From the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you join us today as we spend time around the Word of God, preaching Christ in all his fullness to men and women in all their need. Oh Rhyme in, rhyme in, rhyme in, rhyme in, Rhyme, O Savior, King of kings! Well, we do welcome you to our service tonight. We're glad that you're here. We thank you for joining with us in the name of our savior, Jesus Christ. We're going to open in a word of prayer and we'll ask for the Lord's help as we come to worship him and to meet around his word. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee that we come before Thee tonight to meet in Thy presence, to worship and praise Thee and to consider Thy precious truth. And Father, we thank Thee for the privilege that we have. We thank Thee for the freedom and the liberty that we have to do so. Father, we pray that you will help us to tune our hearts even into that praise, that attitude of worship of thee. And Father, as we come to thy word, that thou would be pleased to give us that attentive heart. Remember thy servant as he would come later on to minister. And we pray that all things will be done for your glory and for your praise in Jesus' precious name. Amen. We're going to read from Isaiah chapter 42. Isaiah chapter 42, commencing our reading at the verse number one. Behold, my servant whom I uphold, mine elect, and whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth, and the aisles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens and stretched them out, he that spread forth the earth and that which cometh out of it. he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. I, the Lord, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to grieving images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare, before they spring forth, I tell you of them. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the isles and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kadar doth inhabit. Let the inhabitants of the rock sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord and declare his praise in the islands. Amen. I'm going to sing another hymn. There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus. ♪ Holy Jesus, Lord of all, Lord of all ♪ ♪ Lord, everything is fine at your will ♪ ♪ Lord of all, Lord of all ♪ ♪ I liberate this green land from evil ♪ ♪ Lord of all, Lord of all ♪ ♪ He will guide till the day is done ♪ ♪ There's none who can like the Lord be Jesus ♪ ♪ No, not one, no, not one ♪ ♪ There's none in all that is God-nearest ♪ ♪ No, not one, no, not one, no, not one ♪ ♪ No, not one, no, not one ♪ ♪ Jesus knows all about our struggles ♪ ♪ We look up to his love ♪ ♪ There's a friend like no other in Jesus ♪ ♪ No, not one, no, not one ♪ ♪ Lord of all, Lord of all ♪ ♪ Go now on, go now on ♪ ♪ Wash your face like the Savior will go ♪ ♪ Go now on, go now on ♪ I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Reverend McVeigh for leading the meeting, for singing, and for reading the scriptures as well. And as you turn to Isaiah chapter 42, we're mindful that these few chapters back in the chapter 40 as well, it opens with the words, comfort ye, comfort ye my people. And we find even in the chapter 41, It begins with a desire in the heart of the prophet to see the people strengthened. And so we can draw these three chapters together, as it were, and we can view them from the eye of Isaiah, that he's seeking to encourage, and he's seeking to uplift the saints of God. He's seeking to uplift the Jews that are found in this particular account, and they're found in the place of exile there in the land of Babylon. And the idea in the heart of Isaiah is to stir up their confidence. He wants to encourage them. He wants to assure them that God's promise will be fulfilled, that there will be that deliverance for his people. And in so doing, Isaiah the prophet is speaking in a historical sense. He is directing them to the coming of a king called Cyrus in a future day that will allow them to be delivered from Babylon and go back to their home city of Jerusalem. someone that will bring them out of their bondage. And while we look at these verses, that is their primary purpose, yet we are reminded that even within these texts of Scripture, we have that looking forth to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have that greater picture in mind, that greater deliverer, that one, the Messiah, that one, the Son of God, who had come on a future day there to fulfill that plan and that work of redemption. And so for a few moments, I want to draw your attention this evening to the words that are found in the verse 3 of this chapter. There we read, a bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. And as we look at these verses, or this text of Scripture, I want you just to bear in mind that it speaks to us and brings to our attention one who is a compassionate God. As we think upon this little text of Scripture here, there perhaps are a number of questions that come to your mind. That first question perhaps may be, who is this verse speaking about? It says there, a bruised reed, shall he not break? Who is the he that is referred to in this text? Well, in the opening verse of the chapter, we read, behold my servant. And there, that word servant is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's