Session 1

December 7, 2025

Unit 1: The Promised Messiah

The Promise Foretold

Even when things look dark, God remembers His people and is working on their behalf.

Session Outcome

To recognize that God fulfills His promises to send the Messiah, and to anticipate God’s fresh work to restore our lives and the world.

Discover:

Illustrated Bible Life looks at the amazing events surrounding Jesus’ birth and provides verse-by-verse commentary on the Scripture passage.

Last Week:

We examined the importance of choosing the life God offers.

This Week:

We will examine the way God planned to care for His people long before Jesus fulfilled God’s promises in Isaiah.

Watch:

Dr. Rowell introduces Unit 1: The Promised Messiah.

Listen:

FoundryLeader.com: This week’s Illustrated Bible Life “Article Out Loud” relates the stories of those most directly involved in Jesus’ birth.

Discover:

In Luke 2:28-38, Simeon describes the baby Jesus as God’s salvation, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and Israel’s glory. Luke tells us that Jesus’ parents “were amazed at what was said about him” (v. 33, NRSVue). Yet, why should they be amazed? Surely this moment with Simeon was not the most spectacular that had burst upon their lives in the past year. Learn more in this week’s Illustrated Bible Life article, “Be Amazed!”

The Word

Isaiah 42:1–9

Engage the Word

God’s Servant
Isaiah 42:1-4

God, in redemptive purpose and promise, declares a Servant is coming who will bring “justice to the nations” (v. 1). Along with his purpose, the character of this Servant is also clear, for he will be “upheld” and “chosen” by God, one that God “delights” in, and a bearer of God’s Spirit (v.1). We might pick up here echoes of Mark 1:10-11 and the baptism of Jesus. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, the Spirit descended on Him like a dove. Then, the voice from heaven proclaimed, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Just like the Servant’s description in Isaiah, Jesus is revealed as one who bears the Spirit, is chosen by God, and is loved by God. The significant point here is that the Servant, in every way, fully represents both the character and mission of God.

It is the character and mission of God that brings hope to Isaiah’s message. The Servant does not come to break “bruised reeds” or snuff out “smoldering wicks” (v. 3), but comes with a heart of compassion and healing. In our brokenness and frailty, we are assured the Lord remembers we are dust and yet looks on us with compassion as a father does his children (Psalm 103:13-14). God always meets us where we are, bringing healing grace and redemption. It is this heart of redemption that defines the mission of God’s Servant. In faithfulness, he will bring about justice for all of the earth (vv. 3-4). Justice means to set things right, to restore them to God’s good intentions and purpose. We are promised the Servant will faithfully pursue this mission until it is complete, for “he will not falter or be discouraged” until God’s justice is fully established on the earth (v. 4). Despite what we might see in our world at the moment, we know that because of Christ (the Servant), the justice, healing, and beauty of “new creation” will come in all of its fullness (see Revelation 21:1-8). We carry with us the hope of Advent, for through the One that has come and is coming again, God’s intention for creation will not fail.

God’s People
Isaiah 42:5-7

God’s desire for healing and justice in the world, as embodied in Jesus, also speaks to our call as God’s people. In verses 5-7 of the passage, God speaks to His covenant people. Just as the Servant reflects the character and mission of God, so too should God’s people. They have been called in “righteousness” (v. 6), and those made righteous will seek to make things right in the world around them. While the task might appear overwhelming, the people of God do not walk in their own power, but God “takes hold” of their hand and “keeps” them, empowering them to be a “light for the Gentiles” (v. 6), a reflection of God’s grace, justice, and mercy to the world around them. This is truly our divine vocation as human beings, as the creation narrative in Genesis 1 teaches us. We were created in the image of God so that we might be a reflection of God to all of creation.

God’s people are to be agents of healing, bringing sight to the blind, setting captives free, and bringing light into the dungeons of darkness (v. 7). We cannot help but make connection here to Jesus’ declaration of His own purpose and mission in Luke 4:16-19. There, in a Nazareth synagogue, Jesus read from Isaiah the prophet and boldly proclaimed that the promise of deliverance was fulfilled in Him. The one who humbled himself, taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7), brought good news of the Lord’s favor revealed in healing and justice. As the body of Christ, we are the continuing incarnational expression, or the embodiment, of Jesus in the world. His character is the character we reflect; His mission is the mission we commit ourselves to. We, too, must proclaim the Lord’s love and mercy through lives offered in service to the world’s healing and the pursuit of justice.

God’s Intention
Isaiah 42:8-9

There is no denying the world’s present state, the brokenness that bears the fruit of oppression, injustice, pain, and loss. While this could leave us in a state of hopelessness or despair, God’s declaration enables us to see beyond the present moment. Our God is the Lord, a glory that no others share (v. 8), and our God is in the business of declaring “new things” (v. 9). The former things do not have the last word; the God of healing and justice does. Isaiah’s message of hope had much to say to the people of Judah who suffered in exile, but it also speaks a much-needed word to all of us. The pain of exile takes many forms and each day we find ourselves surrounded by a world that is longing for rescue. But there is good news—our faithful God has declared what will be and nothing will defeat His promise. We can, through the eyes of faith, look to the day when God proclaims in final fulfillment, “See, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

While the message of Isaiah the prophet began with warnings of judgment to the people of Judah (Isaiah 1:2-13), the people were not left without hope. The heart of God is one of compassion and mercy, one determined to set the world right. This is the hope we share in the season of Advent. In this moment, we might be experiencing the pain of a world in exile or the grief that flows from injustice. Yet, we are not without hope. The Servant of the Lord has come and is coming again, and He will not falter until justice is established on the earth.

