Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20040215.htm

ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVES TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part XXX: God's Salvation Of His Worldwide Discipling Program
(Isaiah 42:1-25)
  1. Introduction
    1. We who trust in Christ are called to disciple the nations, Matthew 28:19-20. Yet, the world's sin coupled (at times) with ineffective discipling efforts on our part can tempt us to be discouraged in that calling.
    2. Isaiah 42:1-25 reveals God's deliverance of His worldwide discipling program, and it provides us a clear picture of what we must do to adjust our efforts for effective ministries God blesses (as follows):
  2. God's Salvation Of His Worldwide Discipling Program, Isaiah 42:1-25.
    1. As background to Isaiah 42:1-25, when the world departed from following God at the Tower of Babel, God planned to reach out to disciple that apostate world through means of the Abrahamic Covenant:
      1. After the Noahic Flood, man tried to live around the Tower of Babel in self-centered, sinful security opposite God's call to spread out upon the earth and trust Him by faith, Gen. 11:1-4 in light of 9:1, 7.
      2. God responded by multiplying man's languages to break up their unholy union, Gen. 11:5-9; 9:1, 7.
      3. Then, God chose to build a godly nation through Abraham that would lead the world back to Himself so He could bless its people, Gen. 12:1-3 and Gal. 3:8, 13-16; Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, ftn. to Gen. 12:3.
    2. However, that nation itself became apostate, so God raised up His individual Servant, His Son, Jesus Christ to disciple the world. This theme is presented in Isaiah 42:1-25 as follows:
      1. In Isaiah 42:1-17, God predicts the blessed, world discipling effort of His individual Servant, Messiah:
        1. God's individual Servant, the Messiah, Jesus Christ would come and minister in a way that would bring God delight so that God would exalt Him before mankind, Isaiah 42:1a.
        2. The key to God's delight in Messiah's ministry would be the fact that, with God's Spirit upon Him, Messiah would minister rightly to bring just verdicts to the world's nations, Isaiah 42:1b,c.
        3. Specifically, Messiah would minister to God's delight as follows: (a) Unlike sinful man's self-centeredness, Messiah would not seek fame, Isa. 42:2a; (b) unlike sinful man's discipling efforts, Messiah would be gentle, not dominant over His disciples, Isa. 42:3a; (c) unlike sinful man's behavior, Messiah would be faithful in overcoming discouragement by the Spirit's power, Isa. 42:3b-4a NIV. (d) Unlike sinful man, Messiah would faithfully present God's truth, 42:4b.
        4. Accordingly, the sovereign, omnipotent Creator-God would be with His Messiah-Servant, enabling his unique ministry to be extremely blessed and effective on a worldwide scale, Isaiah 42:5-9.
        5. Isaiah breaks out in a hymn of praise to this accomplishment of Messiah's ministry, noting God will turn the tide of human history as He exalts Messiah to establish His earthly kingdom, Isa. 42:10-17!
      2. However, in contrast to the Messiah, God's national Servant, Israel failed to disciple well, 42:18-25:
        1. Due to her spiritual darkness, Israel became insensitive to God's plan and truth, 42:18-20.
        2. Accordingly, Israel would experience hardship and captivity for her failure, Isaiah 42:21-23.
        3. Isaiah named the cause of Israel's problems: she was not blessed of God because she had failed to obey the Lord in her calling and national life, and God had punished her as a result, Isaiah 42:24-25.
Lesson: Israel as God's NATIONAL Servant woefully failed to disciple the world as she operated by her sin nature to perform godless actions where God's INDIVIDUAL Servant, Messiah-Jesus would SUCCEED as HE functioned THROUGH God's Holy Spirit so as to be selfless, humble, gentle, long-suffering, faithful and focusing on reliably giving out God's saving truth.

Application: (1) If we are not operating by the Holy Spirit's power with the result that we exalt ourselves and are harsh, dominating, unreliable in the face of trials and failing to keep focused on presenting God's truth, and if we fail to use the spiritual GIFT God gave us to SERVE Him, we must adjust via confession of sin and obedience to God to become a discipline tool God will use, 1 John 1:9; Gal. 5:16-23; Romans 12:1-3. (2) Then, we will become as selfless, humble, gentle, long-suffering, persistent and focused on getting God's truth to others as was Christ in His ministry so that God will make our efforts effective; after all, such works done in the Spirit's power are but an extension of His own Son's spiritual ministries THROUGH us TODAY, cf. Isaiah 42:1 with Acts 1:8; John 20:21b.