referring to that one who is the Son of God. The use of that word behold indicates that you and I, we are to look at, we are to address, we are to focus upon the Lord Jesus Christ. As we look at the scripture, we find that this was the command given in the New Testament. We think of the words of John the Baptist, that great preacher. There, as he addressed the multitudes round about him, he said in John 1, verse 29, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. There was that exhortation for men and women to look to the Lord Jesus Christ. As we meet together this evening, that truth has not changed. In our present day, it is still the desire that men and women would look to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He alone who can bring peace. It is He alone who can bring pardon. It is He alone who can bring... forgiveness of sins for men and women. Foolishly, there are many today, and they look to various things. When they're seeking peace, when they're seeking hope, they may look to religion, they may look to celebrities, they may look to self, but all of these things will be in vain. There is but one that can assist in all of these matters, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. As we think of the words of our Savior Himself, there on Matthew 11 and the verse 29, He said, And as we think of the Lord Jesus Christ, He is that greatest servant that we can see in the Scripture. He is that one that is drawn to attention. He is that servant who was there willing to suffer on the cross of Calvary for the sins of His people. A few chapters over in Isaiah chapter 53, on the verse 3, we see that fully displayed. There the prophet writes, he is despised and rejected of men, man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we esteemed him not. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was that suffering servant, that perfect servant, that one who was willing to go to give his life a ransom for the many. He was the guiltless one who there gave his life for the guilty. And for you and I that know the Lord is Savior, He is that servant that we ought to emulate. As we look at Christ, as we see Him illustrated in the Scripture, He is the one that we should seek to emulate in all that we do. As we look at this little text of Scripture, we're mindful of the one whom it's speaking about, speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ. But we notice also that thought may come to your mind, what is it speaking about? It says in that verse 3, a bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. And we find that Isaiah, like the Lord Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry, Isaiah was using the things of everyday life, those things that he viewed as he walked about, those things that he seen on a daily basis. He draws them into his writing here. He draws them in to encourage and to strengthen the hearts of the people at that time. He uses the picture of the reed. The reed was a calamus. It's a plant with that hollow stem. It used to be found at the side of the lakes of the rivers. The people were very familiar with it. They had saw the reeds. As they journeyed about, they noticed them there at the side of the river. In fact, we can still see them today. Then he makes mention not only of that reed, but he makes mention of a smoking flax. The flax is a reference to the wick that is found in the lamp. That wick in the lamp, when it is functioning properly, it's lit. It's giving illumination to those that are round about. But he uses the language here that it is that which is smoking. In other words, this is a wick. This is a flax that is not giving the light that it ought to give. Rather, it is producing smoke. It is in danger of being cast out by the owner and thrown to one side. As we think of the two items that are mentioned here, we're mindful that they're humble items. We think in Scripture of the trees, the trees that are mentioned, the cedar tree is spoken of, the fir tree is spoken of. They're renowned for their strength, they're renowned for their beauty. We think of King Solomon as he plans to construct the temple, and there he's looking at the cedar trees. He desires to have them because there is a beauty, there is a strength, there is a glory to them. However, when we think of the reed, that's not really the case. It's in a different category. As you and I think of the reed, we could describe it as a humble little plant. We could describe it as weak and fragile and brittle. How easily the reed can be broken by the wild beast. How easily it can be damaged even by the bird as it flies and lands perhaps upon it. While it's useful for its created purpose, it's not a plant that you and I would characterize as being strong. And yet as we think of the reed and the picture that is presented here, is it not a reminder of you and I as individuals? Is it not a reminder of you and I as human beings that while that reed is fragile, so we as individuals are fragile? The Lord Jesus Christ, in His earthly ministries, He spoke of John the Baptist. He described him in Matthew chapter 11 in the verse 7. He says, what went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind. And there he looks at this man, John the Baptist, and the Lord Jesus Christ describes him as a reed shaken by the wind. He takes