Isaiah 42:5-6 – A Powerful Pledge – Bible study

Isaiah 42:5-6 A Powerful Pledge Without any doubt, this chapter is a prophecy from God the Father about the Son, Jesus Christ. Notice what the Father says of the Son: \#1\ He called Him "my servant," "mine elect," the One "in whom my soul delighteth." \#2\ The Father described Jesus earthly behavior. a. He would not cry or even lift up his voice in the streets. b. The Lord was saying that Jesus will not be loud or pushy in telling the world who He is. c. Jesus would present Himself meekly and humbly. \#3\ Jesus gentleness was foretold. a. He would not so much as break an already damaged reed (water weed). b. Neither would Jesus put out a smoking flax (candle wick). \#4\ The Father told us that Jesus wont quit until Hes finished. \#5\ The Father prepared to make a solemn pledge by basing it upon His holy nature and power. a. God referred to Himself as the Creator who stretched out all that is and gave life and a soul to the people. \#6\ Then the Father made a pledge to the Son. He said that He would a. Call or insure the Sons righteousness. b. Hold the Sons hand throughout His earthly journey. c. Keep the Son in all things. d. And use the Son to provide a new covenant to the Jews and give a light to Gentiles. Amen and glory! It is as if we are standing in the inner sanctum of Gods throne room hearing the thoughts and commitments of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. This is God describing the Son and His commitment to Him. But you may ask, "What has this to do with me?" Actually, nothingat least not directly in this chapter. However, I believe the Father has made the same commitment to you that He made to the Son. Granted, I cannot prove it, but I think it is so. Assuming that I am correct, lets notice what God is promising to do for us. I. \#5\ "I, the Lord, have called thee in righteousness" A. God was promising to call Jesus for a righteousness purpose to do a righteous thing. 1. Since Jesus is God and completely holy, that call was easy for God to complete with Jesus. 2. However, getting you and me to a place of righteous is a much bigger task. 3. How does God do that? God does somethingone thingfor every human being and if we respond correctly, God does another and if we respond correctly to that one, He does another, and so onuntil we are made righteous. B. What does God do? 1. Godin His graceissues us the call of salvation. Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, a. Notice what God said there. b. Histhe grace that brings salvationappears to ALL men. c. Gods grace means Gods work on us and through us. d. So Gods graceor His workthat brings salvation, appears to everyone at least once. e. The fact that God issues you the call of salvation means two things: (1) It means that God wants you to be saved. (2) It means that you can be saved if you will. f. Now understand, that grace alone is not enough to save a person. (1) There must also be knowledge. (2) God may burden the heart about the need of salvation but that will do little good unless some human being takes the gospel to that person so that he will know what to do with his sin. Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (3) This is why it is so important that we take the gospel to every creature as quickly and as often as we can. (4) We do not know when Gods grace is going to appear to our friend, family member, co-worker, or the stranger down the street! (5) But when that grace comes by, we want to be there with the truth about Jesus Christ. g. Friend, is the grace that brings salvation appearing to you right now? If so, you need to respond. h. It takes the call of salvation to get a person to righteousness for there is no righteousness without salvation. i. But while salvation gives us righteousness, we must continue on to another calling if we are to reach our goal of perpetual righteousness. j. And if we respond correctly to Gods call of salvation, God does something else. 2. Godin His gracecall us to sanctification. a. Sanctification is a Bible word that few understand. b. Sanctification is to be separated from sin and dedicated to God. c. You have to be saved for God to sanctify you, but if you get saved, God immediately issues you a call to depart from sin and give yourself to Him. d. Listen to a few of the times God did it in the Bible. 1Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 1John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. e. You can mark it down that if God is repeatedly writing this in the Scriptures, He is most certainly going to be speaking to you about it through the Holy Ghost. f. So what does all of this mean? It means to stay righteous, the Christian must turn away from sin and to God. g. And then, there is a third calling. 3. God-in His grace-issues the call to service. a. I will not say much about this right now because the fourth promise that the Father made to the Son deals with how God would use Him. b. However, I will say that surrendering to Gods service is an important step to achieving the righteousness that God has created us to achieve. c. God did not create us to do nothing or to live for ourselves. d. God created us to serve Him. 4. Godin His graceissues the call to glorification. a. Glorification will occur when we stand sinless, completely remade in the image of Jesus Christ. b. For the believer, this is not a condition calling; that is, it is not dependent upon your sanctification. c. The truth is that all Christians will one day be glorified. Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. d. On this day, the believer shall receive his last call to righteousness for glorification is both a final and an eternal step in righteousness. II. "and will hold thine hand" A. There can be no doubt what God was saying to the Son and to us when He described holding our hands. 1. Why? 2. Because the Father goes on to explain it. Isaiah 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. B. Question: Did the Father hold the Sons hand? 1. Yes, He did. a. Someone would say, "But the Sonhanging on the crosscried out, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? b. Yes, there had to be a separation between the Father and the Son as the Son took the sins of the world upon Himself for that is why the Son came into the world. 2. But except for that time period, the Father held the Sons hand. a. At the baptism, when God called out, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," God was holding the Sons hand. b. On the Mount of Transfiguration, when God called out, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him," God was holding the Sons hand. c. Through every miracle Jesus performed, God was holding the Sons hand. d. Through every deliverance the Father provided for the Son, the Father was holding the Sons hand. e. When in the garden, God sent angels to minister to the Son, God was holding the Sons hand. f. And on the third day, when the angel descended, the earth shook, the soldiers fainted, the rock rolled, and the Son arose, God was holding the Sons hand. C. Just as the Father comforted the Son, so He comforts His earthly children. 1. I am afraid you and Ilike the Sonhave some sorrows that we must pass through. 2. However, unlike the Son, there will never be a day when God will ever let go of our hands! 3. In our greatest sorrows, our greatest tragedieseven as we endure the repercussion of our greatest mistakes if you have come to Christ, God will hold your hand! III. "and will keep thee" A. The Father kept the Son. 1. Some fear the Father will cast them away because they sin. 2. Have you ever considered that Jesus took every sinners sin upon Him? 3. Every hideous, horrible, sickening sin. 4. But the Father didnt cast the Son away. 5. He kept Him just like He promised. B. By the way, the Father will keep you too. John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 6:27 everlasting life. 1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which hath begotten us 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are KEPT by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. C. God does not promise to keep His from going through the trials of this world, but He does promise to keep us while in the trail of this world. IV. "and give thee" A. The context is Jesus being given to two groups of people. 1. The Jews as a fulfillment to first covenant and as a Sacrifice to begin the second covenant. 2. The Gentiles as a light of salvation. B. Hence, giving here means to use. 1. God gave Jesus in the sense that God used what Jesus did. 2. What Jesus did was not to be for nothing. C. If you are in Christ, God promises to use you too. 1. He will use you to fulfill the promises He has already made. 2. And He will use you to be a light to others. a. A light of His saving grace. b. A light of His goodness, mercy, and love. c. A light to help others – the lost, widows, orphans, the homeless, the sick, the confused, the lonely. There are the promises the Father made to the Son, but what the Father has promised to the Son, I believe, He has also promised to us It starts by heeding to that first call, the call of salvation. Would you trust Jesus as your Savior today? Closing: The famous Christian poetess, Francis Ridley Havergal, lay on her death bed. She asked a friend to read her Scripture. The text selected was Isaiah 42. When the friend finished reading these verses, she stopped her, saying, "Called, held, kept, and used. Well, I will just go Home on that." And she did go home on that.