Today I would like to talk about Isaiah 49. The title of the message is “The song of the Lord’s servant”. There are four passages in the book of Isaiah that are prophesies about Jesus Christ as the Lord’s servant. Today’s passage is one of them. The first one to appear is Isaiah 42:1-4. It records the calling of the Lord’s servant. In today’s passage is written the mission of the Lord’s servant, for what purpose the Lord’s servant, Jesus Christ will come to this world. Then 50:4-9 is prophesying about the Lord’s servant’s suffering and crucifixion and 52:13 to 53:12 is prophesying about the Lord’s servant vicarious substitute death and resurrection. All four prophecies are about the Lord’s servant, Jesus Christ. Today let’s look at for what purpose the Lord’s servant, Jesus Christ came to this world, his mission and purpose.

I. The Lord’s servant will display God’s splendor (Vs. 1-3)
First of all the Lord’s servant will display God’s splendor. Please look at verses 1 to 3.
Verses1-3
Verse 1 says, “Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.” This “I” is as verse 3 says, “You are my servant, Israel, “this is God’s servant, Israel. However, this Israel is called “you” and “I” in the singular form. So we know that this is not just Israel. This is Jesus Christ. In the Bible Jesus Christ is expressed as “Israel” in several passages in the Bible. For example, if you look at Hosea 11:1, it says, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” If you look at Matt. 2:15 you will see that this was fulfilled by Christ. King Herod heard that Christ had been born as King of the Jews and was filled with fear so he had every boy 2 years old and under killed. Therefore, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to flee to Egypt. Thus, Joseph fled to Egypt and stayed there until Herod died. In the Bible it is written that this was so that what was written in Hosea would be fulfilled. In other words, this Israel refers to Jesus Christ. Like this there are some passages in the Bible where Jesus Christ is expressed as Israel. Jesus Christ was called before he was born and from his mother’s womb the Lord spoke his name.
The reason why Jesus Christ was called is given in verse 3. It says, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” The Lord God will display his splendor in Christ. Put in other words, Through Jesus Christ God’s glory will be shown. Here the purpose of God’s servant, Jesus Christ’s coming is written. That is to show God’s glory. The purpose of Jesus Christ coming to this world was to show God’s glory.
This is also the purpose of living that God’s servants, Christians, have. The purpose for our living is to show God’s glory. We are living now not for doing what we want to do, but to show God’s glory. Please open your Bibles to I Cor. 10:31.
I Cor. 10:31
Here Paul says, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (I Cor. 10:31) This is the ultimate purpose of your life. Your job, your studies, spending enjoyable time with your family, meeting people, being involved in a project; everything is for God’s glory. We are not living to do the job that we like, nor for leisure, nor for our hobbies, but are living for God’s glory. I am not saying that these other things are wrong. That is not so, but including these things, we should whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, “do it all for the glory of God.“ (I Cor. 10:31)
This summer the World Championships in Athletics held in Moscow finished. Every day in the heat heated competitions were unrolled. Among them while I was watching the Women’s running broad jump　an athlete, Brigitte Barrett, was shown on T.V. jumping and leaping preparing herself in her free time. I don’t know why but the camera caught the heel of Barrett’s shoes. The heel of her shoes had “Jesus” written on them. They showed it on the T.V. for several seconds. That is her faith. “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (I Cor. 10:31) Probably she didn’t think that would become a testimony, but it could have been her prayer. However, by the whole world watching and seeing that “Jesus” was written there it was surely a huge testimony. After that next her finger nails were shown on T.V. A cross was designed on them. My goodness, even her nails became a testimony! Whatever we eat or drink or whatever we do, we must “do it all for the glory of God.“ (I Cor. 10:31)
That is not just the good things. Both the good things and the bad things, everything can be done “for the glory of God.“ (I Cor. 10:31)
For example if you look at John 13:31, it says, “When he was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him.’” The setting of this verse is the Lord’s Supper. “He” is Judah. Judah left to betray Jesus. He stood up at the Lord’s Supper and left the room to betray Jesus. This was by human eyes, the worst time. However, even by such a terrible event God’s glory can be shown. Even if such a thing happens, it is also a part of God’s plan of salvation and by that God’s work will be seen.
In our lives too there are many things like this. In our lives too there are times we are betrayed by others. Also there are times when we are abandoned. However, even if such things occur, and if by that God’s work is seen, then it too will be for God’s glory. Even if it is something that is difficult for you to accept, even if it is painful, if by that God’s work is shown, that is also for God’s glory. The event of Jesus being hung on

