Missions-in-Focus - Opening Address

What this episode covers

Br. Tim Hadley “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 INTRODUCTION: Our theme for MIF 2026 is “The True Servant of God – Learning to Imitate Him.” There is no other theme sweeter than that of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Eternal Son of God, “Who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). This stands in stark contrast to the self-centered world you and I live in today. We are surrounded by a “me first” society, where the very idea of serving others is a foreign concept. We live in the days of which Paul spoke when he wrote to Timothy: “For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2-5). Isaiah initially identifies God’s servant as Israel (41:8; 44:1-2), who should have served as God’s witness (43:10) and as a light to the Gentiles. Yet Israel could not fulfill this mission: The nation was deaf, blind (42:19), and in need of God’s forgiveness (44:21-22). Israel failed again and again. By contrast, God’s True Servant, the Messiah, faithfully completes all the work He is given to do (Luke 13:32; John 17:4). We want to focus our attention on this perfect Servant as He is seen in the Servant Songs of Isaiah. Here we get a glimpse of what true faithful service for God looks like. We will learn of the character of the true Servant of God in Isaiah 42, and of His Mission in Isaiah 49. We will study together of the daily disciplines of this perfect Servant of God in Isaiah 50; and finally we will focus our attention on Him as the Suffering Servant of God in Isaiah 52-53. Along the way we will consider the heart of the True Servant of God from Mark’s gospel, and spend time seeing Him as the true Bondservant from Exodus 21, Deuteronomy 15, Psalm 40, and Hebrews 10. Things to consider this week: In Acts 3:13 (in the NKJV and other translations), Peter calls the Lord Jesus the “Servant” of God. That verse says, in part, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus.” Peter’s description of Jesus as a “servant” is accurate for at least five reasons: The Lord Jesus always did the will of the Father (John 4:34; 6:38). He never sought to please Himself but always to please the Father (John 5:30). The Lord Jesus finished the work that the Father had sent Him to do (John 17:4). This Servant came to glorify the Father (John 13:31; 17:4). He left us an example of what true service looks like (John 13:1-17). His example is not only for our amazement, but it is given to us as a pattern to follow. May our week looking at the Perfect Servant cause us to become more like Him.

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