“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.” (Isaiah 42:1, ESV)
As many know, I love football probably more than other sport. As a young man, we would often get together after school and have a game set up in a vacant field somewhere. Now I watch football games played by others. As you watch the game you see various people. Some are on the playing field, actively engaged in the contest. Some are sitting on the sidelines as second stringers. Many watch from the stadium bleachers with their hearts in the game, but not actively engaged.
This seems to be a picture of the modern church. On Sunday mornings across Christendom, we find a multitude of people with their hearts in the game who are not actively engaged in the work of ministry. This is contrary to the Lord’s plan for the church. I would like you to consider the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah, a portion of which we see in Isaiah 42:1.
Here, the verse refers to Israel’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. The verse refers to Him as God’s servant, upheld by God, chosen by God, and one in whom Lord God delights. Moreover, the verse tells us that the Lord God put His Spirit upon the Messiah. Jesus’ earthly ministry demonstrated for us one who actively engaged in the work of God rather than one sitting on the sidelines.
I want us to consider the application of this verse in our lives. I am not saying that we are equal to Christ in every way. Christ likeness is something that all believers have in part and are continuously pursuing. Yet as we consider this verse and the example of Christ’s earthly ministry, we must conclude that there is application for us.
First, every believer is a servant of the Lord God. Each believer has a spiritual gift and is to use this gift for the edification of the church. Every believer is to be actively engaged in serving the Lord.
Second, the Lord God upholds or supports every believer in his or her Christian walk. This includes their works of service.
Third, God has chosen each believer for a service in a particular part of His sovereign program. The church in which you worship is your base of operation, the center from which the Lord will have you serve.
Fourth, we have something that I never want you to forget. The Lord God is delighted in you. Why is He delighted in believers? We cannot earn His delight by doing good works with some possibility of earning His favor. He is delighted in us because we are His children, saved by grace through faith in Christ, adopted into His family. Our service does not motivate Him to love us, but rather His love for us compels us to serve Him.
Fifth, by His grace, He has given us His Spirit so we can fulfill our part of His sovereign program. Every believer has the promised Holy Spirit within them to empower and equip them for service and life. This gives us no excuse for sitting on the sidelines or in the bleachers.
What is my point? Follow the example of Jesus. Get out of the bleachers. Get off the sidelines. Get actively engaged in serving the Lord according to the grace He has given you. If you do not know what you are to do or how you are to do it, ask one of your teachers or elders. If you wish, call me. I would be happy to sit down with you and figure out a way that you could serve the Lord using your spiritual gifts and talents.
Renewing the Heart 