this strong, spiritually strong man of God, strong in faith, strong in his devotion to God, and he describes him as a reed. There was that reminder that He was but flesh and blood. He was but a physical individual. And there again, it draws our attention to that truth, that you and I as individuals, we are but dust and ashes. We are those of little strength. We are of those that are feeble of body. This old earthen body, it's weak. It's easily damaged. Our lives, as we read the scripture, we're reminded, they hang but by a thread. The New Testament writer, James, in the chapter 4 and the verse 14, he says, what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. And as you and I think of that vapor, as we view the vapor, even as the cattle is boiled, there's nothing there. There's no power. There's no strength in it. And that's what our life is likened to, something that is feeble. Something that is very free, just like the reed that is pictured here. And dear friend, as we think upon these things, we need to bear that in mind in reality. We need to be mindful that we're not on this earth forever, that this old body in which we reside, that it can be broken, it can be damaged. We ought to be remembering that our lives are brief and that we need the strength and the help of God day by day. You notice also as we look at this verse, it speaks not merely of the reed, but it describes it in a very particular fashion. It speaks here of a reed that is bruised. This is a reed that has already obtained damage. This is a reed that is not as strong as it could be, and it's not your surroundings. That word bruising indicates that which is cracked, that which is crushed, that which is damaged. And again, we can draw that reference to you and I as individuals. We're reminded that mankind, as we look upon us in a spiritual light, has revealed in the Scripture that we are those that are damaged. Yes, this old body is weak physically, but as we look at the Scripture, it reminds us that we are polluted with sin. And we can draw a number of thoughts from this. We are reminded that men and women, by their natural birth, because of the fall, have sin in their hearts and lives. The Bible reminds us all of sin and comes short of the glory of God. And so as we look at life, as we find it in our present world today, sin is evident all around us. Indeed, as we speak of men and women, as we speak of society, we are prone to use terms such as broken lives, broken bodies, broken homes, broken marriages, and all of those things are an evidence of sin, that we reside in a fallen world. In such situations, they need external help. The prophet here has brought to attention that bruised reed. If that reed is to survive, it needs help. And so for men and women that reside in this world, men and women whose lives are polluted and corrupted with sin, they need external help. They need one to intervene. They need one to save them by a squeeze. They need one to lift them up. They need one to strengthen, one to encourage, one to bind them, and one to lead them and guide them day by day. So as we think of that, we're reminded of Christ. He is that one who in love and tenderness comes and has provided a way of salvation for fallen man. That individuals such as you and I, that we might be drawn out of that place of danger, that place of eternal destruction, and might be drawn into the family of God. As we look at the scripture, we see the Lord Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry. And time and again, He encountered those whose lives were broken. You think of old Zacchaeus, that tax collector. And there, as the Savior travels to Jericho, He meets him. Zacchaeus is up the tree, and He invites him down. He wants to speak to him. There is a man whose life has been dominated by money and the love of money. And we find that the Lord intervenes. He's changed. We think of the account of the man of Gadara, that individual who roamed amongst the tombs, a life that was broken, a life that was unrestrained, a life that was full of unhappiness and discontent. And once he encounters the Lord Jesus Christ, what a difference there is. We read it from there, as one that is found sitting clothed and in his right mind. And dear friend, today, dear sinner, we're reminded that no matter what condition you may be in spiritually, there's sin in your heart, that there is one who can help. There is one who has provided a way of salvation, and that is our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The good Samaritan, as he sought to assist the injured man, he did so merely with the oil and wine. But the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, He is one who calms. He can heal body and deal with the soul and deal with the flesh as well. He can deal with that individual and they become a new creature in Christ Jesus. By faith in His atoning blood, there's forgiveness of sins. There's grace and strength given for every day. He gives that invitation. In Isaiah 1, verse 18, he says, Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. As we look at this little verse, there is that reminder of those who are affected by sin. There's also that reminder of those whose lives have been hindered. Perhaps those that are cold, walking afar off from God. Perhaps here as we read, if that bruised reed, there is