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You may turn in your Bibles to 
the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 49 to be specific. Taking one 
more week from our exposition in the Minor Prophets, and God 
willing we'll return to Zechariah next week. I wanted to look at 
what's called the Second Servant Song. of the prophet Isaiah. There are four songs, four passages 
in the prophet that speak specifically concerning the servant of the 
Lord, which is Jesus Christ. Those servant songs are found 
in Isaiah 42, verses 1-9. Isaiah 49, 1-13, which we'll 
look at this evening. Isaiah 50, verses 4-11. And then perhaps the one that 
is most familiar to us in Isaiah 52.12, through 53.12, that passage 
that deals with the substitutionary atoning death of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Well, Isaiah 49, I'll begin reading 
in verse 1. Listen, O 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. And He has made my mouth like 
a sharp sword. In the shadow of His hand He 
has hidden me and made me a polished shaft. In His quiver He has hidden 
me. And He said to me, You are my 
servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I 
have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for 
nothing and in vain. Yet surely my just reward is 
with the Lord and my work with my 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. For I shall 
be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my 
strength." 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. I will also give you 
as a light to the Gentiles that you should be my salvation to 
the ends of the earth. Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer 
of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him 
whom the nation abhors, to the servant of rulers. Kings shall 
see and arise. Princes also shall worship because 
of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, and He 
has chosen you. Thus says the Lord, 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, that you may say to the prisoners, go 
forth. To those who are in darkness, 
show yourselves. They shall feed along the roads, 
and their pastures shall be on all desolate heights. They shall 
neither hunger nor thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them. 
For he who has mercy on them will lead them. Even by the springs 
of water He will guide them. I will make each of My mountains 
a road, and My highways shall be elevated. Surely these shall 
come from afar. Look, those from the north and 
the west, and these from the land of Sinai. Sing, O heavens, 
be joyful, O earth, and break out in singing, O mountains, 
for the Lord has comforted His people and will have mercy on 
His afflicted. Amen. Well, if you do any reading 
outside of the Bible, any modern Christian literature, you will 
have seen the term missional used quite frequently within 
the last several years. To be missional means to be mindful 
of the people around. to seek to be a missionary within 
your neighborhoods, to be evangelistic, and all those sorts of things. 
Well, I read something a few months ago that the churches 
that speak the most about being missional have forgotten global 
missions. In other words, we should think 
about those in our neighborhoods, we should think about those in 
our cities, but we really should think about those in the other 
parts of the world. And that's not typical only for 
some within evangelicalism, but it's probably true of us also. 
We get into ruts. We stop thinking globally. Very 
often we're just plain outright selfish. We look no further than 
to our own current situation, our own current needs, what we 
may be going through. Well, Isaiah 49, in the second 
servant's song, calls us to consider missions. It calls us to consider 
the cause of Jesus Christ throughout the earth. And I want to bring 
this message to us tonight so that we'll have a renewed vigor 
in our prayer for those missionaries that we sponsor, for those men 
that are laboring in the Word and Doctrine in other parts of 
the world, that you will take an active interest in what's 
going on throughout the earth, that you will pray for countries, 
that you will pray for the persecuted church, that you will pray for 
those who have been set apart and equipped by churches to go 
forth and to plant churches in foreign lands, to go where it 
is oftentimes difficult to go, to leave the comforts perhaps 
of the world that we are accustomed to with all of the amenities 
and all of the blessings, to leave all that behind and to 
go to a nation where you're not well received, where it is very 
tough and very difficult. Well, we need to pray for people. 
We need to be mindful. We need to be conscious, not 
only of missionalism within our own cities and our own people 
groups, but we need to be mindful of global missions. We need to 
be thinking in terms of Christ's Kingdom. We need to be thinking 
in terms of the big picture. Remember this morning in Galatians 
1.5. We see that the redemptive plan 
is according to the will of God. We are part of a much larger 
whole. And I find this to be a great 
antidote to our selfishness, and to our introspection, and 
to our me-centeredness. We need to lift up our eyes. 
