servant is one who has been called from the womb, one who has been commissioned to speak words of comfort One who has even been set apart to bring an end to man's covenant with death. But here we find the source of that comfort. Just as the servant has been sent to bring words of comfort, we find where the wellspring of that comfort is found. As daily, morning by morning, the Lord gives His perfect representative the words in which He is to speak. The Lord himself instructs his servant on how to bring that comfort. The ears to speak, or the ears to hear, the tongue to speak. Here we find that the servant is the disciple of the Lord par excellence. He says here he's given the ear to listen as a disciple. He's given the mouth to speak as one taught by God himself. The one who teaches is first himself taught. And the instruction comes morning by morning at daybreak as the servant is awakened by the Lord himself to commune with his father. Communion with God in prayer, that is the secret to his messianic task. It is the method of his own instruction. How often do we read in the gospels of those times in which Jesus sneaks away and will spend all night communing with God in prayer as he prepares for the next day of the ministry that he gives to a broken and dying world. Here we see the servant being able to do nothing of his own accord, but only that which he hears the Lord speaking and telling him to do. His ministry is a word-based ministry. Though he is spoken of in chapter 49 as the ace in the pocket, the secret weapon of the Lord, the weapon of his warfare is not carnal. He is not given a sword that he is to brandish against a political tyrant. Rather, he is given a word that will shatter the darkness and bring comfort to the nations. Yet it is a word that flows from the heavenly throne on high. It is a supernatural word. And here the servant hears perfectly the instruction of the Lord. He not only hears perfectly, he speaks perfectly that which the Lord has instructed him to speak. But not only does he hear perfectly, not only does he speak perfectly, you look in verse 5, he obeys perfectly that which he is instructed to do. The Lord has given his servant a particular task. The contents of that task is not revealed here. We will see the contents of his painful mission in that final Isaianic song that we will consider next week. But what is clear, whatever the Lord has spoken to his servant would cause anybody else to recoil in terror. But not the servant. Here the servant is given his instructions as he is sent on his secret mission, and as he hears the word, he does not recoil from the command. He says here, he is not rebellious. Remember what the Lord says elsewhere in Scripture, such as in Hebrews 10, where He says, Here the servant hears, and he's given a painful directive, and yet he does not recoil, he does not flinch even in the slightest. Even to recoil from the demands of discipleship constitutes an act of rebellion in the Lord's sight. And here the servant says he does not flinch, but rather, verse 7, he sets his face like flint for the task ahead. He becomes a hardened stone, as it were, refusing to be detracted from the task for which he has been set apart and appointed. disciple of the Lord, this disciple par excellence, is schooled in the path in which he must walk. It is a costly obedience. It is one which requires courage and resolve, and he does not shrink back from the task that is set before him. As we'll see in chapter 53 next week, it is an obedience unto death. he does not shrink back from the task, what he does do is he gives his back to those who oppose him. You see that here in verse 6. Even though the servant has been commissioned to bring comfort and freedom, yet he is not received without violent opposition. He comes to his own to bring tidings of comfort and joy, and yet his own do not receive him. The servant obeys the Lord, and that obedience is full and perfect And yet that obedience entails submitting under the yoke of unjust suffering, even physical torment. We see it here in verse six, as his back, his cheeks, his face, they were all struck. He is as a man surrounded about on all side, both front and back, the beard and the back, the face and the rear. He is afflicted. He is sent as it were into the firefight and surrounded on all sides. no scent to his own to bring comfort and salvation, his own do not receive him. And yet he goes nonetheless in an act of wholehearted obedience, revealing the love of the one who sent him as the perfect revelation of the maker of heaven and earth. Though surrounded on all sides, though suffering cruel and unjust torments, He is not without help. As we see here in verses 7 to 9 that the Lord vows to come to His aid. Just as the servant of the Lord is taught by God, so also is he saved by his God. As we considered last week, this servant has been sent on his secret mission to be the hidden arsenal of the Lord to defeat the forces of death and bring those glad tidings of comfort and joy to the nations. And so he enters into the cosmic arena as the representative of his people, as the one who, being called Israel, is the representative of Israel, to battle the forces of death on the playing field, And in the midst of this grisly battle, he is subjected to insult and injury. And in the midst of this violent conflict, we find and are assured that this conflict will not lead to ultimate defeat. Not for the servant, though it will spell certain doom for death itself. For the joy that is set before him, the servant endures the suffering and the shame. And he sets his face like flint in a costly obedience to the Lord who sent him. As we saw in chapter 49 last week, despite the despair and the apparent loss in the face of a violent conflict, we see here that the servant is still delivered by none other than the Lord himself because he put his hope in the Lord. find that the Lord not only delivers His servant, but He vindicates him. If verse 6 hints at physical abuse on the open streets and verses 7 to 9, it attests to the suffering under the weight of malicious and false accusations in the court of law. Notice the courtroom language here as he speaks of the lawsuit that's brought against him, those who would seek to contend with him before the righteous judge Yet even before the servant is vindicated, he