WordPress.com



Have you not heard?Isaiah 40Trinity Presbyterian Church, 30 August 2020Scripture intro: The last time I had the opportunity to explore God’s Word with you, we looked at the first chapter in the Old Testament major prophetic book of Isaiah. We saw that God wants His people to listen and from that listening to learn His laws, obey Him and worship Him. Those commands were given in the context of dire warnings for rebellion, idol worship, spiritual adultery, injustice and a host of other sins against Father God. The next 38 chapters continue to carry out the theme of warnings, woes, and judgments for ignoring God, forgetting Him, and turning our backs on Him in blatant disobedience. Amazingly, there are many glimpses of hope and grace throughout these darks chapters. God is just and cannot ignore sin. But He is also gracious and so calls and comforts His people. Chapter 40 of Isaiah starts a new section in this prophetic book and makes a dramatic shift from focusing on warnings and judgment to focusing on the majesty of God. We’ll get a flavor of this shift today as we take a closer look at chapter 40. What was God telling the people of Isaiah’s day and what is He telling us today? In verses 1-2, 21-23 and 28-31 we will hear a command, a revelation, and a promise. These set the tone for the rest of the chapter. Sermon intro: What would constitute good news for you today? To hear that the coronavirus has been defeated and is suddenly no longer a threat? To hear that students of all ages can attend school with no more restrictions? To hear that the economy has fully recovered and all the losses in savings, pensions, and jobs have been made up? What would constitute good news for you today?Good news is sometimes very hard to come by. You seldom hear it on TV or the internet. But one place where you will find really good news is in God’s Word, the Bible. In Isaiah chapter 40, God has some really good news for His people. And that good news was comforting to them and will be for us, too. Listen:“Comfort, yes, comfort my people,” Says your God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.God commands His people to speak comforting words. But on what basis, what authority, do we speak those words? And to whom do we speak words of comfort?Let’s take a closer look at those truly comforting words God commanded to be spoken to His people. Wouldn’t we love to hear that warfare and sad days have ended? God was prophesying this good news for His people when they would return to the Promised Land from their exile. Just as our lives parallel much of Israel’s faith journey, so this prophecy rings true for us today. Jesus won the war with Satan, sin and death when He took the punishment for our sin on the cross, died on our behalf, was buried and proved his victory when He rose again on the 3rd day! Yes, we still battle with the impact of a sin-spoiled world, with Satan’s attacks and with the vestiges of our old sin-nature, but the true warfare has ended. Christ is the Victor! Jesus assured His disciples in John 16:33, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world!” In trusting Jesus, our warfare is ended.The next piece of comforting news for Israel – and us – is that iniquities have been pardoned. I don’t think we usually comprehend what an awesome thing it is to have the holy, majestic judge of the universe pardon our sin. He has every right to send us to eternal hell for our rebellion. His standard is absolute perfection in all areas of life. How many of us in this room have reached that standard? None. The Bible tells us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory and that the due wages of sin is death – eternal death. Not ceasing to be, but being punished for all eternity with the right and righteous wrath of God. He has offered us perfect satisfaction for our sin in the atoning death of His Son. But if we refuse that, if we scorn Jesus and His sacrifice on our behalf, there is no other hope. And consider what God has told the Israelites about the pardoning of their iniquity – “she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” Two things here are very significant. First, her pardon is from the LORD, from His hand. He is the only one who can truly pardon our sin. He is the Judge so He sets the conditions. But because He is just, He cannot just say, “That’s OK. I forgive you. Go in peace,” without there being satisfaction for His justice. That satisfaction is in the death of His perfect Son, our Savior, which is credited to our account when we confess our sin and trust Jesus and His work on our behalf. There are many places in the New Testament that attest to this, but one of the best known is in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Only God can truly pardon your sin.Second, to prove that His justice has been completely satisfied, God assures the Israelites – and us – that they have received double for all their sins. That does not mean that they have been doubly punished. The wages of sin is death. We can’t die twice. So, as one commentator pointed out, to double means to fold in half. We see the word used that way when speaking of doubling over some of the curtains in the tabernacle. When something is doubled over in halves, one half corresponds to or is equal to the other half. Understood in this way, the punishment fits the crime – the payment completely satisfies God’s justice. God has supplied the payment in the life of His Son – a life of infinite value to pay for ALL the sins of ALL God’s people – then and now. Israel was looking ahead to that complete satisfaction. They only saw it in shadows and types in the God-ordained sacrifices. But in God’s plans and heart, it was an accomplished fact – a done deal – and so He could speak of it in the past perfect sense – “she has received … double…” And so I proclaim to you this morning comfort! Your warfare has ended. Your