Comfort, Comfort Ye My People (Isaiah 40:1-8)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:08.589 Please remain standing and let's turn our attention to Isaiah chapter forty. Through the 2 00:00:08.710 --> 00:00:13.029 month of December, I want to bring various sermons to you that reflect on 3 00:00:13.150 --> 00:00:17.670 the incarnation of our Savior. I want to do that today from the Old 4 00:00:17.710 --> 00:00:26.100 Testament, this passage and Isaiah forty, versus one through eight, which which 5 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:30.059 begin with these words comfort, comfort my people, which are, of course, 6 00:00:30.820 --> 00:00:35.380 words of a hymn which will sing a later after the sermon. Let's 7 00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:45.009 hear God's Word Isaiah Chapter Forty. Comfort, comfort my people, says your 8 00:00:45.130 --> 00:00:51.359 God, speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, 9 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:57.240 that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand 10 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:03.709 double for all her sins. A voice cries in the wilderness. Prepare the 11 00:01:03.909 --> 00:01:08.310 way of the Lord, make straight in the desert, a highway for our 12 00:01:08.430 --> 00:01:14.909 God. Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill shall be 13 00:01:15.069 --> 00:01:19.659 made low, and the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a 14 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:25.939 plane, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall 15 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:30.379 see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. A voice 16 00:01:30.420 --> 00:01:36.010 says, cry, and I said, what shall I cry. All flesh 17 00:01:36.129 --> 00:01:40.609 is grass and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The 18 00:01:40.730 --> 00:01:44.489 grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it. 19 00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:49.959 Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, 20 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:55.000 but the word of our God will stand forever. I'm going to keep reading 21 00:01:56.280 --> 00:02:00.469 verse eleven. Get you up to a high mountain, Oz ion, harald 22 00:02:00.590 --> 00:02:05.790 of good news, lift up your voice with strength. Oh Jerusalem, Harold 23 00:02:05.870 --> 00:02:10.030 of good news, lifted up, fear not, say to the cities of 24 00:02:10.069 --> 00:02:15.379 Judah, behold your God, behold the Lord. God comes with might and 25 00:02:15.539 --> 00:02:21.460 his arm rules for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his 26 00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:25.580 recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will 27 00:02:25.620 --> 00:02:30.650 gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom and 28 00:02:30.889 --> 00:02:38.050 gently lead those that are with young. Amen, you may be seated. 29 00:02:39.650 --> 00:02:46.479 So, as I said, it is from Isaiah forty that we have this 30 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:50.400 hymn comfort, comfort, e my people. You'll find it in your hymnals 31 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:54.840 on page to nine, the eight and if you'd like to track along, 32 00:02:54.879 --> 00:03:07.189 these words written by a German Lutheran Pastor, later translated by a very smart 33 00:03:07.310 --> 00:03:13.419 and educated Englishwoman who learned German and translated these hymns for us and others as 34 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:17.659 well. This one another's. This hymn comes to us and brings are we 35 00:03:17.740 --> 00:03:23.780 have this hymn and it brings to us this message of Isaiah. It takes 36 00:03:23.860 --> 00:03:30.849 the prophecy here of chapter forty and it turns it into melody, which, 37 00:03:30.889 --> 00:03:34.330 as you'll see, there is a good reason for this, very good reason. 38 00:03:35.210 --> 00:03:43.000 There's good reason to sing this song. The reason is is that there 39 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:49.199 is comfort in God's word. There is comfort in his promises, and a 40 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:53.759 very empowering comfort, if I could put it that way. So what I'd 41 00:03:53.800 --> 00:04:00.909 like to do is read through these passages with you and consider what they say 42 00:04:00.870 --> 00:04:04.509 along the way. Will track with the hymn so that we can see how 43 00:04:05.389 --> 00:04:13.139 it corresponds with God's word. Well, verse one of the Hymn Communicates to 44 00:04:13.259 --> 00:04:21.540 US versus one and two of Isaiah forty. Verse one communicates to US versus 45 00:04:21.620 --> 00:04:28.009 one and two of Isaiah forty. What happens in these verses? Well, 46 00:04:28.129 --> 00:04:32.689 the is versus. God Commands His Messenger to go and speak to Jerusalem, 47 00:04:32.810 --> 00:04:38.879 and this is a message of comfort, obviously right. It begins with these 48 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:45.959 words comfort. Comfort, my people, says your God. I love this 49 00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:51.870 twice repeated word. Comfort. Comfort. Speak tenderly. This is what mothers 50 00:04:51.990 --> 00:05:00.750 do right when they hold their children and they repeat these words. Sh It's 51 00:05:00.790 --> 00:05:04.949 okay, it's okay. Comfort. Comfort, later we have the image of 52 00:05:04.990 --> 00:05:11.300 the Lord carrying gently lead those that are with young. He will carry his 53 00:05:11.540 --> 00:05:17.300 flock in his arms. The Lord is like a tender mother speaking comfort to 54 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:27.529 her or to his children. She is soothing with her voice. Comfort. 