We need to behold the fields white unto harvest. We need to 
realize that the kingdom of Jesus Christ is far more extensive 
than what is represented in this room. And this second servant 
song of Isaiah certainly functions in that capacity. It promotes 
in our understanding a big Christ and a big mission that He is 
on. And I hope as well that you will 
take seriously Isaac Watts' hymn. We sang it in 271. It ought to be a part of our 
prayer life. To pray, pity the nations, O 
our God, constrain the earth to come. Send Thy victorious 
Word abroad and bring the strangers home. We need to be others-minded, 
others-oriented, and the prayer closet will certainly reflect 
this commitment to the Bible and to the goal of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Well, there are three main portions 
in the section that we read. There is, first of all, the call 
of the servant in verses 1 to 3. There is, secondly, the mission 
of the servant in verses 4 to 12. And then, of course, a doxology. We saw this this morning in verse 
5 of Galatians 1. After considering the redemptive 
plan of God, Paul is led to praise and to honor God. Well, the same 
is true with Isaiah. As he considers the redemptive 
plan of God and the function of the servant of the Lord, it 
leads him to call upon the heavens, to call upon the earth, to break 
out in singing mountains. And there is a reason given, 
and it is gospel-oriented, for the Lord has comforted His people 
and will have mercy on His afflicted. Notice, first of all, the call 
of the servant. This is a universal declaration. Sometimes in the church, we think 
our Lord Jesus is sort of a ghetto deity. He's only the God of the 
church. Well, that's simply not the case. 
Jesus Christ reigns. and rules at the right hand of 
God Most High. Jesus Christ has authority, all 
authority, in heaven and on earth. The Lord Jesus Christ exercises 
sovereign rule and sovereign reign over things seen and unseen, 
over those who submit to His will and those who do not submit 
to His will. It's not as if the atheist or 
the humanist or the secularist somehow doesn't have to listen 
to the things concerning Christ. Notice in verse 1, Listen, O 
close lands, to me, and take heed, you peoples from afar. That ought to be the heartbeat 
of the church of Jesus Christ, issuing that summons to the coastlands 
and to the peoples afar. You need to take heed to the 
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to give attention to 
the servant of the Lord. You need to pay attention to 
what God has communicated or revealed to humanity. This song 
highlights the servant's relationship to the nations of the earth. 
When we get to the book of Revelation, we'll see that the Lamb's mission 
involved men from every tribe and tongue and people in Asia. 
The Lord Jesus Christ is concerned for this world. God did so love 
the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That doesn't mean 
that every single human being in the world is going to be saved, 
but the world system, God actually cares about it. We as Christians 
ought to actually care about it. We really should pray. We 
really should be concerned that men hear the Gospel. That men 
give heed to the Gospel. If it's not us that can go to 
these foreign lands, it's us that can pray them into these 
foreign lands. And brethren, this text calls 
us to consider this. Notice secondly, the identification 
of the servant. Verses 1B to 2. There are three 
things the prophet asserts. The first is that he would be 
a man. The servant of the Lord, the champion of Israel, would 
in fact be a man. Notice, the Lord has called me 
from the womb, from the matrix of my mother, He has made mention 
of my name. Their Deliverer, their Savior, 
as the prophet is prophesying in the 7th century B.C., would 
come from the Virgin's womb, Isaiah 7.14. He would be the 
One that Isaiah prophesied concerning in Isaiah 9. He would be a Son 
given unto us. The government would be laid 
upon His shoulders. His name would be Wonderful Counselor. 
His name would be Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting 
Father. They were supposed to be looking 
forward to the God-man who would come in the fullness of the times 
to save His people from their sins. So this highlights the 
incarnation, or at least captures the reality that our Redeemer 
would be man. Notice, secondly, He would be 
a prophet. Notice in verse 2, And He has made my mouth like 
a sharp sword. That's the weapon of Christ's 
warfare. He doesn't come with military 
might. It's not like, I understand Rambo was filmed here. I know 
when I was a kid, I saw that. I found out Rambo was filmed 
not far from Chilliwack. You know, he's got all these 
bullets and he's got the big guns. That's not how Jesus comes. 
