Comfort, Fear, Servant, Assurance (Isaiah 40-43)

1. Comfort (Isaiah 40): Wait on the Lord.
   
2. Fear (Isaiah 41): I am with you.
   
3. Servant (Isaiah 42): Justice to the nations.
   
4. Assurance (Isaiah 43): I love you.
   

Isaiah 1-39 (Trust); Isaiah 40-55 (Grace); Isaiah 56-66 (Power)

Comfort (Isaiah 40): Wait on the Lord

1. The God of comfort (1-11)
2. The incomparable God (12-26)
3. The God who makes man fly (27-31)

Fear (Isaiah 41): I am with you

1. Living in fear (1-7): God predicts the rise of one from the east (Cyrus) and people panic in fear.
2. Living without fear (8-20): God choosing his servants to be with them and to help them.
3. Fear and idols (21-29): Fear causes the making and depending on idols, which are worthless and useless.

Servant (Isaiah 42): Justice to the nations

1. What the Servant does (1-9): Proclaims justice to the nations.
2. How the world responds (10-12): Praise the Lord!
3. What God does (13-17): Zealously accomplish his purpose.
4. Who we truly are (18-25): Blind and deaf.

Assurance (Isaiah 43): I love you

1. I have redeemed you (1-7).
   
2. You are witnesses of my love (8-13).
   
3. I am doing a new thing (14-21).
   
4. I remember your sins no more (22-28).
   

The Servant Saves (Isaiah 42)

Theme: Man's hope is that the Servant proclaims justice by gently and perseveringly serving the weak, blind and deaf. God's heart is always for the weak, blind and deaf.

1. What the servant does (1-9).
2. How the world responds (10-12).
3. What God does (13-17).
4. Who we truly are (18-25).
   

The "servant of God" theme is one of the richest strands of Isaiah's thought, and it lies right at the heart of his message as it moves to its climax in this second half of the book. 42:1-9 is the first of four "Servant Songs" (49:1-13; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12), the first of a remarkable series in which the servant theme is developed in a quite distinctive way and brought to a resounding climax. 61:1-3 could be regarded as fifth and final Song which brings the whole series to a (another) climax.

• Isa 40 gave a general introduction to the two great themes: God's love (1-11) and his unique power (12-31). People Who Fly (40:27-31).
  

• 41:1-42:9 gave a more specific introduction to God's case against the idols and to the two servants: one fearful and the other ministering God's justice to the world (42:1-9).

• 42:10-44:22 gives even more specificity as God declares his intention to deliver his people from their distress and to use them as his witnesses against the idols.
• 42:10-43:7 addresses the certainty of God's deliverance.
• 43:8-44:22 deals with how that deliverance will witness for God and against the idols.

(42:10-17) A Hymn of Praise.

42:10-12 Isaiah calls on the whole world to give praise to God.

Barry Webb:

1. God's perfect Servant (1-9).
2. Praise the Lord! (42:10-17).
3. Sinful Israel, the blind and deaf servant (42:18-25).

Derek Kidner [Light for the nations (42:1-17); Inconstant servant and unchanging Lord (42:18-48:22)]

1. The first "Servant Song" (1-9).
2. The world acclaims its Master (10-12).
3. The Lord declares his zeal (13-17).
4. Blind leaders of the blind (18-25).
   

Quotes about Waiting on God

Isaiah 40:27-31

Theme: Wait, Trust and Hope in the Lord (Isa 40:31): "But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint" (Isa 40:31, NKJV). "But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength" (Isa 40:31, NLT). "...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength" (Isa 40:31, NIV).

An entire sermon could be preached on every single one of these quotes about WAITING ON THE LORD:

"Biblically, waiting is not just something we have to do until we get what we want. Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be." John Ortberg.

"What then are we to do about our problems? We must learn to live with them until such time as God delivers us from them…we must pray for grace to endure them without murmuring. Problems patiently endured will work for our spiritual perfecting. They harm us only when we resist them or endure them unwillingly." A.W. Tozer.

"Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not abandonement of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; the ability to do nothing until the command is given." G. Campbell Morgan, British evangelist, preacher, scholar, 1863-1945.

"The goal of prayer is the ear of God, a goal that can only be reached by patient, continued and continuous waiting upon Him, pouring out our heart to him and permitting Him to speak to us. Only by so doing can we expect to know Him, and as we come to know Him better we shall spend more time in His presense as we find that presence a constand and ever-increasing delight." E.M. Bounds, American author, attorney, clergy who wrote 11 books, 9 of which focused on the subject of prayer. 1835-1913.

"Never was a faithful prayer lost. Some prayers have a longer voyage than others, but then they return with a richer lading (cargo) at last, so that the praying soul is a gainer by waiting for an answer." William Gurnall, English author and clergy, 1617-1679.

"If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for Him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord's people have always been a waiting people." Charles Spurgeon.

"Those who do not hope cannot wait; but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." Charles Spurgeon.

"If any are inclined to despond, because they do not have such patience, let them be of good courage. It is in the course of our feeble and very imperfect waiting that God Himself, by His hidden power, strengthens us and works out in us the patience of the great saints, the patience of Christ Himself." Andrew Murray.

"He may delay because it would not be safe to give us at once what we ask: we are not ready for it. To give ere we could truly receive, would be to destroy the very heart and hope of prayer, to cease to be our Father. The delay itself may work to bring us nearer to our help, to increase the desire, perfect the prayer, and ripen the receptive condition." George Macdonald.

"But how much self-reliance obtains in Christian service. More effort is exerted in planning and arranging than in waiting upon the Lord. Double is the time expended on preparing the division and conclusion of a sermon than on receiving the power from on high because there is so much trust in the flesh." Watchman Nee.

"My observation is that women are merely waiting for their husbands to assume leadership." James Dobson.

1. The complaint (27): What man does.
2. The reality (28): Who God is.
3. The empowerment (29-31): What God enables and empowers man to do.

I. The Complaint (40:27)

• God doesn't see.
• God doesn't know.
• God doesn't care.

II. The Reality (28)

• Rhetorical question: Shouldn't this be so darn obvious (Isa 40:28a)?
• God is everlasting (Isa 40:28b). He knows everything. He knows the end at the beginning. He is omniscient and omnipresent.
• God is the Creator (Isa 40:28c). He is all powerful and in complete control. He is omnipotent.
• God NEVER gets tired (Isa 40:28d).

III. The Empowerment (29-31)

• He strengthens the weary and empowers the weak (Isa 40:29).
• Even well trained, well disciplined and strong impressi ve young studs tire, stumble and fall (Isa 40:30).
• Renewal comes from hoping, trusting and WAITING on God (Isa 40:31).