iniquities are pardoned. You have received from the LORD’s hand double for all your sins. That comfort is NOT yours if you are living in persistent, unrepentant sin. You can receive that comfort, rest in that comfort, take heart in that comfort ONLY if you have confessed your sin to Father God, repented, and trusted Jesus as the true satisfaction for the Father’s justice. THAT is true comfort! I pray each of you knows that comfort this morning.That comfort was grounded for the Israelites – and is grounded for us – not in the declaration of the prophet alone. That true comfort is grounded on God’s Word and His character and sealed with promises.Because God offers true comfort for His people, believers must speak out! We see this repeated so many times in this chapter. In verse 2 Isaiah is commanded to speak comfort, to cry out. In verse 3 John the Baptist is prophesied as the “voice of one crying in the wilderness.” It’s not just Isaiah and John speaking. In verses 5, 8, 25 and others the voice of God is speaking. Is all this speaking just noise? Words are important to God. Even His Son is referred to as the Word in John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” God has spoken to us in His Word, the Bible, words that are completely trustworthy – and He expects us to use words, too. Words are meaningful and explicit. Post-modern thinking would have us think that words have no inherent meaning – only meaning that is given to the words by the hearer. That means that when somebody speaks, we can make their speech mean anything we want it to mean. Which means they might as well have not said anything! Illustration: “Kwa maana jinsi hii aliupenda ulimwengu, hata akamtoa Mwanawe pekee, ili kila mtu amwaminiye, asipotee, bali awe na uzimu wa milele.” Words. Meaningful? You may have thought I was saying something about you, gossiping, because, to you, these words mean nothing – unless you know Swahili – in which case you would recognize John 3:16 in these Swahili words. Words are meant to convey something. God has graciously given us His Word that we may know Him, understand His will for us, and tell others of the Good News of salvation and forgiveness in trusting Christ alone. Application: Just as the prophet Isaiah was commanded to speak comfort to the Israelites and John the Baptist was a voice crying out in the wilderness, so we, too, today are to be speaking witnesses to the comforting truth of Jesus Christ. We are not to be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal, a judgmental irritation, but we are to be prepared to give a reason for our hope – a comforting hope that rests on the truth of God’s Word and the finished work of Jesus Christ.There are all kinds of admonitions in the Bible about doing and being. Most of us are more comfortable in those areas. We comfort ourselves that people will SEE our good works and praise God. Yes, that is a biblical truth. But unless we explain with words WHY we do what we do, people will just think, “Isn’t she or he a nice person?” But is it US people are seeing – or is it Jesus in us, the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Unless we explain in words, the honor will likely rest on us instead of going to God – the only One who truly deserves honor. To whom can you go even today to speak words of true comfort? Not banal platitudes, but the comforting words of the Gospel. Words that explain God’s love, His presence and provision, His forgiveness and hope. Maybe going isn’t possible for whatever reason. Pick up the phone and call. Write a note. Send a text or email. We must not keep quiet about God’s true comfort. After all, if you are trusting Jesus, He has comforted you. Second Corinthians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our tribulation, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”God’s true comfort is not only grounded in His true words, but it is grounded also in His true character. We see this in verses 21 to 23 and surrounding verses where His sovereignty, timelessness, power and majesty are clearly seen. If you take the time to read this whole chapter – and I hope you will later today for it is rich, powerful, and comforting – you will see the true character of God. When God declares comfort and pardoning grace to His people, it is true!Why is this important? Because God knows us and He knows we need comfort. Isaiah’s last prophecy before chapter 40 was that Babylon would carry off everything until nothing is left. Ever feel like that today? It’s not Babylon today. For many in this past week, it was the terror of hurricane Laura. For others in California, it was the destructive force of fires. For many throughout the world, it’s coronavirus carrying off everything – markets crash and savings are gone; the jobs vanish overnight; loved ones get sick and some die; church life is drastically changed; social life is completely disrupted – everything that has defined you and given you a sense of comfort is gone!All of us have needed comfort at one time or another. This coronavirus has caused most of us to feel some level of worry and fear. But there are greater issues in our lives, things of eternal import – a wandering son or daughter, friends and family members who are refusing God’s gracious offer of salvation, doubts about your faith, persistent sin. God is eternal and eternally unchanging. That eternal perspective can be very comforting.Illustration: I learned a lot working with Ralph Gilmore on the farm. He was a good and patient teacher. He needed to be! I had farm experience, but that didn’t necessarily make me a good farmer. One time I was working in the field with a piece of equipment, misjudged the width of the equipment and my proximity to a fence and ended up taking out a bunch of fence as well as damaging the equipment. I felt awful. I enjoyed working with Ralph and didn’t want to disappoint him. After inspecting