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The Gospel Truth
The servant of God is faithful to learn the word of God. This passage presents a servant who is a "disciple," or learner. It speaks of someone whose ears are open to listen and learn from God's word. How does this apply to the Lord Jesus Christ? The perfect man was a perfect learner. The Bible tells us "Jesus grew in wisdom." It says "He learned obedience." He arose early to pray, attended synagogue regularly, and when handed a scroll of scripture he knew right where to turn to talk about the true servant of the Lord. It is in prayer, in private and corporate worship and especially in listening to the scriptures that we encounter the word of God. Jesus knew this and faithfully practiced these things. How much more do we need to submit ourselves to faithfully learn the word of God? For this is where true servanthood, true faith, true Christianity begins. The servant of God is faithful to speak the word of God. What we learn, we speak. When the good news and godly principles grab our hearts, we cannot help but speak with "the tongue of disciples ... to sustain the weary one with a word." Do you know anyone who is "weary" from carrying the weight of this world? Jesus did. That's why he said, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavyladen, and I will give you rest." Those who came received a word from the living word of God that was consistent with the written word of God. He went to people in this world and spoke to them the word of God. He is the perfect servant of God. Do you give a biblical answer to the questions that arise in your world? Do you quote Dear Abby, Oprah, or just tell them to follow their heart? Do you stand on the quicksand of "We've always done it that way before?" Are you like the moronic church leader I once knew who said, "Don't bring the Bible into this?" Or, are you a servant of the Lord? A servant of God is faithful to speak the word of God. The servant of God is faithful to obey the word of God. I don't have to tell you that Jesus, the perfect servant of God, perfectly obeyed the word of God. Isaiah, however, prophetically points out a moment where humble obedience had both a high cost and a heavenly reward. The Garden of Gethsemane was a great challenge, the cross of Calvary was a great cost, but obedience to the father results in a great, eternal reward. Today, those who would be servants of God are bombarded with a world of options. Our autonomous selves can change our minds, change the channel, change our credit cards, change our clothes, change our jobs, change our spouses, add infinitum. Somehow we have become convinced that we can change the word of God. I'm not talking about liberals who try to erase certain parts of scripture, I'm talking about conservatives who simply ignore or blatantly disobey certain parts of scripture. What the servant of God did perfectly, servants of God do completely.We learn scripture, all of it, consistently and systematically. We speak scripture, allowing the word of God to be the first thing to address the issues of our day. And we obey the word of God, submitting ourselves to its authority, and we do not have the authority to pick out which parts we will obey and which parts we will not. The servant of God is faithful to the word of God to the end. What Jesus did made no sense to most people. The Romans thought him a troublemaker, the Jews thought he was demon possessed, his earthly family at times thought he was crazy, his own disciples bailed on him at the end, and one of them betrayed him to his death. But that's the way it is when you are steadfastly committed to hearing, speaking, and obeying the word of God. Jesus himself said, "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved." If you are a servant of God, you will learn the word of God all your life, you will make decisions based upon the word of God all your life, and you will live a life of basic, though not perfect, obedience to the word of God all your life.
Adoni Jehovah, the sovereign God, the Lord Jesus Christ is looking for a champion. He is searching for those who will meet him in a quiet time, in Bible study and worship on the lord's day, and in a thousand other places to hear and learn the word of God. God is looking for a true servant of God who will speak, obey, and be true to God's word to the end. Let that servant be you.
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