55 00:05:27.730 --> 00:05:32.250 Comfort. God wants to speak through the Prophet Isaiah this way, and this 56 00:05:32.329 --> 00:05:39.079 is important because, or significant and for a number of reasons, including this, 57 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:43.560 that for the last several chapters, which we didn't have an opportunity to 58 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:48.279 read this warning, there was a cry of judgment, warning distress. I'm 59 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:55.750 God was promising that the people would be would suffer as a result of their 60 00:05:55.829 --> 00:06:01.310 sins. But now God is God wants to remind them that all will be 61 00:06:01.589 --> 00:06:09.980 well. Comfort. Comfort, my people, says your God. What is 62 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:16.620 the reason for this comfort? It is, amazingly a very powerful message. 63 00:06:19.009 --> 00:06:26.649 God does not coo us with empty words. He says, your warfare is 64 00:06:26.850 --> 00:06:33.399 ended, your iniquity is pardoned. These promises of the future put in the 65 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:42.040 past tense confirm the certainty of this fulfillment. Comfort is going to come to 66 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:46.079 people who are hurting, who are broken, who are sad, but there 67 00:06:46.149 --> 00:06:51.790 is hope, because it is God who speaks. What we have is sort 68 00:06:51.829 --> 00:07:00.230 of this victory war cry becomes a comfort to the people, a proclamation of 69 00:07:00.350 --> 00:07:09.300 victory, because it comes with God as their champion, and it also comes 70 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:17.290 because their sins are being pardoned. This is where we have to remember the 71 00:07:17.449 --> 00:07:21.689 context here, and that the warfare that they are enduring, the suffering that 72 00:07:21.730 --> 00:07:28.569 they are going to endure, is because of their sin. Israel has been 73 00:07:29.889 --> 00:07:35.120 faithless, Israel has chased after other gods. Israel has heartened her heart. 74 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:42.120 Israel has sinned against the Lord again and again and again, tearing apart their 75 00:07:42.279 --> 00:07:47.470 bonds with him and with one another. God has been patient with them, 76 00:07:47.550 --> 00:07:54.509 God has been given all kinds of forbearance, but judgment is going to come. 77 00:07:54.709 --> 00:07:59.060 This judgment that Israel will fit, is soon to face and would face 78 00:08:00.699 --> 00:08:05.860 is a judgment that predicts, in a way or foreshadows the final judgment of 79 00:08:07.100 --> 00:08:11.740 God, the judgment in which God, on the last day, sets all 80 00:08:11.970 --> 00:08:20.689 things right, judges all sin what Israel was expecting there, in that moment 81 00:08:20.730 --> 00:08:26.959 and in that time, and eventually did come, as Babylon came and destroyed 82 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:35.080 her, was just a foretaste of the coming judgment of God. And why? 83 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:39.799 As I said, because of her sin. And so then, for 84 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:46.029 God not only to announce that your warfare is over, but also your sin 85 00:08:46.389 --> 00:08:52.070 is pardoned, means that he is going he is solving all the way down 86 00:08:52.710 --> 00:09:00.299 to the very root of the problem. And so we have in these words, 87 00:09:00.340 --> 00:09:03.980 these comforting words, a promise of victory, of pardoned. She has 88 00:09:05.059 --> 00:09:09.250 received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The phrase that either 89 00:09:09.370 --> 00:09:15.289 means that God has perfectly met the demands, or perhaps that he has even 90 00:09:15.690 --> 00:09:20.490 given more than is what is required. Either way, the point is this 91 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:28.519 that here we have the glory of the Lord and that God's people are perfectly 92 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:35.440 safe because of his strength and because of his power. That's expressed for us 93 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:43.350 in the following verses, in verses three through five, we have this what 94 00:09:43.549 --> 00:09:46.070 I think of as a red carpet scene. Do you know what I mean? 95 00:09:46.190 --> 00:09:50.389 Have you ever heard of a red carpet kids? Maybe this is a 96 00:09:50.470 --> 00:09:52.860 new phrase to you, but when we talk about rolling out the red carpet, 97 00:09:52.940 --> 00:10:01.259 we mean that we roll out this big Red Rug for somebody fancy and 98 00:10:01.419 --> 00:10:05.059 important to walk on. Right. So there. They don't deserve to