Jesus doesn't come driving a tank. Jesus doesn't come in an Apache 
helicopter. Jesus doesn't fly an F-16. The 
weapons of His warfare are the sword that proceeds from His 
mouth. It is the Word of the living 
God. This Word is powerful. This Word 
is living. This Word is active according 
to Hebrews 4.12. It pierces right down to the 
thoughts and intentions of men. This is predicated or stated 
about Jesus several times in the book of Revelation. In fact, 
you can turn to Revelation 1 and verse 16. Revelation depicts 
the war in Christ. The Christ who comes in judgment 
and the Christ who comes in blessing. And the means by which He accomplishes 
His task is that Word that proceeds from His mouth. He has made My 
mouth like a sharp sword." Notice in Revelation 1.16, He had in 
His right hand seven stars. Out of His mouth went a sharp, 
two-edged sword. And His countenance was like 
the sun, shining in its strength. Again in chapter 2, verse 16, 
Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against 
them with the sword of My mouth. What's He saying? That His Word 
The integrity of His Gospel is that by which the churches stand 
or fall. If they continue to entertain 
the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, then He will take that word and 
He will fight against them and shut them down and remove their 
lampstand from them. 1915, perhaps one of the most 
vivid displays of the warrior Christ. Revelation 19 and verse 
15. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp 
sword, that with it he should strike the nations. And he himself 
will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress 
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his 
robe and on his thigh a name written, the King of kings and 
the Lord of lords." And then again in 1921, And the rest were killed with 
the sword which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the 
horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh." So 
this is announced way back in the second servant song of the 
prophet Isaiah. He has made my mouth like a sharp 
sword. John Calvin comments, Christ 
has therefore been appointed by the Father. not to rule after 
the manner of princes by the force of arms and by surrounding 
himself with other external defenses to make himself an object of 
terror to his people, but his whole authority consists in doctrine." 
There's that word again, that pesky word that we often use 
in this church. Doctrine is crucial. Doctrine 
is vital. If we don't know doctrine, we 
are Christ's enemies. He goes on to say, "...in the 
preaching of which he wishes to be sought and acknowledged, 
for nowhere else will he be found." So, the servant is identified 
as a man, he's identified as a prophet, and it's said that 
he will come in God's time. Now, at the time the prophet 
Isaiah wrote, they would have wanted a deliverer. I mean, it 
was getting close to the time when Babylon would come in and 
destroy the southern tribes. I mean, things were bleak in 
Isaiah's time. Certainly, we need deliverance. 
Certainly, we need a champion. Certainly, we need victory and 
vindication right now. Well, that wasn't God's intention. 
This was about 700 years before the coming of the Lord Jesus. 
It jives with what we read in Galatians 4.4. In the fullness 
of the times, God sent forth His Son. Remember, it is according 
to the will of God. It's not dictated by our need. 
It's not dictated by our desire. It's not that we want Him right 
now. It's when God Most High would send Him forth. And then 
notice very specifically the purpose of God in verse 3, in 
this call of the servant. He was to fulfill covenant promises. He said to me, you are my servant, 
O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Why is Jesus called Israel? In 
fact, some have mistakenly taken this to reflect the nation of 
Israel. Well, remember, before Israel 
was a nation, it was an individual. It was Jacob. Then it became 
a nation. and a nation that failed to fulfill 
the plan of God. Remember, God called them to 
be a kingdom of priests. God called them to mediate His 
blessings to the nations around them. They certainly failed. 
Christ did not fail. He is all that Israel was supposed 
to be. Christ is victorious. Remember 
that Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, given to every 
temptation, murmuring and grumbling and complaining against God. 
Well, the true Israel, our Lord Jesus in the wilderness, tempted 
by the devil, never once succumbed to that. Jesus as Israel fulfilled 
the very covenant that God had given Him. And God says, in whom 
I will be glorified. So that is the context of the 
call of the servant. Now notice the mission of the 
servant. That's spelled out vividly in 
verses 5 to 12. But there's a couple things to 
notice in verse 4. Notice his discouragement. Remember 
when I first studied this and I first preached this, I really 
liked this. Not that God needs me to like 
his word for it to be true. You know, it can be discouraging 
to be a pastor. It can be discouraging to be 
an evangelist. It can be discouraging when you 
witness to people. It can be discouraging when you're 
trying to be a Christian in a non-Christian world. I mean, you don't normally 
meet with a lot of approval. I mean, just imagine, tomorrow 
morning you go to work and you come there and you tell everybody 
about a Bible passage that you read this morning. Or let me 
just share with you, morning and evening, from C.H. Spurgeon. 
