Bulletins - First Baptist Church Litchfield

- - John 14:26ESV
Come Praise And Glorify
- - Acts 2:38ESV
When You Move
- - Romans 8:26ESV
Holy Spirit
Spirit Of The Living God
Holy Spirit Rain Down
If you open your Bible to Matthew 12, verses 15 through 21, you find a surprising picture of Jesus. The crowds are pressing in, miracles are happening, and opposition is mounting. And in the middle of it, Matthew says: “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah…” Then he quotes Isaiah 42: “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.”
Here lies the great dilemma of the Gentile world—their fallen condition. The nations were lost to idols. They had their statues, their altars, their gods of wood and stone. Paul says in Romans 1 that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped the creature rather than the Creator. The Gentiles were in darkness, without covenant, without hope, and without God. And the truth is, that is where the whole world lies apart from Christ—whether it’s the idols of Athens, the shrines of Ephesus, or the modern idols of money, self, and pleasure.
But here comes the gospel solution—Jesus, the Servant of the Lord. God says, “Behold, my servant… I will put my Spirit upon him.” Not a tyrant. Not a warlord. Not an idol made with human hands. But the living Son of God, clothed in the Spirit, bringing justice and salvation to the nations. Isaiah says, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench.” What tenderness! What power! Jesus does not crush the weak; he restores them. He does not snuff out the faint flame; he rekindles it. And Isaiah 42:4 declares: “In his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Beloved, this is our Christ—the Servant of the Lord, who comes to rescue the nations from their idols, and to rescue us from ours.
In verse 15, Matthew tells us that many followed Jesus. And what does Jesus do with this great crowd? He ministers to them. He does not brush them aside or send them away. Instead, He heals their diseases. This is our Savior—compassionate, merciful, and willing to meet the broken in their need. Jesus is not aloof or detached from human suffering. He is the Servant who bends low, who touches the unclean, who restores the sick.
But notice in verse 16, something curious happens. Jesus orders secrecy concerning His identity. Why? Because He is not the kind of Messiah people expected. He knew that if word spread too quickly, the crowds would seek to seize Him and make Him their political champion. They wanted a warrior king to overthrow Rome, not a suffering servant who would be crucified. Their vision of Messiah was far too small, rooted in worldly power and earthly thrones. So, Matthew refers back to the prophet Isaiah, who said this about the Servant of the Lord:
“1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.” Isaiah 42:1–4
Matthew uses the prophet Isaiah to casts six strokes of his theological brush to paint us a portrait of the Servant of the Lord who rescues us from the hopelessness of idolatry.
Who is the Servant of the Lord?
He is God’s chosen servant (Matthew 12:18)
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen…”
From the very beginning of Scripture, God promised a Redeemer who would crush the serpent and deliver His people. In Genesis 3:15, the Lord spoke of the seed of the woman who would bruise the head of the serpent. This was the earliest gospel promise: though sin and idolatry entered the world through Adam’s rebellion, God would send a Deliverer who would undo Satan’s work and bring life. That seed is Christ, the chosen Servant, who conquers not only the serpent but also the bondage of sin and idolatry in the nations.
The promise narrows in the covenant with Abraham. God told Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This covenant is repeated in Genesis 18:18, 22:18, and 26:4, each time reaffirming that through Abraham’s seed the blessing of salvation would flow to the nations. Israel was chosen not for herself alone but to be the channel through which God would bring His saving purposes to the Gentiles. Paul later makes the point unmistakable in Galatians 3:16: that “seed” is Christ Himself. Jesus, the promised offspring of Abraham, is the one through whom blessing comes to all nations trapped in idolatry.
Isaiah picks up these promises in his Servant Songs. In Isaiah 42:1–8, God introduces His chosen Servant who will bring justice to the nations, a light to the Gentiles, and freedom to those bound in darkness. Unlike Israel, who repeatedly fell into idolatry, the Servant would perfectly obey God and fulfill the mission of bringing the Gentiles out of their idolatry and into the worship of the true and living God. Jesus Christ fulfills this role perfectly. He is the seed of the woman who crushes the serpent’s head, the seed of Abraham who brings blessing to all nations, and the Servant of the Lord who rescues the Gentiles from the futility of idols to the joy of worshiping the one true God. Who is God’s chosen Servant? It is the living Son of God, Jesus the Christ.
Jesus, the Chosen Servant, was no ordinary man. He was God made flesh. He breathed the desert air of the Middle East. He walked the dusty roads of Israel, ate the bread of the poor, drank from the wells of the land, warmed Himself by a fire at night, and felt the cool breeze of Galilee on His face. In every way, He entered fully into our humanity—yet without sin. And He did so with a God-ordained mission: to save sinners for the glory of God.
