Promised Messiah: Gentle and Lowly

WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:09.070 Well as I with our this morning and other times this week. I've several 2 00:00:09.150 --> 00:00:14.830 passages to read with you this morning or this evening. First, Isaiah Forty 3 00:00:14.869 --> 00:00:18.469 two, which I did read this morning but I'd like to read again. 4 00:00:19.750 --> 00:00:34.979 Isaiah Forty two, a couple verses there the word says of the coming Messiah. 5 00:00:35.579 --> 00:00:38.890 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard 6 00:00:38.969 --> 00:00:42.490 in the street. Verse Three, a bruised read. He will not break 7 00:00:42.770 --> 00:00:47.009 in a faintly burning wick, he will not quench, he will faithfully bring 8 00:00:47.130 --> 00:00:52.479 forth justice. And now, seeing this, I'm fulfilled in the New Testament. 9 00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:57.880 Let's first turn to Matthew Chapter Eleven, and then two more passages after 10 00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:12.230 that. So Matthew Eleven, Verses Twenty eight through thirty, Jesus says, 11 00:01:14.709 --> 00:01:19.819 come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will 12 00:01:19.819 --> 00:01:23.180 give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for 13 00:01:23.379 --> 00:01:29.500 I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your 14 00:01:29.579 --> 00:01:38.489 souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. And then 15 00:01:38.769 --> 00:02:06.069 Philippians chapter two. Philippians two versus five through ten. Have this mind among 16 00:02:06.150 --> 00:02:09.310 yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus who, though he was in the 17 00:02:09.430 --> 00:02:14.750 form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 18 00:02:15.389 --> 00:02:19.740 but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in 19 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:25.300 the likeness of men and being found in human form, he humbled himself by 20 00:02:25.379 --> 00:02:31.050 becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, 21 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:36.490 God has highly Exalted Him and bestowed on him the name that is above 22 00:02:36.610 --> 00:02:39.129 every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every niche should bow 23 00:02:39.409 --> 00:02:44.639 in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that 24 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:50.639 Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father, and and 25 00:02:50.719 --> 00:03:06.909 finally Luke Chapter two. So we read the prophecy in Isaiah that the Lord 26 00:03:06.949 --> 00:03:12.110 would come and would, and he is described by these very gentle actions of 27 00:03:12.629 --> 00:03:20.259 not quenching, not snuffing out that which is barely burning, not breaking a 28 00:03:20.539 --> 00:03:25.500 read that is bruised and ready to break. We read of Jesus describing himself 29 00:03:25.620 --> 00:03:30.530 this way as one who is gentle and lowly. We did read in Philippians 30 00:03:30.569 --> 00:03:35.969 of how the Lord is one who comes in a low form, a servant 31 00:03:36.009 --> 00:03:40.250 and obedient even to death. And now we see that this is expressed in 32 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:45.919 his birth as well. Luke, Chapter Two versus one through twenty one. 33 00:03:45.960 --> 00:03:52.000 And those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should 34 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:57.389 be registered. This was the first registration when queeriness was governor of Syria, 35 00:03:58.189 --> 00:04:01.069 and all went to be registered, each to his own town, and Joseph 36 00:04:01.110 --> 00:04:04.669 also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to j Gea, 37 00:04:05.349 --> 00:04:10.460 to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was 38 00:04:10.659 --> 00:04:14.340 of the house, of the lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, 39 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:17.259 his betrothed, who was with child, and while they were there, 40 00:04:17.300 --> 00:04:23.060 the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her 41 00:04:23.139 --> 00:04:29.370 firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, cloths and laid him in a 42 00:04:29.490 --> 00:04:33.009 manger because there was no