Let me just tell you what I... You think your workmates are 
going to go, yeah, please, tell us what you have to say. Just 
let us hear Spurgeon. Let me get another donut so I 
can sit and listen to what Spurgeon... In fact, just read Spurgeon. 
That's not how it works, is it? There's a lot of discouragement 
in the Christian life in terms of rejection. Well, that's what 
the servant says. Notice in verse 4. Then I said, 
I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for 
nothing and in vain. You might look at that. You might 
stumble a bit. You might say, this is Jesus. 
You mean Jesus actually was discouraged? Jesus actually says this sort 
of a thing? Yes! What does the prophet say 
of him later in Isaiah 53? Look at Isaiah 53, verse 3. He is despised and rejected by 
men. A man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces 
from him. He was despised and we did not 
esteem him. Now, we totally uphold the deity 
of Jesus Christ. We also uphold the humanity of 
Jesus Christ. Humans like to be accepted. Humans 
like to be liked. Humans like to get along with 
people. Why wouldn't it have been discouraging 
for Him? Why would it be despising and 
being rejected just to make Him say, well, that's okay. No. Remember John 1.9? What does 
the Apostle say concerning Jesus? He came to His own and His own 
received Him not. Remember, as He's closing in 
on Jerusalem, He just pronounces woes upon the scribes and the 
Pharisees. And then what does He do? He 
cries. The Lord Jesus weeps over the 
city that would crucify Him. Why? Because He was rejected. How often? I wanted to gather 
you up like a hen gathers her chicks, but you were not willing. The Lord Jesus ached. He was 
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And that is captured 
there in Isaiah 49. He says, Then I said, I have 
labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in 
vain. The Westminster Shorter Catechism, 
number 27, says that Christ's humiliation consisted in His 
being born and that in a low condition. made under the law, 
undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the 
cursed death of the cross, in being buried and continuing under 
the power of death for a time. He didn't just bounce around 
through the earth singing. He wasn't some character from 
a play, just whistling and having birds attending to his every 
need. No, he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. I 
think Lloyd-Jones said he probably never smiled. I don't agree with 
that. Not that I'm going against the 
holy doctor Lloyd-Jones, but I think he probably smiled. You 
know, little children were not afraid to approach him. He wasn't 
this austere, vicious sort of man that children would be afraid 
of. When he needed a child for an illustration, he could take 
one and put him in his lap. He did rejoice in the Spirit 
when those 70 returned from that preaching tour, when he praised 
and thanked his Father for blessing his servants. So I think it is 
a stretch to say he never smiled, but the reality is he was a man 
of sorrow and acquainted with grief. I find this to be encouraging. Not in some sick, weird, twisted 
way, but you know what? If you're discouraged, if you're 
tried, if there's difficulty, you're in good company. What 
does Paul the Apostle go through in his Christian life? He goes 
through a lot of opposition. He goes through a lot of rejection. 
What did Spurgeon go through? We often remember Spurgeon as 
the prince of preachers. He was an opposed man. People 
hated him. I mean, he had a church that loved him and flocked to 
him, but he had a lot of grief and a lot of trials and a lot 
of difficulties. Same thing with Calvin. Same thing with Luther. 
I mean, when you traverse the Jesus way, you will be opposed. It's just the way it is. If they 
oppose the Master, they're certainly going to oppose the servant. 
So find comfort in this passage. You can identify with your Lord 
in this reality. But notice that the Lord doesn't 
stay there. Herein lies our problem. We get 
discouraged. We get downcast and we stay there. You're not supposed to stay there. 
You're supposed to hope in God. You're supposed to look to His 
mercy. You're supposed to say, yet surely my just reward is 
with the Lord and my work with my God. There may be discouragement, 
but there is a resolve in God that He will make things right. And that's precisely what the 
servant says. The Lord Jesus never lost His 
confidence in the power of His Father and the efficacy of His 
promise. He never lost confidence in the 
fact that God was with Him, that God would see Him through these 
things, that God would sustain Him. His meat was to do the will 
of His Father in spite of rejection, in spite of opposition, in spite 
of the sorrows. He was a man of resolve. In fact, 
in the Servant Song in Isaiah 50, He says He sets His face 
like a flint. That's what he does in Luke 9. 