the cross was the maximum. Jesus was by the jealousy and conspiracy of the Jews put on the cross and died. He had to spend 3 days in a dark, cold tomb. However, God raised Christ from death on the third day. By this God’s glory was shown.
Therefore, in our lives too not everything is all good. There are things that we think are bad, difficult things and painful things. However all these things too are used for God’s glory. In short, we must remember for what purpose we are living. If we remember that we are living for God and we living to so that through us God’s glory will be shown, then even if it is a painful thing, God’s peace will be there. It is will be like God promises your peace will be “like a river.” (18)
In the reverse, a life of living for yourself is not like this. 48:22 says, “There is no peace…for the wicked.” Living for your dream to be accomplished, to be successful, no matter what kind of life you spend for yourself, you will have no peace. When you die, everything is over. That is really vanity. However, a life that is lived for God’s glory is different. It is connected to eternity and peace and blessings will flow like a river into your heart and fill it.

II. The Lord’s servant does not labor in vain (Vs. 4)
The second point is that the Lord’s servant who like this lives for God’s glory “does not labor in vain.” (4) Please look at verse four. “But I said, ‘I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the LORD’S hand,
and my reward is with my God.’”
Does this mean the Jesus labored in vain on the cross and that he spent his strength for nothing at all? No that’s not what it means. Of course, Jesus if you look at Jesus’ life, especially the last 3 and half years of his public ministry it may look like it was in vain. However, that was not so. The last part of the verse is written, “Yet what is due me is in the LORD’S hand, and my reward is with my God.” (4)
Humanly speaking he labored in vain. However, God knows everything, and his reward is with God. He will definitely be rewarded. It doesn’t matter whether he was successful by the world’s standards or not. What is important is how it looks in God’s eyes. Then if it is according to the will of God, even if there isn’t even 1 disciple left, it doesn’t matter. “My reward is with my God.” (4) That was Jesus’ assurance.
Also that should be our assurance too. At times we have spent our strength laboring for the Lord, but there are no results and we wonder for what purpose we have labored and we think that our labor has been in vain. We wonder what meaning there is in what we have done up until now. However, if it was for God’s glory, then there will definitely be a reward. Even if you are abandoned by everyone and there is only one person left, or even if there is no one, if that is the will of God, God will certainly give the reward. That is how Jesus’ work was. Even though when Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 men plus women and children, with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, large crowds gathered around him, the minute that Jesus spoke spiritually, the minute he spoke about the cross and dying, many disciples left him. Finally in the end the only disciple that was left was John along with the women who followed Jesus. Everyone else left. However, Jesus　gave up his life for such a few people and died on the cross. Just for one person. That is what Jesus did and it was definitely not in vain.
Over and over again it seems like we have “labored in vain” (4) doing the work of God. Things don’t go as we expect. Lots of people aren’t happy. Lots of people aren’t saved. Lots of people don’t follow until the end. Even though I worked that hard, toiled that much, and spent so much in funding, everyone drifted away and there is only one person left. Now one is saved. My ministry failed. “I labored in vain.” (4) We think this way.
However, that is not so. God’s work definitely is not just laboring “in vain” (4) and spending all our strength. If you give all to the Lord and live for God’s glory, if you spend all your strength for God’s glory, there isn’t even one wasteful thing. Your reward is with God. Even if you aren’t rewarded in this life, there will come a time in heaven when you will be rewarded. That is because your treasure is stored in heaven.
Therefore even if there are no results, it is not necessary to become discouraged or to worry. Don’t worry even if day after day you have meetings, but no one comes or no one is saved. The important thing is not how many were saved, but for what purpose you did it. If you did it for God’s glory, God will definitely reward it. That is God’s promise to His servants. If you have given all for God’s glory then there is definitely not one thing that was wasteful.
Before there was a little church in Western Aizu Village in Fukushima prefecture. It was a church started by a missionary named Miss Palmer. Now the work is continuing as Keisen Christian Church’s Aizu chapel.
Miss Palmer worked in a London accounting office until 1961. After the war when the condition of missionaries was sporadic she received a letter from a missionary working in Japan saying, “Please come right away and help me!” She had the assurance that this was her Macedonian call, and answered the call. At that time she was 47 years old and thought that it was impossible for her to be a missionary to a foreign country, but she was given several passages of scripture and she had the assurance that it was the Lord’s calling and came to Aizu Wakamatsu. At the beginning she was a member of the Aizu Christian Fellowship and supported the other missionaries for 8 years. After that she returned to England for 1 year, but 1 year later dedicated herself to the Lord as a single missionary. In 1970 at the age of 56 she came again to Western Aizu Village. Miss Palma did anything in order to lead people to Jesus. There was only a little fruit. Then for 25 years until 1995 she never once returned to England but continued to serve in the Western Aizu Village. In 1995 at the age of 81 Miss Palma handed the work over to the Keisen Christian Church and returned to England. However, when the Keisen Christian church built a new church in Aizu, the first offering that was given was an offering from Miss Palma.
Miss Palma’s work was very small so in human eyes it may have seemed like nothing, but the Lord’s reward was great. In 2005 she went to heaven, but how great a reward she must have received! In human eyes it may have looked like she labored in vain, like she spent her “strength for nothing at all.” (4) However it wasn’t a waste. “My reward is with my God.” (4) Let’s remember that the Lord’s servant will receive such a reward.

