Question
A Light for the Gentiles
Isaiah 49:1-7
Key Verse 49:6
Read the entire passage. Who does “I” or “me” refer to? What does this passage indicate about the Lord’s concern for [the people living in the remote] islands and distant nations?
Read verses 1-3. When did the Lord call his servant? How did the LORD equip his servant? Why did the LORD call his servant?
Read verses 4-7. Compare: a) what the servant said about his service (4a) and his reward (4b); with b) what the Lord says about his service and his reward (5-7).
Read verse 6b again and think about the statements reading: a) I will also make you a light for the Gentiles; and b) that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. How are the two statements related?
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Message
A Light for the Gentiles
Isaiah 49:1-7
Key Verse 49:6
“he says: ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
Today we would like to think about God's will to save all peoples on earth through his servants, namely, all who put trust in the Lord. The Purdue International Conference is going to take place in one week. At this conference we will be able to meet foreign delegates from seventy different nations. While we can learn from these servants examples to serve the Lord's world mission purpose, we can also better prepare ourselves for this call from the Bible. What then is it to serve the Lord as a light for the Gentiles? The passage for today sets forth a few fundamentals.
First, listen to me, you islands...
Verse 1 reads, "Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations." This verse tells us the scope of the people a servant of God is called to serve, that is, all peoples on earth. Here the call to "islands" and "distant nations" refers to all who live on this planet earth. As of now on the planet earth there are about 200 nations. The earth also has lots of islands. Let us think about remote places such as islands in Oceania. In the Oceanic region alone there are more than 10,000 islands that are inhabited by people speaking different languages. PNG is just one. Fiji is another. Tahiti is still another. God's servants are called to pray for and serve people living on islands and in distant nations. As of today, 1,111 foreign delegates registered have registered for the Purdue International Bible Conference. The delegates come from 70 different nations. One of them is PNG (Papua New Guinea), for Shepherd Matthew Bai is coming. Another distant nation is Ireland. Still another distant land is Zimbabwe. As we go to Purdue we have a wonderful opportunity to listen to the mission reports and pray for the peoples living on islands and in distant nations.
Second, the Lord called me...
Look at v. 1b. "Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name." This verse tells us that in order to serve the Lord faithfully a servant of God must have a clear sense of calling. Anyone who claims to be a "Christian" has already received God's calling, if indeed he is a Christian. God never saves a person without first having lined up the work he calls that person to do. There are many Bible verses, such as Romans 8:30 and Ephesians 2:10, that testify to this truth. But for our own purpose we would like to focus on this verse alone, for the Prophet Isaiah says that the time of his calling predates the time of his birth.
Knowing this truth frees a servant of God from people trying to make him unsettled or in any other ways shaken. In the course of serving the purpose of the Lord's calling, God's servant will run into discouraging moments, such as facing opposition from people. In fact, if you are truly a servant of God, called indeed by none other than God himself, the absolute majority of people will come around only to discourage you. They will make all sorts of comments which are all but negative, some in subtle ways and some in ways that are direct and brutal. They will say things that tend to get you discouraged or frustrated. They will then make fun of you if you lose your ground and stagger. When they see you bleeding, instead of being sympathetic they will land more punches on you so that you would finally collapse or throw in the towel.
But a servant of God should never, ever, ever give in. Why? It is because he should not give in.
How then can he remain firm all the time? The key to remaining strong to the end is the knowledge that it is the Lord God who called him. The point to remember then is that it is not people who called you. It is the Lord God who called you. So who are you that you question the validity of God’s calling? If it is God who called you, what right do you have that you say, "I quit"? Speaking of the same truth then, the Scripture says that God's calling is irrevocable (cf. Romans 11:29).
Third, He made my mouth like a sharpened sword...
Look at verse 2. "He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver." This passage says that God not only calls but also equips his servant. God not only equips but also preserves his servant. Why? It is because he wants to keep his servant useful, so that when the need arises, he will be able to effectively fulfill the purpose for which he called his servant.
A practical lesson each Christian should realize is that in order for God to mold his servant into a useful instrument, the Lord God maintains training programs for his servant, that he may be well trained for the purpose of his calling. Therefore, it behooves us to voluntarily participate in the programs the Lord puts us through. When an opportunity to receive God’s training arises, you as a shepherd candidate or a missionary candidate must be willing to join. Although the training program might be tough, you should not say, "Look, this program is too strict. It is too long." Or, "Look, I have a family visit to make. Can I be excused from the program?" You should not say such a thing. Even worldly employees do not approve of this kind of loose attitude.
In order to train his servant, God uses all different means. He uses people and events. When necessary he even uses animals, such as a donkey, cow or snake. God can train his servant anytime and anywhere, with or without advance notice. So God’s servant must be ready.
Primarily, God uses his word as the tool to equip his servant. In the passage the Prophet Isaiah testifies that the Lord made his mouth like a sharpened sword. How did the Lord do that? Look at Isaiah 50:4, “The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” This passage suggests that Isaiah had a QT (quiet time) each and every day with the Lord. During these quiet moments he listened to the Lord and learned of the Lord. The Lord in turn molded him to be an excellent Bible teacher. Following Isaiah’s example, then, we encourage one another to keep the Bible close to our hearts, do daily bread every day, medicate on the word, write deep Bible testimonies each week, prayerfully prepare study notes, and teach the Bible to our Bible students. If you, however, neglect God's word and do some other stuff like surfing the internet all day long, reading articles posted on all sorts of websites that are hostile to Christian doctrines, or if you watch TV all day long, you will soon turn out to be like silver that is full of dross. Then you will become dull, as dull as stone. You will render yourself useless and good for nothing but God’s judgment.