place for them in the INN. And in the 43 00:04:33.089 --> 00:04:38.009 same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock 44 00:04:38.050 --> 00:04:42.600 by night and an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of 45 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:47.360 the Lord shone around them and they were filled with great fear, and the 46 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:51.480 Angel said to them fear not, for behold, I bring you good news 47 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:57.110 of great joy. That will be for all the people, for unto you 48 00:04:57.550 --> 00:05:02.589 is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ, 49 00:05:03.230 --> 00:05:08.100 the Lord, and this will be a sign for you. You will 50 00:05:08.139 --> 00:05:15.019 find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly 51 00:05:15.100 --> 00:05:19.060 there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and 52 00:05:19.259 --> 00:05:27.089 saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom 53 00:05:27.209 --> 00:05:31.569 he is pleased. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the 54 00:05:31.649 --> 00:05:35.759 shepherd said to one another, let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing 55 00:05:35.879 --> 00:05:40.959 that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they 56 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:46.079 went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger, 57 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:49.550 and when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been 58 00:05:49.589 --> 00:05:55.350 told them concerning this child. In all who heard it wondered at the Shit 59 00:05:55.470 --> 00:05:59.910 what the shepherds had told them, but Mary treasured up these things, pondering 60 00:05:59.990 --> 00:06:04.339 them in her heart. And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all 61 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:10.699 that they had heard and seen, as it had been told them, at 62 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:13.740 the end of the eighth day, at the end of eight days. When 63 00:06:13.779 --> 00:06:17.459 he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the Angel 64 00:06:17.810 --> 00:06:29.810 before he was conceived in the womb. Praise God. So over the last 65 00:06:29.810 --> 00:06:32.360 few weeks, as we have considered this theme of the Promised Messiah, this 66 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:40.000 one that was promised in the Old Testament and then came to find fulfillment in 67 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:46.589 Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, we've come to see that he is very powerful, 68 00:06:47.870 --> 00:06:51.750 that he is just, that is rule is mighty. We've had images 69 00:06:51.990 --> 00:07:00.149 of the host of Heaven, sixtwinged Sarah. We've Sung of earlier, a 70 00:07:00.230 --> 00:07:06.259 mighty host, of his command. We've heard of images of his him shattering 71 00:07:06.420 --> 00:07:12.339 the nations, of him killing beasts with the breath of his mouth, of 72 00:07:13.220 --> 00:07:18.649 the Great Power and righteousness and rule of this promise Messiah. And we've seen 73 00:07:18.730 --> 00:07:23.610 that this is not only because he is divine, but also because he was 74 00:07:23.970 --> 00:07:30.680 anointed by the spirit, even as a human, a human man, to 75 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:36.920 rule a kingdom of men, to rule under God, a kingdom which would 76 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:44.040 extend to animals and angels, a whole world filled with peace and glory under 77 00:07:44.709 --> 00:07:49.629 the Lord, the King of Kings. But we've also come to see is 78 00:07:49.670 --> 00:07:56.670 that this great and glorious, Awesome King, the Promised Messiah, the anointed 79 00:07:56.829 --> 00:08:01.019 one, comes in a very unexpected way. He comes with power and might, 80 00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:07.500 even the sea and the winds obey him, but he also comes in 81 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:18.370 gentleness and, even more surprisingly, lowliness servanthood. The word gentle that Jesus 82 00:08:18.490 --> 00:08:24.850 describes himself with in Matthew Eleven has been translated also is mild or meek or 83 00:08:24.889 --> 00:08:30.920 humble. One