12.4.2016 Sermon Notes & Slides

Sermon Notes

A Song for the Ages
Isaiah 42:1-9
Pastor John Sloan

Introduction: There is a certain way that soldiers engage in battle. Those who pursue victory over their foes attack with a loud cry, with a shout of arrival. But not so with the Servant of God. He enters quietly. He does not yell or scream. He does not employ typical techniques. Instead, he wins by being beaten. He conquers by surrendering his own life. He does not prevail with force, but with sacrifice. None of it makes sense, but it is all part of one mysterious and divine plan of salvation.

Questions for Discussion & Discovery

1. The Bible has a single storyline: What headline would you use to capture it? Why is it important to emphasize what the Bible emphasizes?

2. Throughout Isaiah, God proclaims a message of comfort to the broken-hearted and exiled. What are the key elements of this announcement in 42:1-9?

3. In this passage, what glimpses do you see of the Messiah?

4. What does it mean to say that the Servant will not break “a bruised reed,” or quench “the burning wick” (verse 3)? How does this strengthen your faith?

5. How have you seen God tenderly sustain you and “mend” you by his grace in Jesus?

6. God declares things “before they spring forth” (verse 9). He has exhaustive foreknowledge. What encouragement do you find in the recognition that God knows all things, even before they happen?

Sermon Slides

1. Man Told to Exercise and Eat Better

2. Alert: Hot Dogs Are Dangerous!

3. Mysterious Stranger Saves Dying Man

4. Abandoned, Left for Dead: Man Given New Life

5. “The message is not for Israel and Judah alone, but for the whole world. Isaiah rebukes all nations for their unfaithfulness to God, yet announces a surprising plan of grace and glory. … As we are surprised by grace time and again, a glorious picture of God’s cosmic renewal develops. Central to this salvation is the sending of a Messiah, a servant-king who will suffer for his people and be exalted in victory.” – Drew Hunter

6. Read Isaiah 42:1-9.

7. “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet 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 12:17-21

“8. The hope of the world lies in the servant of the Lord, the delight of God, the quiet healer, the man for others who wields the only power that exists—the power to reorder human civilization not by bullying but by suffering, not by imposing demands on us but by absorbing our sins and miseries into himself. This is Jesus.” – Ray Ortland