the damage, Ralph could see how distraught I was and he said, “Ten years from now it won’t make any difference.” True words and comforting for me at the time. God’s eternal perspective can be very comforting. Application: We all need comfort. Isaiah was to comfort God’s people with God’s true comfort of pardon and hope. John the Baptist comforted the people of his day with the news that One greater than he had come. One whose true character brings eternal hope. And we, today, are commanded to comfort, yes, comfort God’s people. Who do you know who has a broken heart? Is discouraged? Struggling with doubts? What do you know from God’s Word and character that will bring true comfort? True comfort isn’t going to come just from a gentle voice, a hug, or words of encouragement. True comfort must be grounded on God’s Word and character. He alone is our true comfort. We must turn people’s hearts, thoughts, worries, and concerns to the light of God’s Word. If you know the true comfort of God’s pardoning grace, it is your responsibility – and privilege – to take that comfort to those God brings into your life. He is our ultimate comfort, but He uses us to bring His comfort to others. We must comfort in the same way He has comforted us.God’s comfort is not only grounded in His Word and His character, but is backed up by His promises as we see in verses 28-31. The last verse is a favorite verse for many because most of us feel weighed down and weary especially these days. A promise like this is comforting. But do we experience it? If not, why not? Maybe we don’t experience this influx of power because we don’t appreciate how great God is and therefore don’t even ask. We may think we deserve to be powerless because we haven’t been living as we should. Maybe we aren’t waiting for God – we are running ahead in our own strength. Maybe it just seems too good to be true. Like a fairy tale. Look back over chapter 40 and consider some of the descriptions of God: he ends our warfare; he pardons our iniquity; he is glorious; he is eternal and strong; he created and sustains the universe; he is all-wise and just; he needs nothing from us (while we depend upon him for everything); he is sovereign over all the affairs of mankind. Can a God like this, our living almighty God, not give you the strength you need for life? The strength you need for today? The next hour? Can this God, the only God, not give you strength to handle whatever crisis you may be experiencing right now? Give you strength to persevere through illness, job loss, financial difficulties, or loneliness? Can this all-powerful God not give you the strength to persevere under temptation, to defeat whatever sin is trying to tangle and trip you? YES! He can! He has promised it here in verse 31. And he promises it again in the New Testament where we read that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and also that the very power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us! YES, He will strengthen us, causing us to soar, to run, and to walk. And all God wants of us is to wait, to hope. Not sitting in idleness waiting for Him to pour strength into us, but acknowledging our total dependence upon Him, resting in Him, like a weaned child with her mother. We wait as we pray, as we worship, as we live from day to day doing His will, loving Him and others. We wait as we spend time in His Word learning more about Him, preparing ourselves for further service as He strengthens us. Illustration: We’ve all been in waiting situations, but none of us has had to wait quite like Noah. Just imagine living in Kansas far from any significant body of water and being told a global flood is going to destroy everything and you must build a huge ocean-going vessel – by hand. Noah believed and got to work, but he had to wait decades before he saw the fulfilment of God’s promise. But he wasn’t sitting idly whittling on a piece of wood. He had WORK to do! Just so, as we wait on the Lord, we aren’t passive or idle. We move ahead with the work He has prepared for us. And as we move, He strengthens and renews us so that we can soar and run and walk.Application: How about you? Are you experiencing God’s renewal and strengthening? If not, ask yourself just how you are waiting. Are you so discouraged you are just hopelessly waiting? Are you desperately trying to push ahead on your own strength? God doesn’t promise to strengthen those who think they are strong and able to do it all on their own. His gracious promise is for the weak, those who have no strength. To receive this strength you must humble yourself confessing your need for His strength. You must wait eagerly all the while living in total dependence upon Him and doing day by day the things He puts before you. Conclusion: God commands His people to speak comforting words. We have seen that we must speak true comfort – comfort that is grounded on God’s Word, God’s character and God’s promises. We must speak comfort to God’s people – those who know Him and love Him, but are feeling overwhelmed by life. We are not commanded to speak comfort to those who do not know or love God. That would be a disservice, a lie. That would be like saying, “Peace, peace” when there is no peace. To those who don’t know or worship the Triune God, we must speak the hard truth that they are living in great danger as long as they refuse God’s comfort of forgiveness and cleansing through trusting Christ. We must speak the truth that ONLY in trusting Christ is there true comfort. Do you know that comfort, my friend? Have you submitted to Jesus’ gospel call to come to Him in faith and LIVE? I pray you are finding God’s true comfort, experiencing His renewing strength that you may rise up on wings like eagles, soaring over life’s challenges, running the race that God has set before you and walking daily with Jesus. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download