"New Things I Now Declare"

Sermon Preached By Kendrick Weaver - January 9, 2005

Isaiah 42:1-9

In this particular passage of Isaiah, the Israelites are in a time of transition.  They had been subjects of the Babylonian empire for decade after decade after decade, and all of a sudden Babylon is defeated by the Persian kingdom giving them a new ruler.  The question on everyone’s mind is, “What is going to happen now?”  

As rumors, speculations, whispers and theories began to circulate about Israel’s fate, we find God right where God is supposed to be.  We find that God has arrived and settled down in a place that Israel has yet to enter.  We find God further along than his people on a journey.  We see that God has gone through Israel’s present condition and stationed Himself in its future.  From this position, from this onward place, from this advance stance, God says, “New things I now declare.” 

Even though you are still there, allow me to speak on, allow me to birth, allow me to verbally bring forth new things which are beyond your particular realm. 

I.            Sending a Servant

Verse 1:  Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

God tells his people that a servant appointed by him will be brought forth to usher in justice and a new order.  God is saying, “I am going to send you this messenger, this Savior, this Messiah to place the world in its proper arrangement.”  

Now from Israel’s position, this probably was a difficult promise to accept.  The people had grown so accustomed to the state of affairs in Babylon they could not image anything else. 

They had grown accustomed to being ruled by nation after nation. 

They had grown accustomed to being separated from their loved ones by distance, death, and destruction. 

They had grown accustomed to being exiled to a foreign land and watching their home become even more foreign. 

They had grown accustomed to feeling dejected, rejected, and abandoned by God. 

And God is telling them, “Despite what you have grown accustomed to, I am about to alter and usher in a new day.” 

Sometimes our situations can become so comfortable and familiar that we would rather wallow in a miserable present than bask in a glorious future.

Sometimes it is easier to accept a society of car alarms, security systems and dead bolt locks than one where no one has want or need for one. 

Sometimes it is easier to accept a world of civil war and violence than one where unity and peace are the only options. 

Sometimes it is easier to accept all people as selfish and interest driven than a population of altruistic visionaries.   

Sometimes it is easier to accept the reign of cancer and aids than research that will eliminate them. 

Sometimes it is easier to accept a miserable present than a glorious future. 

But God is saying, “I am not interested in your present limitations because I am trying to tell you about some new things, new situations, new circumstances, and new conditions which surpass your understanding. 

II.        How the Servant Will Come 

Yahweh does not just tell Israel what is going to happen, but he proceeds to tell them how this manifestation will occur.  God tells Israel, “I am going to bring about order and justice in a way that might seem strange to you.” 

Verse 2: My servant will not cry or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street. 

God is saying, “When I send my servant to place the world in its proper order, he is not going to beg or plead with anyone to do what they are supposed to do.  He is not going to try to convince anyone of why they should be just and righteous.”  

We, as Christians, must be conscious about being desperate in getting people to do the right thing.  I always said, “When I start serving a church, I am not begging people to do anything.  I am not begging someone to go to church, participate, tithe, pray or go to Bible study.  I am not convincing anyone to do anything because the repercussions of those people following their own agenda is the most convincing argument of all.” 

Verse 3: a bruised reed he will not break... 

Reeds were plants that abided in the water and that were extremely fragile.  So God is saying,  “My Servant will bring forth justice in a way that is so gentle even the most delicate entities will not be harmed.  My servant will not need to employ violence to obtain his objective of justice and peace.” 

There won’t be any terrorist bombers carrying out my mission. 

No weapons of mass destruction will be needed. 

Groups, races, cultures, and religions of differing opinions will not be separated and segregated.  

He will not even bruise a reed.

Verse 4:  He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth;

 “My Servant will not grow weary.  He will not be like the others.  My Servant will finish the race.  He will not start off strong and fade away.  He is here for the long haul.” 

God lists all the common pitfalls that leaders, prophets, and kings have made in bringing forth justice and says, My Servant will not be trapped by any of them.” 

III.       God’s credentials  

After God tells Israel what is about to occur and how it will occur, Isaiah interjects to remind his people of what God has already done. 

5) Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it. 

Just in case you have any doubts about what is going to occur, in case you have lost God’s C.V., his portfolio, his resume, these are his credentials. 

Previous Positions Held

• Architect of the Universe
• Landscaper of planet Earth
• Professor of Knowledge
• Doctor of Life
• Lawyer of Righteousness
• Social Worker of the Oppressed
• Psychologist of the Depressed
• Custodian of your Mistakes

References

• Moses
• Abraham
• Hagar
• Mary Magdalene
• Paul
• Susanna Wesley
• Abraham Lincoln
• Thomas Jefferson
• Sojourner Truth
• Elizabeth Stanton
• Mother Teresa
• Martin Luther King Jr.
• Albert Einstein
• Nelson Mandela

Work Experience

• Woke you up every day of your life
• Saved your marriage
• Spared your life
• Showed your children and grandchildren mercy
• Led you to that career
• Guided you to that school
• Sat with you in that hospital bed
• Circled you with friends and family
• Comforted you in despair
• Encouraged you in disappointment and depression
• Sheltered and clothed you
• Gave you a mother, father, uncle, aunt and cousins that loved you.
• Listened to your complaints
• PROTECTED YOUR UNGRATEFUL SELF EVEN WHEN YOU WERE TOO DENSE TO SEE.

