READ | SERMON NOTES
Note: The identity of the ‘Servant’ in Isaiah 49 represents a faithful embodiment of the nation Israel who has not performed it’s chosen role.
Summary l Being missional is integral to who we are as Christians. Isaiah 49 provides a snapshot of what God’s people are supposed to be, and where we are currently at.
Who we’re supposed to be: Faithful in Redeeming the World
- Restored! Isa 49:5 proclaims the restoration of Israel
Israel is gathered back to the Lord. Similarly, God has redeemed us. - A Light to the Gentiles (Isa 49:6)
We are meant to be a light to the nations, and to bring salvation to the end of the earth. God did not mean for us to be merely restored to Him, but to bring this restoration to all nations.
God declares that many will come from afar to Israel. Israel will be a refuge for individuals exploited by cruel rulers, like the Egyptians and Babylonians (Isa 49:12). God’s vision for Israel was larger than just themselves. Israel would bring restoration to the nations.
- A Faithful Servant (Isa 49:3)
The extent of the Servant’s faithfulness is seen in his continued labor even when it is in vain, and he has spent his strength for nothing. Being missional remains at the core of his identity and his reward is with God.
This is reflected similarly in Isaiah’s call. Isaiah starts his mission being instructed by God (Isa 6:9) to tell the people “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.” This is hardly the most encouraging way to start a mission – a mission set for futility. Regardless, Isaiah carries out his mission faithfully.
These same principals apply to us Christians today. We are not to keep our salvation to ourselves but embrace God’s mission at the core of our identity.
Abraham’s call
God’s call for us to be missional did not begin with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). In Genesis 10 and 11, God lists the Table of Nations before their scattering at the fall of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:8). This context is crucial for understanding God’s command to Abram in Genesis 12 to go to the land He would show him, promising that through Abram, ‘all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ This is repeated again in Gen 18:18, 22:18, 26:4, and 28:14.
This divine election takes place in the context of, and on the global stage of, God’s dealings with all the nations. One nation is chosen, but all nations are to be beneficiaries of that choice. The first time we see God choosing and calling someone is precisely not so that Abraham and his family alone get saved, but rather that by being blessed, become an agent of blessing to others. (Adapted from Christopher J.H. Wright) Hence, the Church must be missional! It is the core of who we are and what we do.
Mission demands vulnerability; God is our security
It is interesting that in Isa 49:14, following the triumphant doxology in the preceding verses, Zion disruptively laments, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” However, God responds with understanding and tender lovingness. He understood the vulnerability and helplessness felt by the Israelites who had just experienced the devastation of their home and were in exile. Using the imagery of a nursing mother, God is clear that a nursing mother may forget her child, but He would never forget them! He emphatically states that He has engraved the Israelites on the palms of His hands, and their walls were ever before Him (Isa 49:15-16).
This is significant because walls are an important part of the ancient world. Walls defined a city, and its safety and security. With Jerusalem and the Temple having been pillaged and destroyed by the Babylonians recently, God was assuring the Israelites that His palms would be their walls. He would be their safety and security.
This is echoed in Zechariah 2:4-5, “Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,” declares the Lord, “and I will be its glory within.”
Perhaps we do not invite friends for Alpha or church services because we are scared of getting rejected or ridiculed. Our small groups may not be welcoming to newcomers because we want to remain comfortably behind our walls and maintain status quo. God does not dismiss our concerns of vulnerability; He promises that He loves us so much.
God will accomplish His mission in our states of great vulnerability.
In our vulnerability, we are forced to depend on Him and not our own manmade walls of security that we can hide behind. This is where God wants us to be – in a place of trust in Him, in a place of brokenness, so that we can step into the world of another person. That is what Jesus did for us when He came down to earth to die on the cross for us. He chose to be vulnerable and stepped into our world. Will we follow in the footsteps of our Saviour to do the same as He has for us?
(Sermon notes by Stella Chiam)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Do you view mission (reaching out with the goal of redeeming others from sin/ the reclamation of the world for God) as primary to your identity as a Christian? Or is it more of an optional extra-curricular activity? Why?
- If you knew your efforts to reach out to someone else would be met with rejection and futility, would you still do it just because God wants you to? Why or why not?
- What is one area of your life that you think God is asking you to be vulnerable in right now? What scares you the most about it?
