Koepp; Isaiah 50:4-9; Page 1 of 2
Mid-Week 3: March 30, 2011
“Bringer of False Charges”
Grace, Mercy, and Peace be unto you from God our Father, and from the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our text for tonight is the third servant song in the Book of Isaiah, found in chapter 50, “Isaiah 50:4-9” This is
our text.
I want you to picture a typical courtroom scene, one where there is no jury; only a judge. There is a judge, a
plaintiff, and a defendant. In this court of law, what happens? One side tells their story to a judge and then the
other side gets to tell their version of the story. After the judge has heard both sides, he then renders his verdict.
This typical courtroom scene is one that we all are aware of, and we all of had this type of experience. Maybe
not in a courtroom, but we have done this with kids with ourselves serving the role of judge. We may even
remember a time when we were on one side or the other, telling our story to try and convince one side that we
were right. While we can all relate to this typical courtroom scene, there is another courtroom scene that might
perhaps, better describe ourselves or many dealings in our lives; that is the courtroom scene of a typical daytime
court T.V. show. There is one judge and the two sides seem to do nothing other than hurl insults and false
charges at each other. There is some truth in their words, but civility, justice and fairness are, many times,
nowhere to be seen.
In our text for tonight, we read how the Messiah was going to have false charges brought upon Himself. While
many would try to get Him to rebel or to show how he had rebelled, the servant of God would not rebel in any
way. When the false charges were brought, the Messiah knew of their falseness. He knew His place, and who
was on His side. The servant of God, knew that He had nothing to prove to the world and that the charges that
were brought upon Him were false. The servant of God knew clearly the teachings of God and was sustained by
His word. Thus He turned His back to those who struck. He turned His cheeks to those who pulled out His
beard, and tried to disgrace Him. When others tried to shame Him, the servant of God knew that His position
was not one of men. It did not rely on their authority. The servant in this song of Isaiah was not a servant of
man. He was not concerned with the shame and charges that were brought by man. He was concerned with the
salvation of man. The servant of God knew that God was on His side, and because that was true, no one could
declare Him guilty.
The servant of God makes it clear that He will not turn backwards. The servant will set His face like flint. If He
had to make the point to do that, then the opposite is true. He had to, because we could not. We are not able to
set our faces like flint. Instead of living as Children, like we are to do, we contend with God. We would rather
make God in our own image. We would rather tell God what to do. We can look around in the world and see
many examples of many people, many groups, and many religions, that contend with God. They are not content
with God being God. They would rather not listen to what God has to say. They would rather tell God how He
should be doing things, and that is if they even believe that God exists.
There are many who live as if there is no God, but I would challenge you tonight to think about this, “Do we do
the same thing?” Do we by our words and our actions, bring the same false charges against God? Do we hurl
false accusations towards God: “Did God really say? Would God really allow this? If God really was loving?”
In many situations, do we look for what God wants us to do or do we simply tell Him what we are going to do?
Even if we do see what God wants us to do, do we in fact do it? Are we guilty of doing our own thing, and then
trying to find a justification for why we did it? As we examine our lives, we see many times where we have not
set our faces like flint and followed God. We have not lived or spoke the truth of God in the face of persecution,
regardless of how little or great it may seem. We have turned backward, away from the truth. We are timid to
share the truth that we have been told because it may offend someone or we will be looked down upon or
whatever the case maybe. We contend with God by not listening to Him in our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Koepp; Isaiah 50:4-9; Page 2 of 2
However, the Servant of God, the person of whom the Servant Songs in Isaiah are spoken of, Jesus Christ, did
what we could not and can not do. Jesus Christ was not rebellious. He did not do whatever He wanted. He was
obedient to death, even death upon a cross. Even when things did not look so good, Jesus Christ did not turn His
back on God’s ways. Jesus fully relied on the grace of His Father, something that we fail to do. Jesus of
Nazareth did everything that God had wanted Him to do. This man Jesus kept the Law of God perfectly. He
kept the Law for us and died for us, because we could not do it for ourselves. This man Jesus Christ, did what
was prophesied here in this Servant Song from Isaiah, “I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not
be put to shame.” He did not turn backward. He did not run away. He instead gave His back to those who would
strike. He gave His cheeks to those who pull out His beard. He did not hide His face from disgrace and spitting.
He endured all of it! He took all of the shame and punishment for you and for me. He took our shame. He paid
for our punishment. He suffered, died and rose for you and for me. He took the shame to give us life and
forgiveness.
The forgiveness that was won in Christ is given to us in baptism. Through the blessed waters at the font, our
rebellion and our transgression is washed away. The new Adam emerges in us and we are given, as it says in
our servant song, “the tongues of those who are taught.” We are given blessed tongues that are taught through
His Word. We who are weary are sustained through His Word. He opens our ears to hear His Word, and our
mouths to receive His Body and Blood that was shed for us. We are set right with God and put back on the path.
When our faith falter and fails, He has given us Himself so that our hearts and minds are set like flint. He comes
to us with His very body and His very blood to not only forgive our sins, but to strengthen and sustain our faith.
In this new reality, we stand together. We come together here and we say from our text, “Who is our
adversary?” While the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh preach to us everyday that we are guilty and
tries to push us away from God by living in lives that are not lived as children of God, we stand together and
declare, “The Lord God helps me; who will declare us guilty.” We stand forever forgiven in the blood of the
lamb. The blood that washes away all sin. Thus we live today serving our neighbors in love. We help when and
wherever we can. We take care of the widows and orphans. We speak well of others and explain everything in
the kindest way. We do not double-talk or back bite, but our “yes” means yes” and our “no” means “no.”
On the last day, Satan can hurl all sorts of charges at us, but they will all be false. Through the blood of Christ,
our sentence was proclaimed not guilty as He died on the cross for us. This proclamation was given to us in
baptism, and will be fully realized by us on the last day. If we go back to our first illustration, the typical
daytime courtroom drama scene, we can see a new reality emerge. We ARE like those television shows, but
there is a twist. Satan can hurl every charge he wants in our direction, we only respond with one phrase, “I am
baptized into Christ.” Given this evidence, God our Heavenly Father has seen the price paid for our sins by His
Son’s Blood on the Cross. There is only one verdict that is ours through the blood of Christ, “Not Guilty.”
Amen.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. Amen.