Behold My Servant
Isaiah 42:1-9
Baptism of our Lord
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the Baptism of our Lord is the Old Testament reading Isaiah 42. It is my understanding that the best way to train a bank teller to be able to identify counterfeit money is to have them study real money. It is in the study of real money that will better equip the bank teller to identify what is fake. It will help them notice immediately the counterfeit money because they will see clearly what is different from the real money.
It is important for us to believe in the one true God and to be able to identify the idols and false gods all around us. Our world is filled with false prophets and idols. Those who claim to give hope but in reality, do not. There were many pretenders in the time of Isaiah. As a matter of fact Isaiah often exposed those pretenders. Isaiah spoke out against the false prophets. Those who claimed to speak the Word of God but in reality spoke lies. They gave the people false hope but their words actually snuffed out any true hope at all. Isaiah also spoke out against the false gods that many people turned to. Isaiah told the people that their false gods could not see them or hear them. He told them that their false gods were made by human hands and that these gods were worthless.
Our world is filled with pretenders and counterfeits. We see them all around us in our day as well. There are false religions, shallow philosophies, self-help programs, and media messages all around us. These pretenders claim to give us hope but in reality no true hope is found in any of them. What we are talking about is idolatry. The first Commandment says that we should have no other gods. Whenever we look to someone or something other than God to gain meaning or value or to receive hope then we are following a pretender. We are worshiping an idol. An idol is something that we think we cannot live without. It is when something other than God has taken our heart’s trust, preoccupation, loyalty, service, fear, and delight. That is why so many people look to money, success, pleasure and power for security, happiness and meaning. All of these things are idols. They are pretenders that will fail to deliver what they promise and they will lead us to ruin.
We will all be tempted to break the first commandment and look to the idols and pretenders of this world rather than looking to the one true God. What is more important to us, scrolling on our phone or praying to the Lord? Is it our checkbook or is it the church? Is it school activities or is it raising our children in the faith? Paul speaks about those who turn to the idols and worship the creation rather than the Creator in Romans 1. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”
Our world is filled with idols. Our world is filled with counterfeits. But in our reading for today Isaiah speaks about the real deal. He speaks about the one who brings light into this dark world. He speaks about the one who brings justice and righteousness to us all. He speaks about the one who will reveal the glory of God. Let me read to you again the words of the Lord that were given to Isaiah. “Behold 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. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands wait for his law”. The servant that Isaiah is speaking about is Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus has fulfilled all the words spoken about Him in this text. When the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, He did not lead an army into war, but He came in peace. He proclaimed the Word of God, healed the sick, and gave sight to the blind. When He was arrested and brought to trial, He did not defend Himself even though He was innocent. What He did instead was follow the will of His Father and went to the cross to bring us righteousness.
We are now in the Epiphany season. Epiphany means revealing or shining light. It is the revelation that Jesus Christ is our Savior. It is the revelation that Jesus Christ came into this world for all people including us. Today we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. At the Baptism of Jesus, we see all three Persons of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus and the voice of God the Father was heard. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The Lord Jesus was anointed to be the Savior of the world.
Jesus is the real deal. He is very different than all the idols and pretenders that we see in our world today. The pretenders sound good but they actually speak lies. The pretenders will give us false security and false hope. The pretenders will lead us to eternal ruin. Not so with Jesus our Lord. Jesus is the one who always speaks the truth. He is the one who gives us hope. He is the one who leads us beside still waters and into the heavenly kingdom. The pretenders are selfish and unforgiving. Jesus is very different. Our Lord is filled with compassion and love. He is merciful and cares for His people. He helps the weak, finds the lost, and restores the broken hearted.
Jesus is very different then the false idols and the pretenders that we see around us. He also shines above them. The pretenders of this world will make a bunch of promises but they will never keep them. They will only bring darkness and enslave us to sin. Not so with the Lord! Jesus shines above all the pretenders of the world because He always keeps His promises. It is the Lord Jesus who brings light into the world and frees us from the slavery of sin.
Our Lord’s love is so much greater than anything in the world. Jesus left heaven and became a human being so that He could live a perfect life in our place. Jesus left heaven and came to the earth so that He could go to the cross in order to pay the penalty of our sins. He suffered and died on that cross so that we could live. He suffered and died on that cross so that we could live forever in the full presence of the heavenly Father. Jesus shines above all the false idols of this world. Jesus shines above all the pretenders of this world because He rose from the dead. Our Lord’s resurrection gives to us the assurance that our sins have been forgiven, that death has been defeated and that we will be part of the final resurrection on the last day.
Isaiah tells us that Jesus brings justice and righteousness. Those who reject the Lord Jesus remain in the darkness of their idolatry, and they will be judged. But those who repent and believe in Jesus will receive God’s grace and be saved. It is the believer in Jesus who will see the glory of God.
There are false idols and pretenders all around us. We will be tempted to look at them to give us hope and happiness. We must see them for who they are. Pretenders who will fail. Pretenders who will lead us to eternal ruin. That is why Isaiah points us to the one who has been anointed by the Holy Spirit and set aside by God to be our Savior. He points us to Jesus Christ the Lord. For it is the Lord who is gracious to us and who loves us. He is the source of our hope and our joy. He is the one who guides us and leads us. He is the one who gives us everlasting life. Jesus is indeed the real deal. Amen.