\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Isaiah 49:1-9<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. Several passages in the latter part of Isaiah discuss the role that a person, referred to as\n“My Servant,” would accomplish on behalf of God.\n A. As we read through the passages, we need to keep in mind that Isaiah was written\nbefore the Babylonian captivity – over 700 years before Jesus walked on this\nearth.\n
B. Remember this as we consider the details of these prophecies.<\/p>\n
II. Isaiah 42:1-4<\/p>\n A. It is not the mighty rulers and kings whom God upholds, chooses, delights in, or\nputs His spirit upon.\n
B. God has selected a servant.<\/p>\n
1. When Jesus was baptized, God proclaimed his pleasure – Matthew 3:17<\/p>\n
2. Later in Jesus’ ministry, God continued his support – Matthew 17:5<\/p>\n
C. God sent the Spirit upon Jesus – John 1:32-34<\/p>\n
1. Jesus confirmed what was witnessed – Luke 4:18-19<\/p>\n D. After healing a man on the Sabbath, the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus – Matthew\n12:14-21\n
1. Jesus withdrew rather than confront the Pharisees at this time.<\/p>\n
2. Many followed and were healed.<\/p>\n
3. Despite his popularity, Jesus asked for anonymity.<\/p>\n 4. Jesus was not looking to rule the people but to serve them. He did not\ncome in the form of a conqueror.\n
E. Jesus had compassion on the people – Matthew 9:36<\/p>\n 1. He did not crush men who stood in his way, nor did he quench the zeal of\nthose around him – Matthew 11:28-30\n
2. What a contrast to the rulers of Jesus’ day and even to this today <\/p>\n
a. Matthew 23:2-4 – They burden those they rule.<\/p>\n
F. He would face difficulties that would not overcome him – Isaiah 42:4<\/p>\n
G. His mission was to reach the Gentiles with justice – Isaiah 42:4,6<\/p>\n 1. In Matthew 12:21 – It said the Gentiles (the coastlands) would find hope in\nJesus\n 2. As prophecied to Abraham, all nations would be blessed through the\nMessiah – Genesis 22:18\n
III. Isaiah 49:1-10<\/p>\n
A. These verses are presented from the view of God’s servant.<\/p>\n
B. As in the previous, the Gentiles are called to listen – Isaiah 49:1, 6<\/p>\n
C. To simply restore Israel was too small of a task for this servant<\/p>\n
1. A portion of Israel would be restored (saved) – Romans 11:1-7<\/p>\n
2. He was to be a light to the nations<\/p>\n
a. It started as a light to Israel – Matthew 4:12-17<\/p>\n
b. But it was a light that shone to all men – John 1:4-5, 9<\/p>\n D. Notice in Isaiah 49:8 that the servant would be given as a covenant for the people\n– Matthew 26:26-29\n
1. This implied the establishment of a new covenant – Hebrews 9:16<\/p>\n 2. The Old Covenant was established with the death of animals – Hebrews\n9:19-20\n 3. The New Covenant was established by Christ’s own blood – Hebrews\n10:9-10\n
E. Again we are given hints that the Servant’s way would not be easy<\/p>\n 1. Isaiah 49:4, 7 – He labored apparently for nothing. He was despised and\nabhorred.\n 2. When Jesus cast out demons, the people in the region asked him to move\non – Matthew 8:28-34\n
3. While he taught, the religious leaders scoffed at him – Luke 16:14<\/p>\n
4. He was taunted even as he was being killed – Mark 15:29-32<\/p>\n
F. All would be done at a favorable time – Isaiah 49:8<\/p>\n
1. At the fullness of time, God sent his son – Galatians 4:3-5<\/p>\n 2. God knew exactly what He was doing. The perfect time was selected. Now\nis the time for salvation – II Corinthians 6:1-2\n
IV. Isaiah 50:4-10<\/p>\n A. All servants of God have faced difficulties in accomplishing their mission. God’s\nspecial servant would be no different.\n
B. He would face difficulties, but he would not be deterred.<\/p>\n
1. He would not run like Jonah – Jonah 1:3<\/p>\n
2. He would remain obedient – Hebrews 5:7-9<\/p>\n
3. It was Jesus who taught us to rejoice in persecution – Matthew 5:10-12<\/p>\n
C. The persecution was not just in words, but in physical beatings – Matthew 26:67-68; 27:26-31<\/p>\n
D. Endurance was given to God’s servant because God was with him.<\/p>\n 1. Ultimately he was vindicated when God raised him from the dead –\nRomans 1:3-4\n
V. The longest discussion of God’s servant appears in Isaiah 52:13-53:12<\/p>\n
A. The number of details concerning the life of Christ and his death is staggering.<\/p>\n
B. God’s servant is a study in contrasts<\/p>\n
1. He would be highly exalted – Isaiah 52:13<\/p>\n
2. And yet despised – Isaiah 53:3<\/p>\n
3. He would astonish the people – Isaiah 52:14; Matthew 7:28-29<\/p>\n
4. Yet his appearance would be marred – Isaiah 52:14; 53:2-5; Psalm 22:6-8<\/p>\n
5. His words would stop the mouths of kings – Isaiah 52:15; Matthew 22:46<\/p>\n
6. But he would not speak in his own defense – Isaiah 53:7; John 19:6-11<\/p>\n
7. He would be cut off – Isaiah 53:8<\/p>\n