rests confident that his vindication will prove true. For he has obeyed the Lord wholeheartedly, perfectly. He has not recoiled from what the Lord has instructed him to do. Verse 9, he who will vindicate me approaches, he draws near. Who could ever contest with the judge of all the earth? As I have been sent by the judge of the earth, the servant says. To do what is right to bring true justice to the nations. If I have obeyed the voice of the Lord fully, who can contend with me? Who can find any wrong doing in me? The servant has rendered such wholehearted obedience to the Lord, regardless of how the world would scorn him for doing so. this servant fears God and not man. On account of this wholehearted obedience, despite the false accusations in the human courts, the servant knows he'll be vindicated. He knows that he will be justified in the heavenly courts above." And so, resting assured that he will be justified, knowing that he will stand acquitted. He suffers unjustly at the hands of his accusers. He does not retaliate. He does not respond and retaliate with blow for blow or insult for insult. He does not respond vindictively or bitterly. As we'll see in the next song, he is led like a lamb to the slaughter. He doesn't even open his mouth. He is one without vindictiveness. He is one without bitterness, though he himself has suffered great harm and wrongdoing. But now the servant addresses his accusers. He says, if God is for me, if the one who justifies me, the one who will vindicate me draws near, who could ever stand against me? Do you wish to bring a charge against me? If it is God who justifies, then give it your best shot. servant feels no need to justify himself, because he knows that the Lord will justify him. And so he sees no need to defend himself against his false accusers, for he knows that the Lord, the righteous judge, has drawn near to affirm and vindicate his innocence. In a word, the servant is saying, let the heavenly tribunal decide. And so amidst the insults and the scourge, he continues to entrust himself to the one who judges in perfect justice. The servant's foes may have all the earthly power in their hand, but it is only for a moment. Soon the tables will turn. The Lord will enter into judgment with the servant's adversaries. How interesting it is the way in which the servant speaks of the fate of his enemies. You see that there in verse 11. Just as the psalmist speaks of, I'm sorry, verse nine, I believe. Verse nine, I'm sorry. Just as the psalmist speaks of the fate of the old creation, you think of Psalm 102. says the heavens will one day pass away and. We're out like your favorite old college hoodie. Gets tattered, worn out one day, the best thing to do for that old college hoodie that you've worn for years and years is simply to throw it in the garbage can. Psalm 102 speaks of the old creation on the day of the Lord's return, that day of final judgment that will wear out and pass away. And in the same, using that same language here, Isaiah's servant attests to that same fate of his foes. They will wear out and be tossed into the hamper. Isaiah will speak of that same thing in the following chapter. If you look over, chapter 51, verse 6. Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look at the earth beneath, for the heavens vanish like smoke and the earth will wear out like a garment. They who dwell in it will die in like manner. But my salvation will be forever and my righteousness will never be dismayed. servant comes to annul man's covenant with death and bring light to the nations, and with it he brings an end to death. And yet we find as that new world that he comes to usher his people into occurs, he says that his adversaries will not be part of this new creation. The servant comes to inaugurate a new world in a realm where his adversaries will not remain. Like tattered garments, they will simply not be. They cannot endure. And so here in this final section, the servant turns to address his own as he gives a particular call to those, to anyone who would hear him. In these final two verses, the servant essentially says, which path will you choose? First, he addresses those who fear the Lord. He says, to those of you who fear the Lord, what will it be? How significant it is here that those who fear the Lord are declared to be the ones who heed the voice of the Lord's servant. These are not two different peoples. Look at that in verse 10. Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? It's the same people. In other words, if you fear the Lord, you will obey the voice of his servant. If you do not heed the word of the servant, then truly you do not fear the Lord. The servant comes as the perfect representative, the ambassador of the Lord God himself, and to refuse the words of the servant is to refuse the authority of God himself. In this third servant song, the servant has declared himself to be the perfect representative of the Lord, demonstrated in his wholehearted obedience, despite physical assault, despite false accusations. And it's demonstrated even further in his vindication. justification, his legal acquittal against the charges of his adversaries. Here the servant is proven to be the perfect reflection of the Lord who has sent him. And yet the servant now speaking Gives a rather startling image as he addresses those who fear the Lord. He says, do you fear the Lord? And yet those who fear the Lord, it seemed at this present juncture dwell in darkness and do not know what to do. They do not know where to go. They're waiting for a prophet to speak. One sent by the Lord to lead them out of darkness. as those dwelling in darkness wait for the light, for a path and a way forward. And the servant here speaks, essentially saying, follow my voice. Heed what it is that I tell you. Here are my words. Trust in the Lord. Do you dwell in darkness? Do you walk in darkness and have no light? Well, hear me. Here is the light. Trust in the Lord and listen to the voice of his servant. roll yourself into his loving arms. That is the meaning of the language here of trust we see in verse 10. It's this idea of entrusting oneself, rolling oneself over to the Father when you have nothing else that you know to do. The servant says, listen to me, for he has sent me to rescue you, to lead you into the way of life