Word of Salvation – February 2025
The Mediator: Three Snapshots
Sermon by Rev. John Westendorp on Isaiah 42:1-4; 53:1-6 & W.C.F. 8:1, 2 & 5
Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10; Westminster Confession – art.8:1,2,5
Singing: BoW.304 Praise to the holiest
– BoW.290 Songs of thankfulness and praise
– BoW.330 Jesus is Lord
– BoW.523 Glory be to the Father
Theme: Three snapshots of the servant Mediator who is both God and Man from the prophecies of Isaiah.
Introd: Isaiah is directly quoted 67 times in the N.T. Only the Psalms are quoted more often.
Someone has counted an addition 300 or more allusions to Isaiah’s writings in the N.T.
IOW: places where the NT writers appear to have borrowed from Isaiah.
Or places where they were very obviously influenced by his prophecies.
Why did the NT writers quote from Isaiah so many times?
Why did they pick up his language and imagery so often?
Because Isaiah was given a great deal of insight into the coming Messiah.
So much so that Isaiah has been called the Gospel writer of the O.T.
Thru him God revealed many things about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Repeatedly he writes about the gospel and the results of the gospel.
That begins already in chapter 1 with a wonderful picture of how God now deals with our sins.
Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow.
And those results of the gospel are still being talked about in the closing verses in chapter 66.
There the Lord says that he will bring people from every tribe and nation into His holy city.
Think about it: 67 direct quotes and more than 300 allusions from Isaiah in the N.T.
That means it is impossible to do justice to Isaiah’s view of the Messiah in 20 minutes.
It is just as impossible to do justice to chapter 8 of the Westminster Confession in 20 minutes.
So I’ll give you three brief snapshots from Isaiah and from the opening part of the Confession.
A] GOD’S CHOSEN AND ORDAINED SERVANT (Isaiah 42:1-4).
- The first snapshot is of our Mediator as the One whom God has chosen and ordained.
The WCF: It pleased God to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus,
His only begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man.
We find this same first snapshot in Isaiah 42 – in the first of three so-called Servant Songs.
Those Servant Songs continue on right through into Isaiah 53.
And they have much to teach us about the person and the ministry of the Saviour.
But what Isaiah begins with is God choosing and ordaining the Servant.
I know of no other place where God speaks as clearly about that as here.
It’s the very heartbeat of Isaiah’s teaching about God’s coming Messiah…
as he spells out who God’s Mediator is and what He will do.
God has chosen someone for that very purpose.
God has set Him apart… ordained Him for that.
Furthermore, all of this happens under the umbrella of servant-hood.
Here and in the following chapters our Mediator is repeatedly called the Servant of Yahweh.
He is totally committed to doing the Lord’s will.
What is important to a servant is not what the servant wants.
What is important to a servant is what the Master wants.
So the Mediator does God’s work with a servant heart.
Today we know that the Servant in the Servant Songs is our Lord Jesus Christ.
So Isaiah 42 is both quoted and alluded to in the NT.
In Mat.12:18 Jesus directly quotes these very words from Isaiah 42 as applying to Him.
Paul in Phil.2 uses the language of Isaiah as he speaks of the servant-hood of Jesus.
- In these 4 verses Isaiah looks at The Servant first in relationship to God then in relationship to people.
So the emphasis is first on who the Servant is in relation to God.
We’re told about the Servant being chosen and ordained by God
The choosing of The Servant is easy to see in our text.
That is spelled out specifically in as many words.
Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight.
IOW there is a very special bond of love between God and the Servant.
God made a choice about who would come and save the world.
And that chosen one… God’s elect one… His choice… is the Servant.
So we have this Servant who is very special to God and who is upheld by God.
Is it any wonder that at Jesus’ Baptism the Father spoke from heaven:
”This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.”…?
But the Servant is also ordained for the particular task He has been called to do.
Isaiah adds: I will put my Spirit on Him…!
And that passing reference to the Spirit of God conveys a wealth of meaning.
In the OT, prophets, priests and kings were all anointed with oil.
That oil set them apart and marked them for their ordination..
But that oil was a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s work.
So Jesus is anointed as prophet, priest and king – because God’s Spirit is upon Him.
Called for these very important tasks in order to save His people.
The Mediator is all of that – prophet, priest and king – but with a servant heart.
Here then is the appointment of the One God has chosen to restore us to Himself.
- But we also see this same Servant, not only in relationship to God but also in relation to people.