Unlike the idols of wood and stone, crafted by human hands and powerless to speak or save, Jesus was not lifeless. He was no object of superstition—useful in daily tasks one moment and worshiped the next. He was not a false hope for a weary people. He is the living Servant of the Lord, alive to live, alive to die, alive to rise again, that He might rescue those groping in the darkness of idolatry and shine as their true light and life.
The nations had groped in the darkness of idolatry, clinging to what could never save. But Jesus, the chosen Servant, the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, descended into our darkness to shine the light of salvation. He came to rescue Gentiles lost in idolatry and bring them into the true worship of God. Jesus is the chosen servant.
He is loved by God and is His Father’s delight (Matthew 12:18)
“my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased…””
Isaiah opens this Servant Song with these words: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights” (Isaiah 42:1). That word delight is rich—it reaches back before time itself. Before there was a world, before God said, “Let there be light,” the Father delighted in His Son. Why? Because the Son is the exact imprint of His nature, the radiance of His glory, and the one who has always obeyed Him with perfect love. The Father’s delight in the Son is not a passing emotion—it is the eternal heartbeat of the Trinity.
We see a glimpse of this delight when Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River. Mark tells us that the heavens opened and the Father’s voice thundered: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). The baptism didn’t make the Father love the Son—it revealed what was already true from eternity past. This Servant is God’s Beloved, His Chosen, the one in whom His soul delights.
Now why does the Father love the Son? Because the Son perfectly loves the Father through obedience. From before the foundation of the world, it was the Father’s plan to glorify His mercy by saving sinners through the sacrifice of His Son. As Peter declares in Acts 2:23, “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” In Isaiah 53, the prophet goes so far as to say it “pleased the Lord to crush Him” (Isa. 53:10)—not because the Father delights in pain, but because He delights in the Son’s perfect obedience and the salvation that obedience would secure for us. And in His darkest hour, Jesus prayed the most loving words a Son could ever pray to His Father: “Not my will, but yours be done.”
When my children were small, they would sometimes hand me a picture they had drawn. To the outside world, it may have looked like nothing more than scribbles, but to me it was priceless. Why? Because I delighted in them—not in the perfection of their art, but in the love behind it. But here is the difference with the Father and the Son: the Father delights not in imperfect efforts, but in the Son’s perfect obedience, His perfect sacrifice, His perfect love. That is why, a few verses later, Isaiah 42:8 reminds us: “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other.” Yet, the Father shares His glory with the Son, because the Son is the radiance of His glory (Heb. 1:3).
Now what does this mean for us? It means that when we gather here at First Baptist Church, our worship must be centered on this Servant, the Beloved Son of God. We are not here to make much of ourselves, or our preferences, or our programs—we are here to join the Father in delighting in His Son. Worship is our response to the Father’s eternal delight. When you sing, when you pray, when you hear the Word preached—you are echoing heaven’s song: “This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
If the Father delights in His Son, then surely the people of God must also delight in the Son. That’s what true worship is—aligning our joy with the Father’s joy, our delight with His delight. Jesus is the chosen servant whom the Father loves and His soul delights.
He is empowered and anointed by the Spirit (Matthew 12:18)
“I will put my Spirit upon him…”
Isaiah says, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” The Servant is not just strong in His own right—He is upheld by the Father and empowered by the Spirit. At His baptism, this was confirmed when the Spirit descended like a dove, resting on Him as a sign that His ministry was Spirit-driven from beginning to end (Matthew 3:16–17).
Jesus’ divinity did not diminish His dependence. In His humanity, He modeled what it means to live by the Spirit’s power. That’s why He could stand in the synagogue, read from Isaiah, and declare, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18, 21).
The Servant’s authority is not self-made—it is Spirit-anointed. His mission is marked not by self-assertion but by submission, not by pride but by obedience. Jesus is the chosen servant whom the Father’s soul delights and His empowers and anoints the Son.
He brings true justice to the nations (Matthew 12:18)
“he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles…”
Isaiah says three times in this passage that the Servant will bring justice (vv. 1, 3, 4). When the Bible repeats a word like this, it’s not filler—it’s emphasis. Justice is at the very heart of what the Servant has come to establish.
But Isaiah is not talking about political justice alone. He’s not talking about a temporary redistribution of wealth, a reform program, or a new ideology that promises fairness but delivers oppression. No—Jesus’ justice is deeper, fuller, and broader than anything our broken world can manufacture.
