THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ISAIAH (ADVENT SERIES) (WEEK 2/5: WITNESSING NEW THINGS THROUGH JESUS) SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS CONNECT: What habits could you take up in Advent to help your celebration of Christmas more meaningfully anticipate Jesus’ return? WARM-UP Questions 1. If you could hire a superhero to save the world, what would you tell them to do first? 2. Who do people in 2017 look to for ‘justice’ and ‘righteousness’? Read Isaiah 42:1-4 3. Who is speaking in vv.1-4? What are they saying about the servant? 4. How is this servant different to what the exiles living in Babylon may have expected? 5. What are the key parts of this servant’s identity? 6. How is Jesus different to other servants in the world today? Read Isaiah 42:5-7 7. In your own words, what point is being made about the Lord in v.5? How does God compare to idols? 8. What do we see about the relationship the Lord has with his servant in v.6? 9. What do we learn about the servant’s mission in vv.6-7? 10. How would you explain God’s mission in our world to someone who is not a Christian? 11. Why did the first Christians see Isaiah 42 as vital to understanding Jesus? (see Matthew 12:9-23; Luke 4:16-22; Mark 10:41-45) Read Isaiah 42:8-9 12. What does v.8 say about God’s character and the problem of idolatry? 13. How is Jesus’ mission and ministry a new thing? Why, do you think, God is announcing this new thing to us through the prophet Isaiah? 14. Do you see serving God as a privilege or as a chore? Why do you feel this way? APPLY (to this week): How can we serve Jesus in the world around us today? What practical things can we do for our neighbours to show the world that we serve the servant King? Pray: Creator of heaven and earth, thank you for sending your servant Jesus into our world, not to be served but to serve. Spirit of God please help us to lay our lives down in service for one another and in witness to the glorious new thing you are doing among us. In Jesus’ name, Amen. For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ISAIAH (ADVENT SERIES) (WEEK 2/5: WITNESSING NEW THINGS THROUGH JESUS) GOING DEEPER RESOURCES & SUGGESTIONS Each week we provide additional resources that help to go deeper with whatever series we’re currently focusing on as a church. Resources could include recommended books, articles, online sermons, courses, or videos. These are optional extras! Please don’t feel under pressure to look at every resource, but consider what could be useful to. Talks & Audio • ‘The Coming Glory - The Lord’s Servant’ by Mark Chew http://www.holytrinitydoncaster.org.au/resources/sermons/?sermon_id=1313 • ‘Behold my Servant’ a sermon by Liam Goligher https://www.tenth.org/resource-library/sermons/behold-my-servant • ‘The Chosen Servant’ by Andrew Sach http://www.st-helens.org.uk/resources/media-library/src/talk/51960/title/introducing-god-s- servant • ‘Isaiah 42’ by Jim Keavney http://www.ccmorrishills.org/messages/sermon/2017-06-07/isaiah-42 • ‘A Delusion, a Servant, a New Song’ by Ray Ortlund http://www.preachingtheword.com/av/mediafiles_31225008/highbandwidth868.mp3 Video • Overview of Isaiah (“Read Scripture: Old Testament Video Series”) by the Bible Project: Part B: Isaiah 40-66: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TzdEPuqgQg&t=284s • A look at Biblical ‘Justice’ by the Bible Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A14THPoc4-4 Advent Reading Plan for Isaiah • Download a copy of our Advent Reading Plan for Isaiah (or pick up a copy at church): https://stbarts.com.au/blog/2017/12/1/new-series-2-great-resources-to-get-you-started-on- isaiah Books and Articles • ‘Old Testament Lectionary – Isaiah 42:1-9’ Doug Bratt http://cep.calvinseminary.edu/sermon-starters/epiphany-1a/?term=Epiphany%202A • ‘Commentary on Isaiah 42:1-9’ by Amy Oden https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1938 • “The Old Testament for Everyone Series: Isaiah” by John Goldingay. • Advanced Commentary: The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary (by J. Alex Motyer). For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU Talk 2/5 (The Gospel According to Isaiah): 10/12/17 “Witnessing new things through Jesus” by the Rev’d David Browne Bible Passage: Isaiah 42:1-9 We’re into week 2 of our Isaiah series looking at the Gospel According to Isaiah and thinking about how the message of Isaiah an ancient Jewish prophet is good news for everyone today. • Last week we looked at Isaiah 40 and saw the comfort to be found in throwing off distractions, crying out