 “I did all that for you.  I kept you. I preserved you. I protected you.  I placed this hedge over you.  I dulled every weapon that tried to harm you.  I saved you.  I spared you.  I built you up.  I established you.  I did all that, so that you could be a witness to someone else.”  

Verse 6b-7: I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations.  To open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 

God says, “I have given you as a covenant.  I have structured and shaped your life in such a way that when others look at you, encounter you, and interact with you, they are going to be drawn and bonded to me.” 

When they look at you, they are going to be inspired to be more honest. 

They are going to be motivated to be more generous. 

They are going to be urged to be more loving. 

They are going to be moved to be more socially active. 

They are going to be more devoted to me and my kingdom. 

When they look at you and all that I have done for you, they are going to start saying, “ I want some of what she has, I want some of what he has.” 

They are going to see situations in their life in a different light. 

They will start being released from their former habits and circles. 

They will drop the excuses of why they can’t go to church or read their Bibles or participate in a ministry. 

When they look at you, they will be bonded to me. 

Do you really think that all that love, care, experience, education, training, time, effort, prayers and thoughts spent on you was just for your benefit and enjoyment? 

You see, there is a difference between being lucky and being blessed.  When you are lucky you just happen to receive something by chance, and you can use it how you wish. 

When you are blessed with something, God has pre-ordained for you to have it.  Your blessing is to be used for His kingdom; therefore, you are obligated to release and share it. 

Now pay attention. This is the important part.  There is no such thing as being lucky. 

The word LUCK is used when someone refuses to acknowledge God’s part in their particular endowment. 

“I have given you as a covenant to the world.” 

IV.       Acknowledge God

Yahweh ends his message by placing a prohibition on his people. 

Verse 8: I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 

The Lord tells Israel, “Stop giving credit and praise to humans and idols for things which I have done.  Acknowledge who is really making these events occur.” 

Often times when people referenced the woman’s suffrage movement, women’s rights or feminists’ struggles, they missed one vital component of it.  One of the key elements that women advocated throughout the 19^th and 20^th centuries, was not only better jobs, voting rights and more access to education. These women were also advocating for proper acknowledgement and compensation for what they were already doing. 

Although most of these women didn’t have a job outside the house, they wanted to be recognized and compensated for the fact that their husbands would not be able to function as effectively and efficiently on their jobs without them.  They were saying, “if it wasn’t for us women ironing his suits, making his lunch, taking care of his children, listening to him vent after work, encouraging and advising him before meetings, or in essence, creating a foundation for him to work, then he would not be able to do what he is doing.” 

God is saying, “Stop being in marvel and in awe of what other people are accomplishing because I am the foundation for that occurring.” 

“My glory and praise I give to no other.” 

Verse 9:  See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

“Babylon has been defeated and your exile is coming to an end.”

“Your mistakes, errant decisions, broken relationships, pain and suffering in the year 2004 have come to pass.”

“Healing, prosperity, enlightenment and joy have now been declared in the year 2005; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.” 

THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER

Gracious Lord, we are emerged in a society of empty symbols that supposedly represent you.  Crosses adorn our necks and wrists.  Pictures of your son hang from our walls.  Countless words from your Book become the basis of our movie scripts.  Your holy sites are havens for tourists and social gatherings. Dear God, we see the symbols all around, yet what do they represent?  We feel the crosses on our necks, without the sacrifice that it bears.   We see images of your son without projecting the love for which He stood.  We hear words from your Book without receiving the wisdom it imparts.  We visit your sacred places without encountering the divine that made those places so.  May we embrace all that brings us closer to your mission and flee from anything that separates us from it.  Continue to show us how we may become a living representation for your kingdom.  In the name of Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.

THE PASTORAL PRAYER

Dear God, we often find making sense of the world around us difficult.  Our most recent natural catastrophe has produced scientific, social and theological explanations based on love, hatred and indifference.  Unmerited suffering of little ones born into abuse, neglect or disease provoke fatalistic conceptions of existence.  Political corruption, greed and partisan acts sprout a rationality of cynicism.  However, despite attempts to satisfy our hunger for meaning, little consolation is received, and we become painfully reminded of our finite understanding.  Gracious God, to you we now surrender our ignorance, placing it at your altar.  Remove all situations where our lack of knowing impedes decisive action.  Allow us to see that discernment of your will is far more valuable than understanding it. 

In the midst of seemingly overwhelming circumstances, it frequently feels natural to submit to self-pity while negating everything that is bestowed upon us anew each day. May we strive to emulate your son, Jesus, not only in thought and deed, but also in perspective, knowing always that you are God.  We pray all these things in the name of Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray…