Promises for God’s Servants
Isaiah 54
What do you do when your faith is weak – when you are not feeling much love for Jesus, when you are fearful or worried, when you are being drawn away by temptation, or when you are feeling spiritually complacent? What do you do?
God has given us a battery pack which will always recharge our faith – the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing God’s Word. Which means that when we hear God’s Word, when we think deeply about God’s Word – faith will come, faith will arise, faith will strengthen.
And the part of God’s Word that specially strengthens our faith is God’s promises. Faith feeds on promises like a mouse feeds on cheese. A mouse has a nose for cheese, sniffing around until it finds cheese, and then eating the cheese. So we should have a nose for God’s promises, sniffing around in God’s Word until we find promises, and then meditating deeply on those promises.
Think of what would happen if everyone of us here at Mercy Hill took regular time to prayerfully think about and pray over God’s promises – our faith would be even stronger, our love for each other even deeper, our compassion for the lost even greater.
The reason I mention that is because Isaiah 54 is a chapter full of God’s promises. Let’s turn there together. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring one to you. Isaiah 54 is on page 614 in the Bibles we are passing out.
What is this chapter about? Isaiah tells us in the last half of the last verse -- v.17 --
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD."
This chapter describes the heritage of the servants of the Lord. If you have a heritage, then there is something that you will receive. A heritage is like an inheritance, something that has been promised to you. So this chapter is full of God’s promises.
God’s promises play a crucial role in the life of a believer. Too many people think Christianity is all about what we do for God. But Christianity is much more about what God promises to do for us. And this chapter is full of God’s promises.
So who gets to receive these promises? Look again at the last half of the last verse, v.17 --
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD."
So who gets the heritage of these promises? The servants of the Lord.
Now there’s two ways we could misunderstand Isaiah. You could misunderstand Isaiah by thinking that because you are not very spiritual, because you are far from God and have sinned, you could never be a servant of the Lord. Or, you could misunderstand Isaiah by thinking that because you are a good person who goes to church and avoids R movies that you automatically are a servant of the Lord. Both of those are wrong.
We saw last week in Isaiah 53 that servants of the Lord are people who have sinned against God. Isaiah said that all we (including Isaiah!) like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way. So all servants of the Lord have sinned and gone astray from God.
But we also saw in Isaiah 53 that God made a way for sinful people to be completely forgiven. Jesus died on the Cross to pay for the guilt of sin. And the way we receive that forgiveness and become a servant of the Lord is by trusting Jesus Christ -- not by trying to be good enough or going to church or only watching certain movies.
So the crucial question is: are you trusting Jesus Christ? Are you trusting Jesus as your Savior -- so you are not trying to save yourself by being good enough? Are you trusting Jesus as your Lord – not that you are perfect, but are you seeking to submit to Jesus’ will in your life? Are you trusting Jesus as your Treasure – your longing is to seek your joy and heart-satisfaction in Him?
If so, then you are forgiven for all of your sins, you are a servant of the Lord, and all the heritage of these promises are for you. And if you are not yet trusting Jesus, then all these promises could be for you – if you will just bend the knee to Jesus Christ. So let’s take a look at these promises.
What does God promise His servants?
First, God promises that we will have many spiritual children. Vv.1-3 are puzzling when you first read them. Look at what God promises:
1 "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married," says the LORD.
2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.
God promises that His servants will have many, many children.
So is Isaiah talking about physical children? You could think that, but when you read this chapter more carefully you can see that’s not what he means. First of all, in the rest of this chapter we see that Isaiah is using figurative language. Notice in v.5 – “For your Maker [God] is your husband.” So he’s talking figuratively about how God is like a husband to us, and how God will enable us to bear spiritual children – converts. And second, in Galatians 4:27 Paul quotes these verses as a reference to spiritual children – converts.
So here God promises that His servants will have many spiritual children. And isn’t this what Jesus promised – that if we follow Him He will enable us to be fishers of men? That if we abide in Him we will bear much fruit? That the good soil will bear a harvest of 30-, 60-, and a hundred-fold?But Satan works very hard at making us think that we will not have many spiritual children. Because if he can make us think we will not have many spiritual children, then we will not go out and preach the Gospel to help people become spiritual children.
Which is why this promise is so crucial for us to understand. Fight to believe this. Don’t let Satan undermine it. God promises that you will bring forth many spiritual children – in your neighborhood, in your circle of friendships, in your extended family, at Apple, Brocade, Lockheed, or wherever you work.
Second, God promises that He will never turn His love from us. That’s the point of vv.4-10; let’s focus on vv.8 and 10. V.8 --
8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting [never-ending!] love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer.
And v.10 --
10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
How can God promise that He will never turn His love away from us? It’s because the moment you turn to trust Christ, God starts a work in you that He will never stop. When you are weak, He will strengthen you. When you fall, He will pick you up. When you sin, He will cause you to repent. He has started a work in you that He will never let stop.
