Isaiah chapter 40 and onward was written while God’s people were in exile in Babylon. Their land was taken, their cities destroyed, their friends and loved ones killed and scattered. Still, the prophets had hope. In fact, they had more hope in exile than they did while they still lived in Jerusalem!

One of those hope-full prophets penned four poems about a “servant” of God who would accomplish some pretty amazing things. While at first glance the servant seems to be Israel in general, the more you read the more it becomes apparent that the prophet is talking about a specific Israelite who would act on Israel’s behalf. Christians have identified this person as Jesus.

As we looked at these four poems during the season of Advent, we considered what they meant about Israel, about Jesus, and even about us: Jesus’ body on earth.

You can find individual write-ups along with the resources I used in each message over at wspc.ca. As always, you can find the download links right here on the sermons page.

1. The First Song (Isaiah 42:1-4)[audio:http://stephenbarkley.com/media/messages/120510.mp3]
2. The Second Song (Isaiah 49:1-6)[audio:http://stephenbarkley.com/media/messages/121210.mp3]
3. The Third Song (Isaiah 50:4-9)[audio:http://stephenbarkley.com/media/messages/121910.mp3]
4. The Fourth Song (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)[audio:http://stephenbarkley.com/media/messages/010211.mp3]