Lexicon notes that this word, the corresponding word in various languages, 84 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:33.919 is off been given in the negative as the opposite of harshness, and 85 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:39.919 I think that's a good way to understand what gentleness is. It's the opposite 86 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:46.350 of harshness. Instead of being strong and powerful and perhaps even cruel, it 87 00:08:46.549 --> 00:08:54.149 goes it, gentleness speaks of tenderness, of carefulness. Right, a bruised 88 00:08:54.309 --> 00:08:58.860 read he will not break. If you've ever had something delicate right that you 89 00:09:00.059 --> 00:09:05.779 were that you wanted to be careful with, right, you treat it gently. 90 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:09.889 We say to our kids gentle, gentle with the cat, gentle with 91 00:09:11.490 --> 00:09:15.929 Mommy's tea set or whatever. Right, we are careful and gentle with these 92 00:09:16.009 --> 00:09:20.889 things. We don't start to move them around and in harsh ways. The 93 00:09:20.970 --> 00:09:28.200 Lord describes himself as gentle, but he also describes himself as lowly. We 94 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:31.879 might imagine a king being gentle, a good gentle king, though, still 95 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:39.590 strong, but lowly. At least for me, that's extra surprising, especially 96 00:09:39.669 --> 00:09:41.710 when we think of not just a king but the king of Kings, the 97 00:09:41.870 --> 00:09:48.190 Lord of Lords, because low means low, it means of low status. 98 00:09:50.350 --> 00:09:54.340 Luke one hundred and fifty two uses the same word here. He says he 99 00:09:54.820 --> 00:10:00.940 has brought down the mighty from their throne and exalted those of Humble Estate. 100 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:07.610 and Jesus is described as being one of humble estate. Right, this glorious 101 00:10:07.649 --> 00:10:13.090 mighty king, of whom the angels, you know, peer to the shepherds 102 00:10:13.129 --> 00:10:18.970 and declare this glorious praise, he comes as a lowly one. The word 103 00:10:20.049 --> 00:10:24.960 that Jesus uses for lowly also can have another meaning, not just low estate, 104 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:28.600 but have an emotional side to it as well. The word can describe, 105 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:33.360 in other words, not merely someone who's down in society, but also 106 00:10:33.399 --> 00:10:39.029 someone who's down in heart. That word is used in Second Corinthians seven six, 107 00:10:39.149 --> 00:10:43.830 which says, but God comforts the lowly, or it's translated in the 108 00:10:43.870 --> 00:10:50.700 ESV the downcast. God comforts the downcast, and then he says comforted us 109 00:10:50.740 --> 00:10:54.820 are, says the verses. But God who comforts the downcast, comforted us 110 00:10:56.259 --> 00:11:01.139 by the coming of Titus. I'm so God is used, this servant to 111 00:11:01.419 --> 00:11:07.129 bring their broken hearts, their downcast hearts, they're lowly hearts, to cheer. 112 00:11:07.330 --> 00:11:11.929 So here is this king, King Jesus, who has everything right. 113 00:11:13.129 --> 00:11:18.250 Thou, the one who is beyond all praising and Splendor and glory, and 114 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:22.799 he comes as one who is gentle with us and, even more than that, 115 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:31.639 who is lowly among us. Well, to continue our pattern of seeing 116 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:35.830 things in the old testament than in the new. Let's do that now. 117 00:11:35.909 --> 00:11:39.950 As you said, in Isaiah a forty two we've seen that Jesus comes, 118 00:11:41.070 --> 00:11:46.580 this one, this spirit anointed one, and he comes in care the bruised 119 00:11:46.659 --> 00:11:52.820 weed and the wick. We've see it in other places in Isaiah as well. 120 00:11:54.019 --> 00:11:58.659 This servant WHO's coming is often called in a by theologians because of Isaiah's 121 00:11:58.659 --> 00:12:03.370 words, as their suffering servant. He comes not just to be gentle with 122 00:12:03.490 --> 00:12:09.409 those he comes to serve, but he comes to even die, to suffer, 123 00:12:09.690 --> 00:12:16.200 and we see that in Jesus we see Jesus, as Philippians