2026 01 18 - Called and Set Apart! - Popp

Grace, peace and mercy from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Today, as we get into this passage in Isaiah, I don't know why, but I kind of noticed kind of at the end of each section of the outline, I have a T shirt that says I speak in movie quotes and sarcasm. I'm only going through movie quotes today. Okay?

So at the end of each section, as movie quotes were kind of coming to mind, I just put it as a little quiz, little pop quiz at the end of each section to keep you awake. All right, so if you don't have the outline, you have to wait till it comes on the screen, but we'll see how you guys do with these. But it's amazing how as we look at this plan, where it comes to being. Let's jump right in. We often reference the Old Testament prophecies, but in today's Old Testament reading, it's packed full of them and a great reminder that God's plan to send Jesus and save us was the plan he had in place from the fall of Adam and Eve.

Chapter 49, the second of the Servant songs is Isaiah's prophecy of God talking about Jesus over 700 years before he was born. So I want to start with just an intro. Do you view Jesus as. As a servant? All the different ways in which we look at Jesus, all the different pictures from the baby in the manger, his baptism, the child at 12 being in the temple, disobeying his parents, Right?

Well, he obviously didn't disobey. They weren't paying attention. It was their fault. Jesus did not sin.

We saw him in his ministry. We saw him in his death, we saw him in his resurrection. How do you view Jesus? And do we view him as a servant? We think of Jesus in our lives, Jesus coming.

Do we view him as serving us?

We talk in the catechism. When we get into that second article, the Apostles Creed, his roles as prophet, priest and king, maybe part of that servant role was in that humiliation. When we talk about his humiliation, his exaltation, but probably don't view servant enough. So let's jump right in. And Today in Isaiah 49, we see Jesus was called, divinely called as our servant.

This was the plan. Reread the first two verses for you. Listen to me, O Coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother. He named my name.

He made my mouth like a sharp sword, and in the shadow of his hand he hid me. He made me a polished arrow in His Quiver he hid me away. This was that plan from the start, right? Genesis 3:15 I'll put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.

In fact, that's we're going to talk about that coming up February 22nd, where actually I'm going to be preaching on Genesis 3, so we'll hit that harder. But this was the start from the beginning he was called from the womb and I put John 1:1. The Word became flesh. You guys know that if you've ever come Christmas Day. But I saw two other verses I thought were very important on you was I cast from my birth and from my mother's womb you have been my God.

Certainly in Isaiah 7:14 you all know this one. We just went through it. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel over and over. I know I reference it a lot, but do we always see it?

This was the plan. And I love in verse two where it talks about his words are his weapons, right? His mouth was his sword. Revelation 1:16 In his right hand he held the seven stars. From his mouth came a sharp two edged sword and his face was like the sun, shining in full strength.

Jesus words it is what separated. We talked about that before. Sheep and the goats, the wheat from the chaff.

I'm coming to get you. Actually, if I wanted to do it so you guys would understand. This quote is I'm coming to get you, but that's not the way Jesus did it, was it? I mean, yeah, ramble doesn't come up in sermons very often.

But I think Jesus, when he was set in plan, this idea is he's coming for us personally, each one of us. When you're talking with that person who is struggling in their faith, when you're talking with that one who, who is like why it has been the plan thousands and thousands of years for you, you specifically to come to know the Lord. Let's jump to the next part. Jesus was set apart and faithful. Not that I don't think Dan did a wonderful job reading, but it's been a little bit.

So I'm just going to reread verses three and four. And he said to me, you are my servant Israel, in whom I am glorified. But I said, I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing in vanity. Yet surely my right is with the Lord, my recompense with my God Israel failed But God called Israel to save.

We see that word, that name for God, for Jesus. This idea again. Psalm 27. I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, you are my son, today I have begotten you.

We certainly saw Jesus at his lowest. Talked a little bit last week in his humiliation, allowing himself to be beaten and killed. When things look dark, we trust God. Almost sounds like a VBS slogan, right? And yet that's what we want to hear over and over.

What are your options when things are hard in your life? When things are low, what are your options? Complain to your friends or spouse, Turn to alcohol when we're struggling. How do we trust in God? This idea of being resilient.

I've. I've. I've kind of very kindly talked to a few parents lately about how they were trying to make sure things weren't hard for their child. And I might have said something like, are you growing a raising a princess or a resilient child?

Let them feel the heart. We trust in God through those tough times and we become resilient. We are called to be obedient and faithful. Later on in John, it says, I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with thy glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Jesus fulfilled what the plan was.

All we're asked to do is to trust and be faithful. And of course we're talking a lot about a plan. So you can imagine the quote I had. Oh, I had the verse. I already told you that one.

