GOD'S CHOSEN ONE

God spoke to Isaiah about a certain servant who pleases His heart. Who is this one in whom God is well pleased? Who is this chosen servant who God adores, treasures and holds in high esteem, confirming His every step? Let's find out.

Reference: Isaiah 42:1 Contemporary English Version (CEV) 'Here is my servant! I have made him strong. He is my chosen one; I am pleased with him. I have given him my Spirit, and he will bring justice to the nations.'

Jesus Christ was chosen in God's counsels from all eternity to accomplish the work of man's redemption, and to be the Mediator between God and man. In the above verse, God called Him 'my servant' because of the service He was going to offer to mankind. Matthew 3:16 (NIV) says, 'As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!' This was to fulfil Isaiah 42:1 (our referenced Scripture).

In fact Matthew 12:17-18 stated it clearly saying, 'This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah'. Later on, in Luke 4:17-19, Jesus came to the synagogue, and the scroll of the same prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. When He had unrolled the scroll, He found the place where His mission was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord' (Luke 4:17-19 MEV).

Throughout the Old Testament, untold numbers of sheep and cattle were offered to the Lord as sacrifices, yet the Bible says none of these sacrifices brought the Lord any pleasure. Only the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross pleased God. No wonder Hebrews 10:6-7 (NKJV) reads, 'In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I [Jesus] said, 'Behold, I have come - In the volume of the book it is written of Me- To do Your will, O God.' Jesus, the chosen servant of God pleased God by bringing justice to mankind through His sacrifice.

Jesus came to earth to do what no animal sacrifice could do. God had to prepare a physical body for Him here on earth - a body that would provide the final, perfect sacrifice. Simply put, God abased Himself for our sake by enfolding Himself in a human womb. The Bible says, 'when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons' (Galatians 4:4-5 NASB). Jesus took on human nature, and in the process, He gave His life to ransom us.

Today if you haven't done so, I want you to recognize and accept the only perfect sacrifice which was offered by Jesus Christ, the servant who flawlessly pleased and delighted God. Also make Jesus the Lord of your life by declaring the guided prayer below.

Scripture Reading - Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22; John 3:34; Acts 2:23; 1 Peter 1:18-20.

Guided Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, I truly believe with all my heart that Jesus is your beloved Son, in whom you are well pleased. He died for me and you raised Him from the dead on the third day. I believe He's risen and He's forever alive. I accept Jesus into my heart now and I declare His Lordship over my life from this day forward. I'm now a new creation and I have eternal life: my present-moment reality! Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me and taking full charge of my life, as my Lord. To you God, be all the glory, in Jesus' Name, Amen!