tells us, 124 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:20.519 the one who comes so low as even to die, and at his 125 00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:28.879 birth, coming in as born in a manger. Luke captures these two dynamics 126 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:35.269 really well and impresses them on our heart when we see the glory of the 127 00:12:35.470 --> 00:12:43.190 angels of paired with his being born in a manger, no place for them 128 00:12:43.429 --> 00:12:48.100 in the INN. She wraps him in swaddling cloths and there they are, 129 00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:58.730 a normal little family on a census and a busy town. The first, 130 00:12:58.450 --> 00:13:03.769 some of the first people that come to greet them are shepherds, but we 131 00:13:03.850 --> 00:13:09.289 also know from other places also kings. We have these corresponding images, over 132 00:13:09.409 --> 00:13:11.570 and over and over again, of the greatness of Jesus, the splendor of 133 00:13:11.649 --> 00:13:22.279 Jesus, the glory of Jesus and also his lowliness. The significance of these 134 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:28.950 things is made very clear in many places. Tonight we consider them from Jesus's 135 00:13:28.029 --> 00:13:37.710 words in Matthew Eleven. Here again what he says. He says in Verse 136 00:13:37.789 --> 00:13:45.940 Twenty Eight. That's mark. I'm going to want to quote it like I 137 00:13:46.019 --> 00:13:52.580 read before. He says in Verse Twenty Eight, come to me all who 138 00:13:52.620 --> 00:13:56.929 labor and are heavy Laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke 139 00:13:56.009 --> 00:14:01.129 upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 140 00:14:01.169 --> 00:14:05.889 and you will find rest for your souls from my yoke, is easy 141 00:14:05.049 --> 00:14:11.879 and my bird and is light, as I've said many times, from God, 142 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:18.159 God's word, from here in my preaching. If Jesus only came in 143 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:28.350 power and glory and righteousness, we'd all be dead. We couldn't stand under 144 00:14:28.470 --> 00:14:33.549 that. The Sea and the winds obey him, the mighty host of Heaven 145 00:14:33.629 --> 00:14:41.779 obeys him. He's a King of all righteousness, and we who are unrighteous, 146 00:14:41.620 --> 00:14:46.659 we who are sinners, we who don't have the flicker of faith but 147 00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:54.649 are dead in our trestpasses and sins, we would be totally crushed. Jesus 148 00:14:54.769 --> 00:15:01.450 comes to help those who are needy, to save those who are sinners, 149 00:15:01.529 --> 00:15:05.529 to give peace to those who are at rest. Come to me, all 150 00:15:05.730 --> 00:15:13.440 who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. It's 151 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:18.440 worth asking yourselves, I think, in what ways am I heavy Laden and 152 00:15:22.309 --> 00:15:31.149 what ways do I need rest? Are there situations in your life in which 153 00:15:31.149 --> 00:15:37.860 you feel burdened or even crushed? Are there people that your heart breaks over 154 00:15:37.460 --> 00:15:43.740 their sins, that you struggle with? Are there situations that you can't seem 155 00:15:43.860 --> 00:15:48.820 to find your way out of that you feel like you have nothing left to 156 00:15:48.940 --> 00:15:56.529 give? Do you hear what Jesus is saying? It's really simple. Come 157 00:15:56.769 --> 00:16:03.129 to me, come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, 158 00:16:03.169 --> 00:16:10.279 and I will give you rest. And this is true for believers who know 159 00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:15.559 the Lord and love to him. This call continually comes to us. It's 160 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:18.990 one day we have, this day of rest, this day that is belongs 161 00:16:19.070 --> 00:16:22.029 to the Lord, so that he can call us over and over and over 162 00:16:22.070 --> 00:16:26.509 again and say, come to me, come to me, come to me, 163 00:16:26.070 --> 00:16:30.750 I'll take care of you, I'll give you rest. And of course, 164 00:16:30.789 --> 00:16:37.340 this is true for those who don't yet know him. Not just rest 165 00:16:37.500 --> 00:16:41.940 from the struggles of life and the verious burdens, but