I love when a good plan comes together. I know this is a TV show. Later made a movie. What is it? Yeah, that's Hannibal.

Yeah, I heard this over and over in Isaiah. This idea of the plan. God has the same kind of plan for us as he had for Jesus. Jesus was sent to restore and save us 5 and 6. And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be a servant to bring Jacob back to him, that Israel might be gathered to him from.

For I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has become my strength. He says, is it too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will make you as a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Jesus is the new covenant. It was the plan since Adam and Eve. It's what exactly Dave was talking about with this kids having The Holy Spirit, this idea again, how we are made new in him and in his covenant through the waters of baptism.

It is truly one of the greatest things I get to do is we become part of God's family. Even through rejection. God is faithful folks who live in a sinful world.

It's not going to always go well.

We deal with struggle, but we turn to Him. God sent his Son to save the whole world. I think that's where we struggle sometimes. A lot of us versus that mentality. We see it all the time, we live it all the time.

Divisions constantly surround us.

And yet every single person we run into is made in God's image, purpose, spend eternity with the Father. I know this is one I use a lot. I usually use this movie quote when I talk about how we tend to justify our actions when we're doing things we shouldn't.

But we are on a mission from God. We're on a mission from God because God has set before us all with different gifts and abilities, with a purpose. Thy will be done. Of course, if you know me, you know. This is from.

That's Jake and Elwood, right? We did a choir tour in college, all the way through Chicago. So I made Jake and Elwood with our choir robes on. Our director would not let us put that on the shirt. Probably a good call.

Not the image. But we are on a mission and he has given us the ability. Finally, the plan was Jesus suffering and rejection. The part we don't like to talk about, the part we're getting prepared for. As we know, Lent is coming upon us.

Verse 7. Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and the Holy One, the. The one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the servant of rulers. Kings shall see and arise princes, and they shall prostrate themselves. Because the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.

Very few followed Jesus early on, right? We saw that with. With John the Baptist, he. Even today's gospel reading the disciples, as Andrew heard John proclaim, behold, Son of God, right? They follow him and goes to tell his brother what the world rejected.

God exalted. His plan has never been the way of the world. Even the way that some of the apostles were expecting this uprising, expecting this takeover, expecting this worldly change.

That is not the way of God. That's not the way he planned it.

Again, I would be out of a job if God made the world his oyster. Say, hey, if you follow me, you'll do great. Everything will be wonderful. Well, we wouldn't need A pastor. Because everybody would follow him.

Right? What he promises is certain eternal life with him. Not prosperity in this world. Not good health, not greater than all the others around us, But does ask us to gather them and bring them with us as we prepare to go be with the Lord. Bob Tano.

A lot of you might know Sue. She worked here for a while. They went to another church. But when I went to see Bob in hospice, dying of pancreatic cancer, it was a personal one for me. My grandpa died of pancreatic cancer.

Going to see Bob was hard for me, and I knew exactly why God sent me there. The way he proclaimed the Lord on his deathbed.

When Bob went to pass this week, he had to be most excited person I know, because that's what he waited for in his death. He proclaimed life, just as I'm sure they will, as they remember him.

Trusting the one who died for you. It really comes down to that. I spend most of our sermons, I know, doing gospels and epistles. We don't always get into the Old Testament, but this Isaiah 49 kisses that wonderful reminder that why do we ever doubt God when he plans something thousands of years before it happens? And then we see it come to fruition.

And here we are, 2000 years past watching that plan happen. Why would we ever doubt?

Trust is difficult in a sinful world. Trust is difficult when we're hurting personally. Trust is difficult when we see our loved ones hurting, but we point to the one who is in charge.

The question I have for you is, do we feel worthy to be part of God's plan? Yeah, I'm setting up my movie quote. Right. Oh, by the way, trusting the one who became our servant, I set up my movie quote. Who is it world now?

Yeah. We're not worthy. It is Wayne's World. There it is.

It's true. We're not. If you ever feel like you're not worthy, you're not good enough to receive the love of God. You're not. None of us are.

That's what makes it so special, because he doesn't ask us to be worthy. He doesn't ask us to be perfect. He doesn't ask us to even be good. He asks us to be faithful, to love him. What you're doing here?

Worshiping him. Partaking in the body and blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is what he asks. Well done, good and faithful servants. This servant song in Isaiah 49 is a wonderful reminder for all of us that God loves us, even though.

Even through our sinful desire. He sent his son Jesus to redeem us. Yes. The same man who came as a baby. The same man who was a servant.

The same man who allowed himself to be taken. As the same man who paid the price for us. Showed victory over sin, death and the devil and proclaimed eternal life. That we can all spend eternity with him. To God be the glory.

Thank you, God. Amen. With that,