Here the emphasis is more on what the servant does.
Because He is chosen and ordained for a purpose – to be the Mediator between God and man.
Look at some of the beautiful things said about God’s chosen and Ordained Mediator.
See how He relates to those whom He comes to save.
First: He is not loud and boisterous.
He will not shout or cry out. He will not raise his voice in the streets.
Jesus did not come with a PR team in tow. Not in arrogant self promotion.
He comes in utter humility so that we will have no trouble approaching Him.
Second: He is marked by sensitivity and gentleness.
The bruised reed He will not break… the smouldering wick he will not snuff out.
God’s chosen and ordained Servant is compassionate and sympathetic.
He understand our hurts and our pain… and He invites us to come to Him with them.
Third: His is known for His perseverance in setting things right.
He brings justice to the nations. Three times in four verses justice is mentioned.
And He will not falter or be discouraged until that justice is established on the earth.
Like the judges of the ancient world His great goal is to set things right.
Of course Isaiah later has much, much more to say about the Servant.
And in the Westminster Confession I’ve only singled out a few lines.
But it is enough to highlight that God has appointed a most suitable and wonderful Saviour.
B] BORN OF A VIRGIN AS THE IMMANUEL (Isaiah 7:10-14).
- The second snapshot of the Mediator is of the very beginning of His earthly life.
The WCF states: Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
in the womb of the virgin Mary out of her substance.
For this second snapshot we turn to Isaiah 7 – which tells us of His coming.
Again… the story of His coming is not limited to this one passage in Isaiah.
This is but the first of three very lovely and specific promises of the birth of Jesus.
A virgin will be with child and bear a son and she will call his name Immanuel.
This was a great promise which God gave His people in a time of deep trouble.
Let me put you in the picture a little.
It’s a time of political unrest and upheaval among the surrounding nations.
Judah’s king, Ahaz – descended from David – is shaking in his boots.
He’s heard that an alliance has been formed between Syria and the northern Ten Tribes.
Israel and Syria have combined to destroy Jerusalem.
Meanwhile in the wings, the mighty nation of Assyria is flexing its muscles.
The upshot is that Ahaz and his people tremble in fear.
So the prophet comes to encourage the king.
He tells Ahaz that Syria and the Northern Tribes will not destroy Jerusalem.
Because God is with them and he will break the power of their enemies.
And then Ahaz is invited to ask God for a sign to confirm that… but Ahaz refuses.
Ahaz piously talks about not putting the Lord to the test.
The problem is that Ahaz is not a God-fearing king.
He knows that if he asks for a sign and the sign happens then he’ll have to believe.
And he’s more comfortable living with his unbelief.
So God Himself gives that amazing sign of a virgin giving birth to a son.
- Again this is part of the richness of the prophecies of Isaiah.
Three key promises of the birth of Jesus are given.
Three times Isaiah is privileged to pass on the message of the birth of the servant.
And each time it is to teach us yet something else about our Mediator.
Of course the purpose of this particular prophecy was to deal with the unbelief of Ahaz.
But in the process we are given some insights into the very special nature of His birth.
Two things become very clear.
First – this child will be virgin born.
This verse has always been a little contentious when it comes to translation.
Because the Hebrew word for ‘virgin’ can simply mean a ‘young woman’.
So a young woman of marriageable age is to give birth to a son.
But the interesting thing is that this is one of the 67 Isaiah texts quoted in the N.T.
And when Matthew quotes this verse in his gospel there is no such ambiguity.
The word he uses can only mean a woman who has never had sexual relations with a man.
Jesus took on a human nature from the womb of the virgin Mary.
Second – Isaiah makes clear that by His virgin birth the Servant is not only human.
He is also God. Because His name is Immanuel – meaning God with us.
So God’s very own presence becomes a reality in the person of the Servant.
Jesus is virgin born… so that in this way He could be true God and true man.
- But that leaves us with one important question.
Is this child the same one who in 42:1-4 is introduced as The Servant?
Is this virgin-born child the same One who is chosen and ordained by God as our Mediator?
Did Isaiah understand his own prophecies well enough to get that right?
I’m convinced Isaiah understood that this special child to be born was indeed the Servant.
Okay… he didn’t know exactly how and when this would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Isaiah lived 600 years before Christmas.
But Isaiah knew that this special child was God’s promised Mediator of chapter 42.
This virgin-born Son was the One chosen by God and ordained by Him.
Let me point you to the evidence.