Picture it like this. Here you are – and off in the distance is the New Heavens and New Earth. But between here and there are temptations and trials and conflicts and difficulties. And you could think – how am I going to make it? I don’t have it in me to keep going. How will I last all the way to the New Heavens and New Earth?
But you don’t need to feel that way, because God will never turn His love from you -- and His love will keep you persevering in the faith all the way to the New Heavens and Earth.
So at every point in the road between here and there – He will be loving you, strengthening you, helping you, giving you repentance, giving you encouragement, giving you all you need. So because you are trusting Jesus today there is absolutely no doubt that you will be in the New Heavens and New Earth.
My dad likes to say that Christianity is not a possum religion; it’s a kangaroo religion. Possum babies have to hang on to mom, and if they let go, they will fall and die. But kangaroo babies are placed in mom’s pouch, where they are kept safe and secure.
God promises that He will never turn His love from us.
Third, God promises to turn our present humiliations into amazing glorifications. Before we read vv.11-12 let me set the stage. Imagine that you were an Israelite living as a slave in Babylon, knowing that Babylon had conquered Jerusalem, torn down its walls, and flattened its buildings. Think of how humiliated you would have felt.
But then think of how you would have felt reading vv.11-12 --
11 "O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony [a beautiful black mortar that would set off the beauty of precious stones], and lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your pinnacles of agate [probably red jasper -- a precious stone], your gates of carbuncles [shining crystals], and all your wall of precious stones.
This can’t be talking about the physical rebuilding of Jerusalem, because Jerusalem wasn’t rebuilt with precious stones, and because the book of Revelation uses these verses to describe the New Jerusalem, the people of God, in the New Heavens and Earth (Rev 21:19).
So what God is saying to Israel – and to us – is that He will turn our humiliation into glorification. God’s people often experience humbling circumstances, whether it’s Jerusalem being destroyed, or not having much money, having friends turn on us, facing physical illness, experiencing persecution. God’s people often experience humbling circumstances. Many of you are experiencing humbling circumstances.
So what God is saying is – look at what you will be in the New Heavens and Earth. Because of Jesus, we saved sinners will be built with sapphires and precious stones – we will be glorious. So even if you are in humbling circumstances now – lift up your heads. Because of Jesus, you will one day be glorified.
Fourth, God promises to give you the peace that comes from being taught directly by God. Look at v.13 --
13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.
This verse is not easy to figure out. Here’s my best stab at it. I noticed that Jesus quotes it in John 6:45 to describe something that is true for every believer – every believer is taught by the Lord. What I think that means is that we aren’t just taught about God; we can be taught directly by God. We can have times when we are praying over God’s Word that God reveals Himself to us personally through His Word.
And when God reveals Himself personally through His Word, we have great peace: all our doubts disappear, all fears vanish, all emptiness is filled – we have complete peace.
Because you are trusting Jesus, you can experience that. All of us can experience that more. A few weeks ago I was praying on the creek path near our house. I was meditating on promises in the psalms. And this doesn’t always happen, but that day as I prayed I felt God’s love and nearness and power so strongly that, just as Isaiah says, I was absolutely filled with peace. So much so that I just had to stop and shout “yes!”
God promises the peace that comes from being taught directly from God.
Fifth, God promises that no weapon fashioned against you will succeed. That’s the point of vv.14-17 --
14 In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you.
16 Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy;
17 no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD."
You could think this means we will never experience trials. But in other passages God promises that His people will experience trials. So what is God promising? He’s promising that nothing on earth will take away our greatest joy – which is joy in God. In fact, as Paul says in 2 Cor 4:16-18, every trial on earth will increase our joy in God.
Here’s an illustration. Let’s say my greatest joy is surfing, and I am driving on the 17 heading to Santa Cruz to surf. But all of a sudden I face a trial – there’s a sign saying I have to take a detour off the 17 on a road that ends up very bumpy.
Bump, bump, bump. Not much fun. But how would I feel about that if I knew the bumpy road would get me to the beach faster, and would get me to a beach whose waves are even better? That would help me drive over the bumpy road, wouldn’t it?
That’s what God promises for His servants. Our highest joy is knowing God, beholding God, worshiping God now and forever. And God promises that every trial we face, while it will be bumpy, will bring us more joy in God than we would have had without that trial.
That’s what God means when He promises that no weapon fashioned against you will succeed.
Questions?
So what does this mean for us?
Pick one promise – whichever promise you need the most right now – and talk to God about it.
We will have many spiritual children – people we help come to know Jesus.
God promises that He will never turn His love from us – He will keep us persevering until the end.
God will turn our present humiliations into amazing glorifications.
God will give us the peace that comes from being taught directly by Him.
No weapon fashioned against us will succeed – every trial will bring us even more joy in God now and forever.
Pick whichever promise you need the most, and pray over it. Think deeply about it. Faith feeds on God’s promises like a mouse feeds on cheese. So take time this week to feed on that promise – and then share about it in your home group this week.
And if you have not yet surrendered your life in faith to Jesus Christ, do it now. Right now. If you do, you will be completely forgiven, restored into loving relationship with God, and all these promises will be true for you.