8. Yet he would live long and see his offspring – Isaiah 53:10; Romans 6:9-10; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:5<\/p>\n 9. He would be great, but numbered with the transgressors – Isaiah 53:12;\nMark 15:27-28; Philippians 2:7-9\n
VI. Jesus was God’s servant, who came to serve and though his service has come to rule<\/p>\n
A. He came that you and I might gain the riches of salvation – II Corinthians 8:9<\/p>\n
B. Will you not accept Jesus this day as your Savior and obey God’s Servant?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 49:1-9 I. Several passages in the latter part of Isaiah discuss the role that a person, referred to as “My Servant,” would accomplish on behalf of God. A. As we read through the passages, we need to keep in mind that Isaiah was written before the Babylonian captivity…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[795,73,54,169,574],"class_list":["post-45961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-isaiah","tag-jesus","tag-obedience","tag-prophecy","tag-service"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":89583,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-servant-israel-or-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":45961,"position":0},"title":"My Servant: Israel or Jesus?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton The skeptic claims: \"Christian interpretations emerged over the centuries, often distorting the original meanings by selectively quoting verses and overlooking the nuances of Hebrew grammar. For example, in Isaiah 49:3, the servant is explicitly identified as \"Israel.\" Here, the skeptic took a verse out of its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89530,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/skeptic-reexamining-isaiah-and-other-biblical-texts\/","url_meta":{"origin":45961,"position":1},"title":"Skeptic: Reexamining Isaiah and Other Biblical Texts","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Quote: \"Likewise, Isaiah is not a solitary author crafting messianic predictions. It is a composite work, consisting of First Isaiah (8th century BCE), Deutero-Isaiah (6th century BCE), and Trito-Isaiah (5th century BCE), each shaped by the political landscape of Assyrian and Babylonian influence. The \"Suffering Servant\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38167,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-living-intercessor\/","url_meta":{"origin":45961,"position":2},"title":"The Living Intercessor","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Hebrews 7:11-25 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The need for an intercessor \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fear \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Have you ever been so nervous that you said, \u201cI can\u2019t talk to him! You go and talk to him.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Exodus 19:14-20 - When the people met the Lord God, it was a frightening\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63754,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-jesus-marveled\/","url_meta":{"origin":45961,"position":3},"title":"When Jesus Marveled (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Matthew 8:5-13 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Even the seemingly small things within the Bible are significant. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I find it puzzling that people claim that the Bible is inspired, as we are told in II Timothy 3:16-17, but then turn around and want to modify it. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47026,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-is-the-temple-called-a-house-of-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":45961,"position":4},"title":"Why is the Temple called a house of prayer?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can you tell me what the phrase \"house of prayer\" means from Matthew 21:13?\u00a0 Is this word used as a synecdoche or is it meant to mean literal \"prayer?\"\u00a0 If prayer was not the only thing they did at the temple, could this word have been used to mean\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63095,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/new-heavens-and-a-new-earth\/","url_meta":{"origin":45961,"position":5},"title":"New Heavens and a New Earth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 65:17-25 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A frequent mistake made in reading the Scriptures is to recognize the meaning of a phrase in one area of the Bible and then assume that the phrase has the same meaning everywhere it is used. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0An example of this is found\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45961\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}