In Isaiah 42 the prophet spoke about The Servant in relation to God’s Spirit.
He was ordained as God’s “Office Bearer” by the anointing work of God’s Spirit.
That’s why we read in 42:1 – I will put my Spirit upon Him.
But Isaiah does not limit this ordaining work of God’s Spirit to The Servant Songs.
He already relates the work of God’s Spirit to this special child who is to be born.
Turn a moment to the third of the three great Christmas prophecies in Isaiah 11.
There we are given new information that this child to be born will we from the house of David.
He will come out of Judah’s royal family: from the stem of Jesse, the father of David.
But then please notice in vs.2 how Isaiah immediately links His birth to the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him.
The Baby in the manger is none other than the Servant of Yahweh.
He came for only one reason.
To be ordained by God’s Spirit
as your great prophet, your only high priest and your eternal king.
C] GIVING HIMSELF IN SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH (Isaiah 53:5-6).
- The third snapshot of the Servant is a picture from the end of His earthly life.
The WCF states: By His perfect obedience and sacrifice, offered up to God, once and for all,
…the Lord Jesus has completely satisfied the justice of His Father.
For this last snapshot we turn to the climax of the Servant Songs in Isaiah 53.
It makes the picture of Jesus in the prophecies of Isaiah wonderfully complete.
Three times the birth of the Servant is predicted.
Three Servant Songs tell us about His person and His work.
And in the last of them we see where it all leads.
It all climaxes with the Servant’s suffering, death and resurrection.
Unfortunately it is a climax we do not particularly like.
People have resented the idea that Jesus needed to die for us.
Most people love the Christmas story.
But many stumble over the idea that the Servant had to die on the cross.
Isaiah already realised himself that he was bringing an incredible message.
For he begins this famous 53rd chapter by admitting the unpopularity of what he is saying.
His opening words are: Who has believed our message?
It is not politically correct to suggest we needed a Mediator who needed to die for us.
And that only in this way could the relationship between God and us be restored.
- What we cannot escape in Isaiah 53 is the substitutionary nature of the Mediator’s work.
Very obviously the whole nature of His suffering is ‘in our place’.
That is the undercurrent that runs right through this chapter
And we may not like that… but we cannot get away from it: His suffering is substitutionary.
Look at some of the expressions in this snapshot that bring that home to us.
Vs.4: Surely, he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.
Vs.5: He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.
Vs.6: The Lord has laid on Him the iniquities of us all.
That is only a small sampling of the teachings of this chapter.
You can find more references to the fact that the Servant suffers and dies in our place.
I have heard people argue that all this is just OT stuff.
The O.T. is the “blood and guts” part of the Bible.
The N.T. is all about love and forgiveness.
But why then is Isaiah 53 quoted 6 times in the NT?
And why are there a further 30 allusion to Isaiah 53 in the NT?
The N.T. too teaches that in order to be our Mediator Jesus had to become our substitute.
Only in this way could we God and we be reconciled.
Only in this way could the justice of God be satisfied.
This is why Jesus was ordained by God as our Great High Priest.
So that He could offer Himself up for our sin.
- I know of a prominent Christian pastor who has questioned all this.
He looks at the death of Jesus only as a wonderful example of love.
He says that he knows he is not perfect.
But he also claims: I’m not that bad that I need anyone to die for me.
If we’re ever tempted to think that way then we might as well cut Isaiah 53 out of our Bible.
And then the cost of Jesus coming to earth in Bethlehem no longer makes sense.
Why should Jesus go to all that trouble to just be a wonderful example for us?
Because it’s an example that we will always struggle to live up to anyway.
No! Isaiah 53 – this third snapshot – is very clear about it.
All of us, like sheep, have gone astray.
Each of us has turned to his own way.
Rebellious and straying sheep need more than an example.
They need a Mediator, chosen by God and ordained by Him.
They need someone special who is both God and man.
But above all they need someone on whom our offences against God could be laid.
The Lord has laid on Him the iniquities of us all.
I marvel at the richness of Isaiah’s understanding about our Mediator.
Today I’ve just singled out three quick snapshots from which you can draw comfort.
First: God has chosen and ordained for you a caring Mediator with a servant heart.
Second: God brought Him into the world in a special way so that He is both God and Man.
Third: This Mediator, as man, took your place and as God bought your freedom.
And the marvellous results of that are now yours:
An everlasting inheritance in the Kingdom of heaven
for everyone whom the Father has given to Him.
Amen