Did You Know?

The word for justice in this passage (mishpat) can also mean the quality of “rectitude” or “righteousness.” Biblically, righteousness cannot be separated from the desire for justice, or setting things right in the world.

Think About It

The Servant of the Lord in this passage comes without clamoring or noise (v. 2), but brings about justice in faithfulness. Loud proclamations fall empty without the faithful embodiment of God’s healing and justice.

Reflect

In what ways can you share in God’s mission of healing and justice in your world this week?

Doug Van Nest previously served as a pastor and district superintendent before coming to Mount Vernon Nazarene University where he now serves as the Dean of the School of Christian Ministry. He and his wife Lisa reside in Mount Vernon, OH.

Discussion Guide

Insight

The word for “covenant” in verse 6 is the same word used in Genesis 17, when God makes a covenant with Abraham to be his God and God to all his descendants.

Connect to My Experience

Begin your session by asking,

What is one of the best gifts you have ever received for Christmas? Was it something that you asked for or was it a surprise to you?

We all love receiving gifts, don’t we? Think for a moment about when you were young and Christmas morning was approaching.

What was it like to wait for morning to arrive? (Take time to share stories.)

Transition:

Today, we’ll spend time reflecting not only on God’s promise of the long-awaited Messiah, but also the groundwork being laid by God in the waiting.

Connect to the Word

Invite someone to read Isaiah 42:1-4, then discuss the following,

We can gather from the chapters surrounding this one that the people of Israel were becoming restless and hopeless waiting to be saved (look at Isaiah 40:27).

In light of this discontentment, how do you imagine they received this message of “the chosen one”? Do you think it brought hope? Confusion? Both? Explain.

Think for a few moments about the word “justice” that is present in verses 1, 3, and 4.

What do you imagine the justice Isaiah speaks of looks like? How do you think the people of Israel interpreted this promise of justice?

Why was it important for the people to know that the “Spirit of the Lord” would be on “the chosen one”?

This pursuit of “justice among the nations” was the mission of the coming “chosen one.”

Do you think this justice has been accomplished, or is this mission still in progress? Explain.

In these verses we learn about the method by which the Servant will (or will not) bring forth justice.

Based on what you know about the Israelites, what did they expect from the “One” who would come to save them?

What is the significance of the Servant’s seemingly quiet and unobtrusive manner by which He will bring about justice? (He is not forceful, but still powerful. He is mild, but not weak. Nothing can discourage Him from accomplishing His mission.)

Invite someone to read Isaiah 42:5-7, then discuss the following,

In this short section of Scripture, not only do we get a description of who God is, but we learn of the ways in which God extends an invitation to His people to participate in the same mission for which “the chosen one” is being sent.

Why is it important to believe and acknowledge that it is God who is the Creator and Sustainer of all, the One who gives life and breath to all? (v. 5)

How would the words “I will take hold of your hand; I will keep you” be a basis of hope for the people then, and for us today?

What does it mean that God makes His people a “covenant for the people and a light to the Gentiles”? Do you think these promises are meant only for the people of Israel, or are they also for us? Explain.

Verse 7 refers to opening the “eyes of the blind.” This verse also mentions freeing the captives  from prison and releasing those in the dungeon “who sit in darkness.”

Do you think this blindness refers to physical blindness, or some other kind of blindness? Could it be both? Explain.

In the context of God’s promise to send a Servant who will bring about justice, what is the significance of the eyes of the blind being opened?

In what way does God free captives from prison?

In what way does God release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness?

We know that Jesus is the full embodiment of who God is, and that He sets the ultimate example for how God’s people are created to respond to and interact with the world (look at Luke 4:16-19). Yet, even prior to Jesus’ arrival, God was working to bring about justice.

Why is there a need for God’s justice in the world? Why does God invite His people to participate in bringing about justice?

Invite someone to read Isaiah 42:8-9, then discuss the following,

God is the God of the past, present, and future.

Why do you think God reminds the people that He is God?

What do you think God means by “former things?” What are the former things to which God is referring to? (God has faithfully worked in the past.)

What are the “new things” God is declaring? (God is faithfully at work in the present and will do so in the future.)

Why is it important to consider what God has done in the past as we look forward to what He is doing now, and what He will do in the future?           

Connect to My Life and the World

In a big way, our attitudes and daily interactions with others can be a reflection of God’s plan of justice and restoration for the world.

Thinking about our day-to-day lives, what are some small steps we can take to bring about justice and restoration?

It is evident that God’s mission to bring about justice in the world involved the coming and the character of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

What specific characteristics of the person of Jesus correlate with bringing justice? 

Consider for a moment the world in which you live.

In what ways can the body of Christ, the church, participate with God’s mission of bringing sight to the blind, setting captives free, and bringing light to those in darkness?

Close in prayer.

Sessions 1-3 are written by Valerie Soto

Valerie is an alumnus of Northwest Nazarene University and Nazarene Theological Seminary and currently serves as an associate pastor at Twin Falls Church of the Nazarene in Twin Falls, ID.

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