He sets his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. He is steadfast. He is not going to be put off 
of his course. He is going to pursue, he is 
going to fulfill the calling that the Father has given unto 
him. He says in Luke 22, 42, Father, 
if it is your will, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, 
not my will, but yours be done. Now, brethren, don't let this 
make you uncomfortable. Certainly, we don't want to say 
that Jesus sinned. He didn't. He was impeccable. 
He was holy, harmless, and without sin. But He was true human, true 
man. We don't deny that one bit. He 
wasn't an apparition. He wasn't just a phantom. He 
didn't just appear for a time and then vanish. He was a real 
man. He was the real God-man. And He had sorrows, and He had 
trials, and He had His opposers, and He had His difficulties. 
He felt compassion. He felt anger. He was grieved. All those things were true of 
the Son of God. This just enriches our understanding 
of our beloved Savior. And then the mission is spelled 
out, as I said, verses 5 to 12. And now, verse 5, the Lord says, 
"...who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring back 
Jacob to Him so that Israel is gathered to Him." The salvation 
of Israel. That's one of His goals. That's 
one of His functions. In fact, Jesus says this when He comes. 
Matthew 10, I believe it is. He says, I have come to preach 
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Paul says, I am not 
ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. 
For everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the 
Greek. Jesus comes to save Israel. Jesus comes to save those to 
whom the original covenant promises were given. But he doesn't stop 
there. The covenant promises included 
more than just Israel. And that's the point of verse 
six. Notice it says, 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. I will also give 
you as a light to the Gentiles that you should be my salvation 
to the ends of the earth. It's too small. It's not enough. It doesn't demonstrate the power 
of Christ when He just saves Israel. He must save Gentiles 
as well. Ladies, imagine that you're a 
crack cook. You're a good chef. You're really able in the kitchen. You're going to have somebody 
come over. You don't just make macaroni and cheese. Let's face 
it. You don't pull Kraft dinner out 
and throw it in the pan and boil the water and mix up the goo, 
pour it on there and sort of spin it around and say, here 
you go. Does that demonstrate your skill? Does it demonstrate 
your power and ability in the kitchen? Can you say, look at 
the bounty that I have constructed here? People are going to look 
at you and go, what? Whoa. Sorry, but this is Kraft 
Dinner. It's not even that good. What 
are you going to do? You're going to make a big meal. 
You're going to have various courses. You're going to have 
hors d'oeuvres. You're going to have nice beverages. 
You're going to have the place set properly. You're going to 
plate the food in such a way that everybody will just be so 
dazzled. They don't even want to eat it 
because it looks so good. You've got the meat. You've got 
the veggies. You've got all things constructed and orderly. And 
then once that's all done, then you wheel in some great dessert. What's that do? It showcases 
your ability as a cook or as a chef. That's what's going on. Not quite the same, but that's 
what's kind of going on in this passage. It's too small for the 
Son of God to save one tribe of men. I will give Him as a 
light unto the Gentiles. I will display my salvation to 
the very ends of the earth. This showcases, this highlights, 
this demonstrates His power, His efficacy, and His ability. This is why we sing, pity the 
nations, oh our God, and constrain the earth to come. He didn't 
just come to Palestine, He came to the world. He came to save 
man from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He is 
to receive glory from all peoples everywhere. God is to be seen 
as supreme and alone Savior for sinners. That's what's going 
on in this passage. Indeed, he says, verse 6, 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. I will also give you as a light 
to the Gentiles. that you should be my salvation 
to the ends of the earth." The salvation of Israel. Salvation 
of Gentiles. Demonstration of God's salvation 
globally to the ends of the earth. Why should we be missions minded? 
