God's Chosen Servant

Website Editor • November 25, 2020

There are hundreds of Old Testament prophecies that point directly to Jesus: Genesis foretold that Jesus would be born from the family of Abraham. Micah foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Isaiah foretold that Jesus would be born of a virgin.

In our passage this week (Matthew 12:15-21), after Jesus withdraws from conflict, Matthew points to another very specific prophecy from Isaiah:

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,

   my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my Spirit upon him,

  and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel or cry aloud,

  nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;

a bruised reed he will not break,

  and a smoldering wick he will not quench,

until he brings justice to victory;

  and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” 


- Matthew 12:18-21/ Isaiah 42:1-4

Matthew references Isaiah -- the longest OT quote in his gospel -- to show Jesus as God's chosen servant, the Promised One who would be loved by God; filled with the Spirit; and a beacon of hope to all nations.


This passage makes clear that Jesus is chosen and commended by the Father. He was eternally chosen and loved. It also tells us that Jesus is commissioned by the Spirit (a striking reference to the Trinity), and that He comes to bring Hope.


As Pastor Ryan said on Sunday, “this passage challenges us to think deeply about the sovereignty of God and His providence. Nothing in scripture or in life happens by accident, it is all according to His plan and purpose. This passage also reminds us of God’s great love and pursuit of the broken-hearted.”


With a tender heart for the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks of the world, Jesus is revealed as God of great mercy and compassion. (What great news this is for us!)


The truth is that we live in a broken world and we FEEL it. Like the man with the withered hand, the adulteress, the bleeding woman, or even Peter -- we are hurting, bruised, and aching emotionally and physically.


The good news is that Jesus meets us where we are and that He cares deeply for us. He relentlessly pursues us despite our shortcomings. He is tender and compassionate toward us, offering hope and comfort.


Psalm 34:18 tells us, "the Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit."


Those who have smoldering wicks are also in a vulnerable position. These are people who are spiritually tired, worn out, and barely hanging on. People like the woman who anointed Jesus' feet, or the man in Mark 9 who asks Jesus to help him with his unbelief.


Jesus assures us that "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." These are so often people who are barely hanging on, but recognize their complete dependency on God -- knowing that apart from Him they can do nothing.


Pastor Ryan said, "God so often uses His Word, His Spirit, and His people to fan the flame of His people. If your spiritual flame is barely hanging on… that’s ok! If you have a flame at all, it’s because God put it there. Draw close to Him. Keep going. He will give you what you need.”


The best news in all this is that Jesus is not only God’s chosen servant, He’s your servant.


Matthew 20:28 says, “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.”


It would have been easy for Jesus to just toss us aside. But instead, He came to us as a servant and served us by living a perfect life; humbling Himself in obedience to death on a cross; and dying the death we deserved so that we might have life and relationship with Him.


When we put our faith and trust in Jesus, we give our lives to Him. And so:


   ...just as Jesus is chosen and commended by the Father: so are we.


   ...just as Jesus is commissioned by the Spirit: so are we.


   ...just as Jesus came to offer Hope: so are we.


As followers of Christ, let us remember what it's like to be bruised and broken so we can share our Hope with others.


Seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy in Isaiah reminds us that God is in control. Nothing is random. Nothing is outside His plan and purpose. We can trust that no matter the circumstances, He is working things together for good. He will not toss us aside.


What great hope we have in Jesus.


..


Watch this sermon here. 

