The Servant King

Advent 2024

History of the Israelites

• Many believed the Messiah would be a political revolutionary.
• Why?

¹ “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.
He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout
or raise his voice in public.
³ He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
⁴ He will not falter or lose heart
until justice prevails throughout the earth.
Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”
Isaiah 42:1-4 (NLT)

⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and guard you,
and I will give you to my people, Israel,
as a symbol of my covenant with them.
And you will be a light to guide the nations.
Isaiah 42:6 (NLT)

• The Jewish people interpreted scripture based on their own assumptions and desires.
  • This is still a problem that we have today.
• The Jewish people knew history well and how God had provided for them in a time of bondage in the past.

Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 (NLT)

• The messiah was prophesied to be a suffering servant.

Luke 2:1-20 (NLT)

• Jesus was born in Bethlehem as prophesied.

² But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
    whose origins are in the distant past,
    will come from you on my behalf.
Micah 5:2 (NLT)

• Jesus was born into a peasant couple from the despised town of Nazareth.
• Jesus was born and laid in strips of cloth and laid in a manger.
• This baby brought great hope!

Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT)

²⁵ But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. ²⁶ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. ²⁸ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Philippians 2:5-11 (NLT)

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

⁶ Though he was God,^[a]
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges^[b];
    he took the humble position of a slave^[c]
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,^[d]
8     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

• Jesus lived as a servant to show by example how we are called to live.

Imagine the difference if Jesus would have come in a way that many expected to simply free the people of Israel from Roman authority.
…We wouldn’t be preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
…This is proof that God’s ways are bigger than our ways.

God’s ways are bigger and better than our ways. Can we trust Him with this truth even in the midst of our own confusion?

The most important commandment is to “…love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…”
the second is to
“…love your neighbor as yourself…”.
Will we live our lives as servants for Christ and His people?

Matthew 22:37-40