to God in dependance and making straight paths for God by proclaiming the good news of God’s grace and love. • This week we’re looking at Isaiah 42:1-9 which is the first of four servant songs in the book. • We read in verse 1: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1 NIV11-GK) • As we saw last week Isaiah is filled with accounts of God’s righteous anger at Israel’s unrighteousness, idolatry and sin • At the same time it’s filled with good news and hope and this ‘servant’ the Lord repeatedly tells us he is sending is at the heart of God’s plans for redemption and restoration for his people and for the world • For us to understand the good news according to Isaiah we must know the servant !2 • So today we’re going to look at: • The servant’s identity/ A just and gentle servant • The servant’s mission / bringing righteousness and justice to the nations • And ultimately we’ll see the claim these words have on our lives calling us to be servants of the servant, laying our lives down as witnesses of the new thing God is doing through Jesus #1 Identity // A just and gentle servant \\ VERSES 1-3 If I asked you who you thought the identity of the servant is I imagine many of you would be able to answer me straight away. The servant is… (Jesus) • We will see this is true but in order for us to fully comprehend the identity of the servant and the good news of Isaiah we need some context • The prophet Isaiah lived over 2500 years ago in Jerusalem at a time when the Kingdom of Israel to the north had already been destroyed and it was quickly becoming apparent that Judah would be next !3 • While you’d think the imminent danger would cause God’s people to run to God for comfort they turned to idols • Isaiah 1-39 details how the people’s idolatry and rejection of the Lord their God in favour of the gods around them has brought about injustice and abuse in the land and warns of a coming invasion • Sure enough 100 years later the Babylonians invaded Judah, sacked the temple, and dragged the people to Babylon leaving behind only the poor and uneducated to scratch out a living in the land • It’s to these exiles that Isaiah 40 onwards is addressed • With their homeland destroyed and their community living as aliens in a foreign land they struggled to make sense of how the God of Israel could let this happen • How could a good God allow his temple to be destroyed, let his people be defeated in battle, or see his chosen people be dragged off to Babylon? !4 • As the people ask these questions they see the idol worship around them and it really seems to be working • Bowing down to Molek, Marduk, Bel and the idols of Babylon seems much more for effective than living for the Lord This is why Isaiah’s news of a chosen servant is confusing In chapter 44 the Lord says to his people: “… you, Israel, are my servant. I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 44:21) It would seem here that the servant is Israel, God’s chosen people as a nation, But looking at 42:3 we see that: “In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.” (Isaiah 42:3) Justice is a key theme in Isaiah and it disqualifies Israel from being the servant !5 The justice spoken about here isn’t just about judicial justice in a law court or social justice where everyone gets a fair-go God’s Justice or ‘mishpat’ in Hebrew is a state where God’s right rule and reign is established, Mishpat is a state whereby the community lives according to God’s good design and the people of Israel had failed miserably to live this way, While elsewhere in the Bible God’s servant is Israel this is not the case here so the servant has to be someone else, perhaps it’s a superhero or super-sub? In the 2006 football World Cup Australia were down 1 - nil against Japan with time running out when a substitute player Tim Cahill ran onto the pitch The super-sub went on to score 2 quick goals for the Aussies and bag them their first World Cup victory What Israel seemed to need was a super-sub, someone who could change the game completely and establish a new kingdom !6 Enter Cyrus, Emperor of Persia, a powerful and dominant King who ruled with an iron fist and brought about justice by force! Was this the servant, the super-sub the people needed? Cyrus conquered Babylon and allowed the exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple Cyrus brought joy and hope to the nation and elsewhere in Isaiah he is called God’s servant but another aspect of this servant’s identity shows us that Cyrus isn’t God’s chosen one: “He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.