III. By the Lord’s servant God’s salvation will reach to the ends of the earth (Vs. 5,6)
Lastly, let’s look at verses 5 and 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 my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’”
Here another commission of the Lord’s servant is recorded. That is “to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself.” (5) The number one commission of Jesus’s coming was to bring God’s people, the Israelites, back to God. When the tax collector Zacchaeus repented, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10) Just like a shepherd looks for his lost sheep and saves him, Jesus came to look for the lost sheep that had wandered away from God and save them.
However, that is not all. If you look at verse 6, it says, “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 my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’” He will not just bring the Israelites back to God. He was sent as “a light for the Gentiles” (6) that God’s “salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (6) He was sent not only for Israel, but as “a light for the Gentiles,” (6) as a light to the world so that God’s “salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (6) That was Jesus’s commission. That was the commission that was given to God’s servant, Israel. However, they failed to do this. They fell in to disbelief, rejected God, and didn’t receive their Messiah. More than that they put the Messiah on the cross and killed him. Then God gave that commission to the new God’s servant, the spiritual Israel, Christians. Christians have been given the commission to bring God’s salvation “to the ends of the earth.” (6)
In II Cor. 5:18-21 Paul says, “All this is from God, who reconciles us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf; Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors.” (II Cor. 5:20) “An ambassador of Christ” (II Cor. 5:20) is a person who carries on the same work as Christ as Christ’s representative. Like Christ we too have been given “the ministry of reconciliation.” (II Cor. 5:18) This is tied to our commission to bring the lost to God. He has sent us out to bring reconciliation between God and sinners who are in a hostile relationship with God by faith in Jesus Christ through Christ. We must accomplish this “ministry of reconciliation.” (II Cor. 5:18) We need to be people who bring God’s salvation “to the ends of the earth.” (6) If we don’t, we too will like Israel lose God’s blessings. Like Israel too we will be scattered throughout the world, and go through various persecutions and struggles. It is amazing that they weren’t completely wiped out. It was only by the mercy of God that they weren’t. We need to remember why we are here, our commission, and then we must be people that live for that commission.
If we look at Acts 27, it is recorded that they didn’t listen to Paul’s warning. “When a gentle south wind began to blow,” (Acts 27: 13) Julius, the centurion, thought now was the time to leave, “so they weighed anchor and sailed.” (Acts 27: 13) Then “a wind of hurricane force, called the ‘northeaster,’ swept down’” (Acts 27:14) on them. Then for many days they were in the dark and they couldn’t eat anything. When they had lost all hope of being saved, Paul preached about the peace that God gives. “I urge

you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost…Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid’…I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” (Acts 27:22-25)
This is what we have to proclaim. Now the world is really being hit by a “northeaster” wind of hurricane force and is like a boat with no hope of being saved. Only the Word of God can save us from the “northeaster” wind. We must preach this Word of God. That is why we are here. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:14-16)
Let’s shine our lights before men. Let’s shine our lights before men, that they may see our good deeds and praise our “Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:16) That is why we have been sent. That is why we are here now.