everlasting. If this servant of the Lord is the perfect disciple, then the disciples of the servant are to follow him in the path that he has trod, as the servant of the Lord is the pioneer and the trailblazer of the faith of his people. And yet we see a rather bleak contrast set before us between those who are awaiting the voice of the Lord who dwell in darkness with those who are living by the light of their own countenance and wisdom. Here a horrific alternative is set before them. The God-fearers might be trapped in darkness, but here the wicked are said to be men who walk in their own light. They, by all external circumstances, seem to be the men who have the answers, telling the people on the way forward in which they are to go. Quite literally, the Hebrew here reads that those men of verse 11, they gird themselves with torches, and in doing so, as it were, they will certainly be burned. Here are men who think they have the solution. They are reasoning according to their own sinful folly. They think that they have acquired the true path of freedom and liberty, yet they have failed to heed the voice of the servant. They're abiding by the light of their own counsel. That's the image that is being set before here. They have sought to walk according to the light of their own human ingenuity, rather than trusting in the Lord himself. And here the servant addresses him, says, you want to go that route? Fine, be that way. See where it takes you. If you gird yourselves with torches, you will set yourself ablaze. Like the flatterers, the liars, the gossips, and the slanderers of James 3, their tongue sets the world ablaze with unrighteousness. And here the servant says, if you walk by your own words rather than mine, your kindling will set you on fire, and a fire that cannot be quenched. As the servant has now been designated and appointed to judge them, those who brought false accusations against the servant. He, the servant, has now been appointed as the judge of heaven and earth, and now eternal torment will come from the servant's own hand. You see that in verse 11, where he speaks of the torment that they will endure, he says, this comes from my own hand. because the righteous one has now been qualified to be the judge of heaven and earth. In this third servant song, we are given an insight into the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the servant of the Lord. who though the only begotten son from eternity, he became man for us and our salvation, not only to deliver us from sin and death, but also to model for us the nature of true discipleship. Just as Christ himself was taught morning by morning by the Lord, so too he has set a model before us that God instructs us in the midst of ongoing personal communion with him. This reminds us of the nature of Christian discipleship. It is more than a philosophy. The path of discipleship is a way of life, one whereby the sinner is brought back into loving fellowship with father, son, and spirit. And here the Lord beckons to his people as he rouses us from our slumber, calling us to commune with him that we might minister the comfort of Christ to those around us. We will not be able, as the church, to give those words of comfort and joy apart from daily communion with the Lord. And here, Christ, as the servant of the Lord, he reminds us the nature of obedience, that it is costly. It is, in fact, an obedience unto death. Listen to the words of our Savior. He says, As we heard from 1 Peter 2 earlier this morning, that Christ died for us as our representative. but not only as our representative. He died for us, setting an example for how we should respond. For just as the world hated Christ, the world hates the body of Christ. And so Christ models for us what does it actually look like to undergo unjust suffering? How is it that we should live The church should expect suffering. The church should not be surprised by it. The church should prepare for it. But the church does not respond by taking up arms. The church does not respond by going on Twitter and issuing vindictive pronunciations. The church responds in the same manner that Jesus responded. When the fully obedient, perfect Son of God, without sin, when He was unjustly, maliciously accused, He never responded vindictively or bitterly, but continued entrusting Himself to the Father. Anyone who has suffered unjustly for any reason knows how disorienting it can be to suffer unjustly. You don't know the right way to go. You don't know what to do. You feel like the cause of righteousness requires you to say something. And there are times and places in which we are required to speak up, but here we find the model set before us and how we would respond when we are maliciously maligned. As Christ the servant speaks to us in his word here, saying simply this to follow me, Christ, the perfect disciple, suffering unjustly, did not retaliate, and so now he calls us to take up our cross and act in the same manner. Our Savior, who was once insulted, beat, spit upon, humiliated, falsely accused, yet never retaliated, never grew embittered, and even with his dying breath prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, sets for us an example of what it looks like to love a world that hates us. The son was commanded to do so. He never shrank back from his father's command to trust him and to continue to serve with all humility and to continue to speak those words of comfort to those who've been broken and battered by the fall. Here, Christ shows us what it means to walk the path of righteousness. To this you also have been called, Peter writes. As we are called to walk where he has walked, in a manner, the same manner in which he walked, as servants of the Most High God, may we be strengthened by Christ who died for us, as he has called us to live unto him. Let us pray. Gracious God and Fathers, we consider the obedience of your Son as our great representative. We ask that in contemplating Christ, we would be conformed to the image of Christ, that by your spirit, we too would learn what it means to obey you from the heart, as we need great help in doing so, because we obey imperfectly. We thank you for the perfect righteousness of Christ that is alone all of our righteousness, and ask that you would strengthen us for the days ahead. We ask in Christ's name, amen.