one and once he stood up well for the Lord, but they've allowed the things of this world to come in and to hinder their witness and to hinder their walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. They are, as it's termed here, that smoking flax. There's not the true light illuminating as there ought to have been. Rather, instead of a light coming, there is that smoke, and it hinders the true vision. And perhaps that's a reference to one who once walked well with the Lord. And our exhortation is that you come and get right with the Lord Jesus Christ. It may be that here, as we think of this thought of the bruised reed, it reminds us as well of those that are going through that time of affliction. That individual who is a child of God and yet they're bruised and battered by the trials and tribulations of this present world. There's uncertainty, there's anxiety, there's difficulties, there's sickness, there's disease, there's hardship, there's bereavement. All of those things have come in and they feel battered and bruised. And there is that thought perhaps in their mind, how can I stick this? How can I survive? How can I endure such things? And again, there is that reminder in this verse that there is comfort. Perhaps there is another thought here for that one who is young in the faith, and they're looking forward. They've come to faith in Christ, and they're wondering, how will I face the future? How will I do in the days that lie ahead? There is that reminder again that that bruised reed is not broken. Just as the gardener will take the rod and he will use it to sustain the peas to keep them straight. Just as he will take the rod and tie it alongside the young sapling to strengthen and to encourage us to keep it straight. And so we have that thought here of the God of heaven coming alongside His people. Well, as we look at this verse, there are so many truths and so many thoughts, and yet we are reminded of that compassionate God, that one who comes alongside those who are sick in their sin, that one who comes alongside that needy saint, that one that comes alongside that individual who is wayward, lovingly and tenderly draws them back in to the fold of God. We think of that one, as we've mentioned, who's suffering. That one who has perhaps experienced it even as Job did, that loss of family and business and those things around about. Perhaps even as Mary and Martha, and we see them grieving the loss of their brother Lazarus. The Bible reminds us that God is not unmindful of your situation. God is one to whom you can cry. God is one who hears the pleas, the petitions, the cries of his people. As we look at these verses here, we're reminded that there is hope. There is a hope spoken of. It's a wonderful text. It reveals to you and I the frailty of human life. It reveals to you and I our inability to walk and to live a right before God without His grace and His help. It reminds us there how through the circumstances of life we may be drawn low, but yet we're reminded that the Savior draws near. He will not take that smoke and flax and dispose of it. Instead, by His Holy Spirit, He rekindles that love for Him. He stirs up that heart and that soul. He draws their attention afresh to the cross of Calvary. He directs them to that One who is the Lamb of God. As we think of the words that are found there in the book of Ezekiel, in the chapter 34, in the verse 16, we read, I will seek that which was lost, bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which is broken, and will strengthen that which was sick. That's what Christ will do for His people. That's what our God will do. Dear friend, today, as you listen in even to these words, if you fall into one of these categories, be reminded there is a compassionate Savior, one who has provided a way of salvation, one who can cleanse, one who can wash you, one who can purge you from your sin, and one who comes alongside to strengthen and encourage His people. There again in Isaiah 61, we read those words. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives. And our prayer is for each one, even today, that you might know that liberty, that strength, that grace, that help that is to be found in our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's just close in a word of prayer. Our loving God and gracious heavenly Father, we thank and praise you that there is one to whom we can turn. We thank you, Lord, that there is one who is interested in his people. There in times of trial, in times of trouble, in times of difficulty, we can lift our eyes onto that one who is the author and the finisher of our faith, onto that God who is interested in sinful fallen man, onto that God who is interested in his people, in all of their trials and all of their troubles. Our Father God, our prayer is that for each one, that they would turn their eyes upon Jesus, that they would look full in His wonderful face and would know that love and that grace and that tender compassion that is to be found in our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. For we ask all these things in our Savior's name. Amen. Thank you for spending some time with us today around the Word of God. For further information visit our website at ltbs.tv. We look forward to joining with you next time as we seek to let the Bible speak once again.