Fourth, you are my servant...
The next thing a servant should hold onto is the knowledge of the contents of his mission. What is his mission? Look at verse 3. “He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.’ ” Here the word "display" has the meaning of “making evident” or “making [an object or an idea] clearly visible.” An example is a billboard. Another example is the use of brand names, like Nike printed clearly and visibly on a hat worn by a famous sportsperson such as Tiger Woods. The only difference between ads on signboards and a servant of God is the contents that are on display. While worldly shows, such as an auto show at the LA Convention Center, exhibit consumer products, such as a sports car, the object each Christian is called to display is the Lord's splendor. The word “splendor” has the meaning of all the excellent qualities of the Lord, such as his loving kindness, compassion, mercy, love, power, faithfulness, purity, and, most importantly, his holiness.
Each Christian then is a walking billboard. He is a moving instrument displaying God's excellent attributes. Jesus expressed the same purpose of his calling when he said to his disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."
In Bible history we see many living as instruments to display the Lord's splendor. Moses lived for this purpose. However one time he failed to fully display the Lord's splendor as powerfully as he should have, for when the Lord asked him to get water by speaking to a rock he struck it instead. In this way he himself became a stumbling block to displaying the Lord's splendor.
In our ministry many love and respect Mother Barry. She is not as eloquent in words as such preachers as Billy Graham. But in my opinion the Lord uses her as an instrument to display the Lord's splendor in ways which are in no way inferior to any of the powerful preachers or televangelists of this generation.
Fifth, bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.
The next thing a servant of God needs to bear in mind is to reconcile his vision with that of the Lord. Look at verse 4. “But I said, ‘I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the LORD'S hand, and my reward is with my God.’ ” By the time the Prophet Isaiah was working as the Lord's servant, the spiritual condition of the Israelites became as bad as an apple that has gone rotten to the core. Like a rotten apple the Israelites went so bad that the only option was to kick them out of the Promised Land and send them into an exile.
Yet in his mercy the Lord raised prophets, such as Isaiah, so that they would not forget the purpose of God’s calling. Naturally, Isaiah's ministry turned out to be unpopular. No wonder that the prophet cried out saying, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spend my strength in vain and for nothing." Then he said, “Well, even if no one listens to me, I am not losing out altogether, because my reward is with the Lord.” This self-dialogue indicates that Isaiah lost the vision for himself and for God’s people.
At that very moment, however, he heard the Lord’s voice. What did the Lord say to him? Look at verses 5-6, “And now the LORD says--he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength--He says: ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” In this passage the Lord showed Isaiah a great vision for him and for his children.
When we think about the Lord's vision, we can see that it is much bigger than the vision Isaiah used to work with. And this vision is greatly challenging. Yet when Jesus came he did the same thing to his disciples. His disciples were nationalistic. Their concerns did not go beyond the wellbeing of their mother nation Israel. To them it was unthinkable to teach the Bible to the Gentiles, for in the first place, the Gentiles were categorically unclean. But after rising from the dead, the Risen Jesus commanded the disciples to go into the whole world and make disciples of all nations.
When we study the book of Acts we see how the Lord God empowered the disciples to be a light to the Gentiles. So the practical direction for us is to study the book of Matthew in the coming Fall Semester. After this book we also would like to study the Book of Acts, all to prepare ourselves to work according to the Lord's world mission vision.
Gracefully enough then, the Lord has setup for us the Purdue International Conference. At this conference we will have the good opportunity to enlarge our vision. In fact, at the Purdue International Conference, at the end of the Saturday evening program, Dr. John Jun and Mother Barry have put together a special program called, “The Night of Calling.” During that program Dr. John Jun and Mother Barry want to invite those who are willing to go to a foreign country as a missionary. Already for this purpose Pastor Ron sent us a letter of invitation. He also attached to his letter an application form. After the Sunday worship today, Shepherd Charles is going to come out and give us more information on this program. He will also put out at the reception area the invitation letter and application forms.
Sixth, kings will see you and rise.
Finally, a servant of God must have a clear sense of honor as a servant of the Lord. In what respect is it an honorable thing to live as a servant of the Lord? Look at verse 7. “This is what the LORD says--the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel--to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: ‘Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’ ” This verse says that the position of a servant is NEVER a glamorous one. The word "despised" or "abhorred" indicates that it is the most difficult position for anyone to go for. One person I know used to understand this first hand when he endeavored to serve the Lord as a pastor of a small church. For, unbeknownst to many, during his career so many people came and trampled upon his ego. Each time people attacked him either over the phone or through emails or right into his face, he felt like responding in kind. But he kept his mouth shut. So one day he said to his wife, "Honey, being a pastor is the hardest thing to do." Then his wife said, "Do you know what? The position of a pastor's wife is even worse." Yet, the Lord says that a servant's position is more honorable than that of a king or a prince. Why? Not because of himself or herself but because of the master whose name is the King of universe, the king who holds all the rulers in his palm.
One word: a light for the Gentiles