Jesus rest offers rest 166 00:16:42.100 --> 00:16:52.409 even to those who are at war with God. Jesus offers rests to Satan's 167 00:16:52.929 --> 00:16:57.769 soldier slaves, who have no peace, but do nothing, but always and 168 00:16:59.049 --> 00:17:06.960 all times constantly war and rage against God and His Holiness. When you belong 169 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:11.880 to the devil, when you are enslaved by him and held passion by various 170 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:21.069 fleshly desires, it's nothing but lies and temptations, twists and turns of trying 171 00:17:21.150 --> 00:17:25.670 to evade God and get out from under his presence. And, much like 172 00:17:25.789 --> 00:17:33.619 Joe, are not job Jonah did when the Lord called him to a task 173 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:37.859 and Jonah Ran. He tried to do everything he could to give away and 174 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:45.490 eventually he was so desperate he just kill me. This is how bad it 175 00:17:45.569 --> 00:17:49.970 can get for people who don't who are not submitting to the Lord, who 176 00:17:51.009 --> 00:17:56.009 don't know him, who are at war with him. God offers to those 177 00:17:56.049 --> 00:18:03.240 who are at war with him a peace treaty. He offers, he extends 178 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:11.000 to them peace. They know the deadly final battle is coming closer and closer 179 00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:15.069 every day. Judgment Day is coming. They know that they'll be on the 180 00:18:15.150 --> 00:18:21.470 losing side, and God is saying, come to me and I will not 181 00:18:21.750 --> 00:18:26.750 destroy you, I will not strike you down in my wrath, but I 182 00:18:26.950 --> 00:18:33.539 will lift your bird is from you. I will give you peace, I 183 00:18:33.740 --> 00:18:44.609 will give you rest. And how does God do this? He does this 184 00:18:45.529 --> 00:18:52.049 he offers this peace treaty by the sacrifice of his own son, this one, 185 00:18:52.210 --> 00:18:56.880 this glorious one, who came and took on human flesh. He did 186 00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:04.039 so he became a lowly human under the law so that he could fulfill the 187 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:08.880 law, so that he could obey in all the ways which we have failed 188 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:14.470 to obey, so that he could earn the right, as a human being, 189 00:19:14.950 --> 00:19:19.990 to stand before before God as the righteous one, the right to ascend 190 00:19:21.029 --> 00:19:26.779 up the Holy Hill and be present with God forever. This was God's plan 191 00:19:26.019 --> 00:19:33.579 to be with us. He became one of us, he took on flesh 192 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:40.490 and blood to save us, and in this then, Jesus offers salvation to 193 00:19:40.609 --> 00:19:45.170 the people he came to save. This is the love of God that is 194 00:19:45.250 --> 00:19:48.170 extended for us. This is the love of God that was born into the 195 00:19:48.289 --> 00:19:53.839 world and it was lying there in the manger when the shepherds came to worship, 196 00:19:55.480 --> 00:20:02.960 to wonder, to praise God. We know that this offer, this 197 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:11.349 invitation, is true because Jesus himself died to secure it. He came under 198 00:20:11.390 --> 00:20:18.869 the law and he came an obedience to forgive us and to take care of 199 00:20:18.950 --> 00:20:26.619 our debts. With his own blood, human blood, he gave his life 200 00:20:26.420 --> 00:20:32.940 for ours. He came not only under the law, as I've said, 201 00:20:33.819 --> 00:20:37.650 but under the wrath of God, under the scorn of the world, and 202 00:20:37.809 --> 00:20:44.450 so will love it you can know that. If you feel low, if 203 00:20:44.529 --> 00:20:51.400 you feel downcast, if you feel broken, know that your savior went even 204 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:57.599 lower, even deeper, than any of us have ever gone. And he 205 00:20:57.720 --> 00:21:03.390 did it for us because he loved us. He did it so that he 206 00:21:03.430 --> 00:21:10.950 might lift us up and give us what the angels proclaim peace. This is 207 00:21:10.990 --> 00:21:18.549 indeed news, not of fear but of great joy. Amen. Let's pray