John Oswalt put it plainly: “A society in which there is no mišpāṭ (justice) is one in which the only rule is brute force used to aggrandize the few.” Isn’t that the world we live in? The strong crush the weak. The corrupt prosper while the poor are trampled. Leaders often serve themselves rather than the people they were meant to serve. And when we look to the systems of this world for ultimate justice, we’re left disappointed and disillusioned.
Courtrooms and Corruption
Think of the headlines we’ve seen in our own day. A young man or woman suffers violence, the case goes to court, and because of technicalities, influence, or corruption, justice is denied. Families weep. Communities rage. Trust in the system erodes. We say to ourselves, “If the courts can’t deliver justice, where can we turn?”
That’s the cry of a sin-broken world. The courtroom of man is flawed. The justice of this age is partial and temporary. But the courtroom of Christ is pure, eternal, and final. When the Servant of the Lord brings justice, no bribe will sway Him, no evidence will be overlooked, no oppressor will escape His judgment, and no victim will be forgotten.
The Hope of Christ’s Justice
Isaiah 42 reminds us that Jesus is not just patching a leaky roof—He is building a whole new house. His justice doesn’t simply shuffle around laws and policies; it remakes the very heart of society. Isaiah 9 tells us, “The government shall be upon his shoulder… and of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end… to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore” (vv. 6–7).
This is the justice our hearts ache for. This is the justice no election, no legislation, no human effort can secure. And this is the justice that Jesus Christ, the Servant of the Lord, guarantees to bring when He returns to reign. He will reign with peace and gentleness. Jesus is the chosen servant whom the Father delights, the Spirit empowers, and who brings true justice to the nations.
His Mission is tempered with Gentleness (Matthew 12:19-20)
“He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets…20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;”
And notice how this Spirit-anointing expressed itself. Isaiah says: “He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice… a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench” (Isaiah 42:2–3).
In other words, the Servant’s strength is not loud and domineering but quiet and healing. He comes with the Spirit’s power, but that power is expressed in gentleness. Jesus didn’t trample the weak; He restored them. He didn’t extinguish the faintly burning wick; He fanned it into flame.
Think about His ministry: He touched lepers instead of avoiding them. He welcomed children instead of dismissing them. He lifted up the woman caught in adultery instead of crushing her. He restored Peter after his denial instead of discarding him. Spirit-filled ministry is not about breaking people down—it’s about building them up.
There is a story of a skilled violinist. He found an old violin at a flea market—cracked, dusty, strings broken. Most people passed it by as worthless. But when he bought it, repaired it, and set the bow to the strings, it produced beautiful music once again. What others would have thrown away, he restored with care.
That’s the heart of Jesus’ gentleness. The world might see a bruised reed and snap it in two, or a faintly burning wick and snuff it out. But Jesus, loved by the Father, and empowered by the Spirit, brings healing, restoration, and hope.
And church, that is not just who He is—it’s who He calls us to be. If the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, then our ministries, our classrooms, our families must reflect the same gentleness. At First Baptist Church, at Litchfield Christian School, we are not called to crush bruised reeds but to bind them up. We are not called to extinguish faint flames but to nurture them.
The Spirit-anointed Servant leads with gentleness—and when His Spirit leads us, gentleness becomes the atmosphere of our worship, our teaching, and our community life. Jesus is the gentle servant, chosen by the Father who loved him, and empowered by his Spirit to bring true justice to the nations.
He is the hope for all the nations of the world (Matthew 12:21)
“in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Matthew 12:21 – “and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Isaiah shows us that the Servant of the Lord is not just Israel’s Messiah — He is the hope of the nations. Matthew tells us that this prophecy finds its fulfillment in Jesus: “in his name the Gentiles will hope.” The phrase “in his name” means in His person. Salvation is not found in a philosophy, or in a program, or in politics. Salvation is found in Jesus Himself.
So what does this hope look like? It’s a Great Commission Hope. It’s hope founded on the authority of the risen Christ. Let’s consider three truths.
His Authority Brings Hope (Matthew 28:18)
Jesus begins the Great Commission by saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The Servant King has absolute authority over every ruler, every power, every nation. His authority is not up for debate, and it is not subject to the approval of men.
When Isaiah says the Gentiles will hope in His name, he means that hope is rooted in the power and authority of the Christ, the risen Christ. If Jesus did not rule, then His promises would be empty. But because He reigns, every promise is secure.