Why should we care about Haiti? Why should we care about the 
Middle East? Because God cares. That's why. And then as well, 
the submission of rulers. Verse 7, Thus says the Lord, 
the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, 
to Him whom the nation abhors, to the servant of rulers, kings 
shall see and arise. Princes also shall worship because 
of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, and He 
has chosen you. The restoration of the earth. Notice in verse 8, In an acceptable 
time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped 
you." This is quoted by Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. Notice, 
I will preserve you and give you as a covenant to the people 
to restore the earth. Now, this ultimately comes to 
fruition in the new heavens and the newer. This ultimately lies 
in our future. But God now is gathering men 
from all corners of the earth to assemble a glorious church. The justification of sinners, 
verse 9, that you may say to the prison, go forth to those 
who are in darkness, show yourselves. We saw this morning in our study 
in the Confession, specifically Isaiah 61. Pastor Cam pointed 
out, Jesus' mission wasn't to come and open the jail door for 
some prisoner to get out. The language here is suggestive 
of justification. Freedom from sin, pardon from 
iniquity, the imputation of righteousness, and then the sanctification of 
sinners. Verses 10 to 12. They shall neither hunger nor 
thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them. For he who 
has mercy on them will lead them. Even by the springs of water 
He will guide them. I will make each of My mountains 
a road, and My highways shall be elevated. Surely these shall 
come from afar. Look, those from the north and 
the west, and these from the land of Sinai. God sanctifies 
His people. He guides them. He leads them. 
He directs them. He brings them to the springs 
of water so that they may feast and honor Him. And as we saw, 
it ends with doxology. Verse 13, Sing, O heavens, be 
joyful, O earth, and break out in singing, O mountains. For 
the Lord has comforted His people and will have mercy on His afflicted. 
Well, the servant song here reflects A very mature Christology. Jesus is our prophet, Jesus is 
our priest, and Jesus is our king, according to this second 
servant song. But this second servant song 
also speaks to missions and evangelism. In fact, it's quite foundational 
to missions, really. This is one of the passages that 
Simeon alluded to in Luke chapter 2. Kind of an obscure man, we've 
just read about him in our church within the last couple of weeks. 
Simeon is that man who saw Mary, and Mary and Joseph were bringing 
the babe Christ to the temple to dedicate him. Simeon grabs 
the baby, not grabs in a violent, vicious sort of way, but in a 
very rejoicing and happy way. He grabs the child, he grabs 
the son, and he begins to praise and honor the Lord God Almighty. And this is what he says in Luke 
2, verse 29. He says, Lord, now You are letting 
Your servant depart in peace according to Your Word. For my 
eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before 
the face of all peoples. A light to bring revelation to 
the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. That's Isaiah 
49.6. If you remember a couple of weeks 
ago in our evening service, we traced Paul's first missionary 
journey. It forms the backdrop or background 
for the epistle to the Galatians. Remember that when Paul and Barnabas 
are preaching in Pisidian Antioch, they meet with rejection and 
opposition from the Jews. They go to a synagogue. They 
preach the Lord Jesus. The Jews basically reject them. 
Paul takes this passage, Isaiah 49.6, and he says, this is what 
we're about. Paul says, verse 46, "...then 
Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, It was necessary that the 
Word of God should be spoken to you first. But since you reject 
it and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, 
we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded 
us, I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should 
be for salvation to the ends of the earth." You see there, 
Christ's mission is the church's mission. We are to define our 
existence. We are to define our role consistent 
with what Jesus does. Jesus has a heart for Gentiles. We should have a heart for Gentiles. 
If Jesus is concerned about global missions, we should be concerned 
about global missions. If we are going to be consistent 
with the apostolic church, then we must take seriously gospel 
missions. God, Calvin says, yet God intends 
to express something more. This comment on Isaiah 49, something 
more that notwithstanding the efforts of Satan and all wicked 
men, the power of God will be victorious so that Christ shall 
triumph gloriously and the majesty of God shall shine forth in his 
gospel. It's a great thought, a great 
sentiment. I think oftentimes rejection 
and opposition can dull us, can deaden us, can cause inactivity 
to set in. We've tried, we've preached, 
we've prayed, we've labored and nobody wants to hear it. No, 
we need to press on. We need to be faithful. C. H. Spurgeon said, so as the Lord 
has sent Jesus to be a light, you may be sure that he means 
to open blind eyes. Jesus will enlighten the people. 