Everything We Need

July 29, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:3-4 We have everything we need for a godly life. Sentence has: 68 words 9 prepositional phrases 5 dependent clauses God called us. “By His divine power” The word here is summon Like Lazarus, come forth. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. By revealing Christ to us. “Through the knowledge of Him” Side note, ambiguity: The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We need to note that this comes to us by grace, but also that we have a part to play here. Effort is not a 4 letter word. You have no excuse for: Pornography- You have everything you need. Substance Abuse- You have everything you need. Pride- You have everything you need Laziness- You have everything you need Anger- You have everything you need. Prayer and Scripture Reading- You have everything you need. Evangelism- You have everything you need. He’ll go on to mention supplementing He has given us what we need for godliness now, and He promises us even greater things to come. We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature 2 Pe 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature Unusual word… The “divine nature” (Theos) appears only here and in Acts where Paul addresses the Areopagus an odd work choice and would have appealed to his pagan readers. Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Redefining what it means to become like God. Christ shared in our nature that we might share in His. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. In 1:3, it’s through the knowledge of Christ that we are called to Him. Here, we see that a fuller revelation of Christ will conform us even more fully into His likeness. How so? Purity Immortality Restoration to Eden Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, We have everything we need for a godly life. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Purity Immortality Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable.’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Discipleship Questions: 2 Peter 1:3 says we’ve been given everything we need for life and godliness… Do you find that verse encouraging, challenging or both? Are there any areas of your walk where you struggle to believe that you already have everything you need for success? Do you ever make excuses to yourself or others for a lack of godliness? If yes, explain. How much work does it take to live as a Christian? What does it mean that we will be “partakers in the divine nature”?

The Genuine Gospel

July 21, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:1-2  Peter is warning us about counterfeit teaching and false teachers The genuine gospel came from Jesus through His apostles —servant (humility and honor) —apostle (called, unique, sent) The genuine gospel is just as precious to us today —received and believed “How does someone become a Christian? One person might say, ‘Because I believe,’ and another, ‘Because God chose me.’ According to Peter, both ways of stating it are correct. On the one hand, we believe. It is a fundamental definition of a Christian that he or she is a ‘believe-er’; that he or she ‘has faith’ But Peter also knows that it is not our feeble faith that holds us close to God. It is God who does all the holding, and that is the reality behind the word received.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel is centered on the person and work of Jesus —God —Savior —Christ —Lord “This fourfold description of Jesus is important because it puts him at the focal point of human history. As God, he guarantees that his words and his works cannot be replaced or revoked; as Christ, he fulfills all the Old Testament promises; as Savior, he died on the cross for our salvation in the past, present and future; and as Lord he claims the right to our individual love and obedience—notice how Peter calls him our Lord.” —R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude The genuine gospel transforms us as we grow in knowledge of Jesus —grace and peace multiplied Discipleship Questions: Why is false teaching so dangerous? How does remembering and focusing on the true gospel help us stand against false teaching? In what ways is the gospel just as precious to us as it was to the apostles? How do you relate to Jesus as God, Savior, Christ, and Lord? What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him?

The God of All Grace

July 16, 2025
Notes from Zach Snow's sermon on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 5:8-14 Why is the lion roaring? Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to be quiet…subtle…sneaky, in an attempt to “devour” Christians? I think that Peter, led by the Holy Spirit, was very intentional with his description here of the devil being a roaring lion. Went into a rabbit hole on a lion's roar…there are some spiritual applications to these: Can reach up to 114 decibels…almost as loud as a jet engine taking off They roar for social reasons (territory, create bonds, locate other members of their pride) as well as for purposes of intimidation. One of the primary purposes of the lion's roar is to strike fear in the heart of their prey. The lion will always start with a psychological advantage Fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hatred - these things can absolutely paralyse you spiritually The lion is not necessarily trying to kill you, but to destroy your faith Prayer: Be sober-minded - Have a clear and self disciplined mind - Titus 2 Exercise self control in thoughts, words, and action this is the 3rd time Peter has said this to us in 1 Peter - 1:13, 4:7 - it’s a call to remain alert and focused Being sober-minded means waging war against the things that are detrimental to the mind: fear, hatred, anxiety, depression, anger I believe these are specific things the enemy uses to derail our mental health and cause us to take our guard down Be watchful - this is the same word that Jesus used in the garden before he was arrested and crucified - this is a call to pray Prayers for others - Eph. 6:18 - Ephesians 6:18 - [18] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Prayers for yourself - James 1:5 - 5 j If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. So here’s the question… Do you believe in prayer? How much do you trust that God can do the things that you are not able to do? Do you trust God with the big stuff AND the small stuff? Discipleship Questions: 1.) In your personal life, what does being sober minded and watchful look like to you? 2.) Who are the people who help you stand firm in your faith the most? 3.) As a CG look at each of the points of the Theology of Suffering and find Scripture to support each one of those statements: God is ALWAYS good God is ALWAYS enough God will ALWAYS love you 4.) Discuss ways that the God of all grace has restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established you.
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