Picture yourself aboard a great vessel caught in a fierce storm. The waves crash, the wind howls, and fear grips your heart. Then, over the intercom, the captain’s voice breaks through: “I have sailed these waters a hundred times before. I know the way. We will reach port safely.” Suddenly, your confidence is no longer in the calmness of the sea, but in the skill of the captain. Yet even the best human captain has limits—his wisdom is finite, his power fragile, his experience bound by time.
Now consider Christ. He is no mere captain. He has absolute authority over the raging sea itself and over the vessel of your life. When He says, “Peace, be still,” the storm obeys. When He says, “We are going to the other side,” you can rest assured you will arrive. That is the Christian life: though the winds of trial howl and the waves of suffering rise, our hope is secure, for our Captain is the Lord of heaven and earth. You can have the confidence to go and make disciples of the nations, bringing them the hope of the gospel.
His authority gives us confidence, but His mission shows us what to do with that confidence.
His Mission Extends Hope (Matthew 28:19)
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” Jesus doesn’t just reign over Israel; He reigns over the nations. Isaiah foresaw it — the Gentiles would put their hope in Him. And Jesus commands us to extend that hope.
From Genesis 12:3, God promised Abraham: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” That blessing is fulfilled in Christ, and now extended through the Church. The gospel is for all nations — every tribe, tongue, and people.
Picture a lamp placed in a dark room. At first the light seems small, but the more it shines, the more it fills every corner. The gospel is like that. It began in a small corner of the world — but by God’s design, it shines into every nation, illuminating hearts with hope.
His authority secures our hope. His mission extends our hope. But here is the best part — His people get to share that hope.
Our Participation Displays Hope (Matthew 28:20)
“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus has chosen to display His hope through His people. At First Baptist Church, Litchfield, that means proclaiming Christ in our community. At Litchfield Christian School, that means forming disciples in the classroom — not just teaching facts, but shaping souls for Christ. Parents and teachers together have a holy calling: to disciple children so that they put their hope in the Servant King.
Parents, you can model a life of hope at home — show your kids that your trust is not in money, sports, or politics, but in Christ. Church family, we can pray, give, and go — because our mission is not complete until the nations put their hope in Him.
The nations can place their hope in His name because Jesus is the Chosen Servant—beloved of the Father, anointed by the Spirit, faithful to His mission of reconciling sinners through the atonement of the cross. He is the risen Servant-King, reigning now with all authority, extending His mission of hope to the nations, and working through His church to carry that mission forward in the Great Commission.
Think of it like a relay race. The baton of hope was first placed in the hand of Abraham with the promise that through his offspring all nations would be blessed. It was carried by the prophets of Israel who proclaimed the coming Messiah. Christ came and perfectly fulfilled that hope in His life, death, and resurrection. And now, by His design, He has placed the baton in our hands. The church runs the next leg, proclaiming the hope of His name to the ends of the earth. And when we faithfully pass it on, generation after generation, the nations will come to know the living hope that is found only in the Servant of the Lord, Jesus.
Conclusion
So let us run with endurance, shine with joy, and teach with passion — because Jesus is the Servant King, and in His name, the nations will hope.
The world is still filled with idols. Some bow down before statues. Many more bow down to wealth, success, and the self. But into this world, God still speaks: “Behold, my servant.” Look to Christ. Look to the one who was chosen, anointed by the Spirit, sent to proclaim justice, mercy, and salvation to the ends of the earth.
The Gentile world was lost to idolatry, but Jesus came as the Servant of the Lord to bring hope. And that hope is still offered today. In Him, the bruised reed is made strong. In Him, the smoldering wick bursts into flame. In Him, the nations find their light.
So the call of this text is the same as it was in Isaiah’s day and in Matthew’s day: Turn from your idols, and behold God’s Servant. In His name, you will find hope. In His name, you will find life.
- - Isaiah 42:1–4ESV
- - Matthew 12:18ESV
- - Matthew 12:19–20ESV
- - Matthew 12:21ESV
- - Matthew 28:18ESV
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

John 14:26ESV

Acts 2:38ESV

Romans 8:26ESV

Who is the Servant of the Lord?

He is God’s chosen servant (Matthew 12:18)

He is loved by God and is His Father’s delight (Matthew 12:18)

He is empowered and anointed by the Spirit (Matthew 12:18)

He brings true justice to the nations (Matthew 12:18)

Courtrooms and Corruption

The Hope of Christ’s Justice

His Mission is tempered with Gentleness (Matthew 12:19-20)

He is the hope for all the nations of the world (Matthew 12:21)

His Authority Brings Hope (Matthew 28:18)

His Mission Extends Hope (Matthew 28:19)

Our Participation Displays Hope (Matthew 28:20)

Conclusion

Isaiah 42:1–4ESV

Matthew 12:18ESV

Matthew 12:19–20ESV

Matthew 12:21ESV

Matthew 28:18ESV