Souls will be saved. God has set His King upon the 
holy hill of Zion, and He has not set Him there for a king 
without intending to give Him a kingdom. Makes sense. God will not allow His Son to 
be a Savior who never saves, a Redeemer who does not redeem. We need to hear the claim of 
Christ or the declaration of Christ in Matthew 16, 18. I will 
build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against 
it. The servant says that based on a lot of things, but one of 
those is the prophetic Word that has given the marching orders 
for the Son of God. I just wanted to read you a bit 
of a clip from a letter received from Keith Maddy. I just saw 
this today and it sure seemed to fit. Keith Maddy is one of 
the men helping out in Haiti. In fact, they've formed a group 
called Baptist Churches Serving Haiti. They're located in Santo 
Domingo in Dominican Republic. They have an office there. They 
go to Haiti to minister and all that sort of thing. Well, they've 
had a pastor's conference, which right there ought to just cause 
us to stand amazed. A pastor's conference in the 
wake of this tragedy? You mean you're not giving them 
food and giving them water and, you know, clearing away rubble? 
You're going to sit and actually gather pastors together and instruct 
them in doctrine? Yes. Because those pastors are 
then going to go back and instruct their people in doctrine. And 
hopefully, God willing, they'll rebuild in a right and proper 
way, having received the truth. But here's what he said. Saturday 
session opened with a significantly larger number of pastors eager 
and observably focused on the preaching. The greater number is possibly 
attributed to the Saturday time frame and that those from Friday 
who shared with others and invited them. This is no overstatement. God richly poured out his spirit 
upon both preachers and hearers. Both Pastor Sugell Michelin, 
Pastor Francisco Guzman, and their translators seemed to have 
unusual unction and help for the messages. They were both 
received with audible affirmations and intense interest. I would 
love to see intense interest amongst the body of pastors here 
in Canada for Reformed truth. Not intense interest in how we 
can be a better this, or how we can get more people. but how 
we can accurately expound the truth of the living God. That 
makes me encouraged. He goes on to say, the Q&A session 
was lively and extended. Pastor Sugel spoke on the transfiguration 
of Christ and gave us all a sight of the Savior who had His own 
glory derived from Himself. He did all things for the glory 
of God and for the benefit of His disciples. I mean, come on, 
brethren. Who right now is in Haiti preaching 
on the transfiguration of Christ? Men that understand that people 
need the whole counsel of God. That's who. He goes on to say, 
first the cross, then the glory was the repeated application. 
Pastor Francisco Guzman spoke with great power on Nehemiah 
2, 1-8. Nehemiah had a faith that was bold and brave, which 
accepted great challenges and was willing to make big requests 
and decisions. He knew more about some of the 
things going on in Haiti with some unfaithful, self-serving, 
advantage-taking pastors. His applications were powerful. 
The great things that can be done with limited resources was 
one of his striking observations. He said, we're all preaching 
in the churches on the Lord's Day. Please remember the pastors, 
Guzman, Michelin, and Saladin, as well as Keith Maddy and Jack 
Perry and their translators. We cannot thank you for all the 
prayers. We really want a revival breakout of true biblical religion 
in Haiti. May God be thanked, praised, 
and glorified. Love, Keith Maddy. Well, he can 
write that because the prophet Isaiah wrote the second servant 
song in Isaiah 49. It is too small a thing for Jesus 
to save the tribes of Jacob. I am giving you as a light unto 
the Gentiles, and that includes the nation of Haiti. Well, brethren, 
let us make our prayer consistent with what we find in the Scripture. 
And if you don't know this servant, believe the Gospel and you will 
be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and He will forgive you of all of your sins. Well, let us pray. 
Father, we thank you for your Word, and we thank you for the 
prophetic Word, and for the testimony of the Old Testament concerning 
the mission of Jesus Christ. How we thank you for the work 
going on in Haiti. We pray for those brothers who 
have preached already today. We ask that you would have blessed 
their preaching, that you would have blessed the hearing, and 
that men would receive the true Word of God, and believe, and 
repent, and know the joy of being found in Him. We pray for gospel 
preaching throughout the world and for gospel missions. We think 
of the Hamiltons and the Santiagos and Compiers in China. We think 
of the Paps in Uganda. We think of our brethren, Lord 
God, who have left the comforts in the Western world or in the 
North America and have gone to places where there are such trials 
and challenges. And we just commit them to you 
and we pray that they would be encouraged, that they would be 
built up and strengthened, that they would have that resolve 
in God Most High. and that they would do their 
work as unto the Lord. We ask now that you would go 
with each one of us and we pray that you would just bless our 
step, grant us opportunity to speak the truth in love to those 
with whom we come into contact. And we ask in Jesus' name, Amen.