just 99 00:10:05.220 --> 00:10:09.809 walk on the normal ground. Right. We do something special for them and 100 00:10:09.889 --> 00:10:16.169 we give them the special treatment by rolling this carpet out. Well, I 101 00:10:16.370 --> 00:10:20.129 think of this passage in my own mind is sort of the red carpet passage, 102 00:10:20.610 --> 00:10:26.000 but to an extreme degree. Listen again to the words. A voice 103 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:31.639 cries, not roll out the red carpet, but in the wilderness, prepare 104 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:35.519 the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert, a highway for 105 00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:39.710 our God. Every valley, those are all the low prit places in the 106 00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:45.350 earth. Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill shall be 107 00:10:45.509 --> 00:10:50.620 made low, and the uneven ground shall become level and all the rough places 108 00:10:50.940 --> 00:10:58.220 plain. When you build a new house, right, it's a wise thing 109 00:10:58.500 --> 00:11:03.179 to level the ground right and not just have a big rocky place for your 110 00:11:03.259 --> 00:11:09.809 health's shifts and moves. If you want a nice, smooth path to walk 111 00:11:09.929 --> 00:11:13.690 on, what do you do? You lift up the low places, you 112 00:11:15.370 --> 00:11:20.399 lower down the high places and you smooth it out. That's exactly what's being 113 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:24.200 talked about here, but we're not talking about a path or a backyard or 114 00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:35.070 even a house. This is the whole world. When God reveals himself, 115 00:11:35.190 --> 00:11:39.470 when God comes in glory. The announcement doesn't make it a little easier for 116 00:11:39.590 --> 00:11:46.870 him, but it is this great and victorious scene where the earth changes. 117 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:58.139 It is an earth changing, world changing, epic event. Why? Because 118 00:11:58.259 --> 00:12:15.720 Yahweh is coming, the Great Almighty King. He is coming. This good 119 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:20.519 news is, of course, harolded in similar ways when Jesus is born. 120 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:28.279 Angels Boom, appearing to the shepherds in the middle of the night, crying 121 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:37.309 out glory be to God, Star in the sky leading the wise men to 122 00:12:37.429 --> 00:12:45.460 the savior, prophecies being fulfilled left and right, of virgin conceiving and eventually 123 00:12:45.580 --> 00:12:52.460 giving birth, one thing after another. There is this catacclysmic world shaking event 124 00:12:52.779 --> 00:13:00.370 that is happening. This is what happens when when Jesus comes, and yet 125 00:13:00.490 --> 00:13:05.370 even still, even with all of those things, he's glory is still veiled. 126 00:13:07.610 --> 00:13:11.960 His glory is still veiled in some ways. I think of the fact 127 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:18.480 that he is in human flesh, a child, that he is born in 128 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:24.440 a manger, that he is born in a not in the capital city, 129 00:13:26.710 --> 00:13:35.230 but in a small town he is born and immediately upon his birth he herod's 130 00:13:35.309 --> 00:13:48.779 trying to kill him. We have infanticide, many other things, but this 131 00:13:48.980 --> 00:13:52.460 glory that begins to break through with the cries of the Angel and the cry 132 00:13:52.539 --> 00:13:56.929 of his cousin, right before his ministry, John The baptist, who does 133 00:13:56.129 --> 00:14:01.850 say these words? Who is that voice crying in the Wilderness? Prepare the 134 00:14:01.889 --> 00:14:05.289 way of the Lord. Remember what John says. Behold the lamb of God, 135 00:14:05.769 --> 00:14:09.159 who takes away the sins of the world. He's here. He will 136 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:15.200 do things that I cannot do. I baptize with water, he will baptize 137 00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:20.799 with the Holy Spirit. John, the Great John that everybody was coming out 138 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:24.669 to see. This voice that was crying in the Wilderness. Prepare the way 139 00:14:24.669 --> 00:14:28.710 of the Lord said I'm not even worthy to untie the strap of his Sandal. 140 00:14:31.789 --> 00:14:39.539 The king is here. I want you to imagine for a moment a 141 00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:46.539 good king, a perfect king, who rules a perfectly good kingdom, and 142 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:50.659 then one of his decis citizens are, maybe even a group of citizens, 143 00:14:50.259 --> 00:14:56.809 decide that they don't like this goodness anymore and that they are going to rebel 144 00:14:58.009 --> 00:15:03.450 against him, and a all of his citizens. They blow up bridges, 145 00:15:03.289 --> 00:15:11.200 they commit various acts of terror, they murder other citizens, they do everything 146 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:18.799 they can to try to destroy an undermine his law. What should this good 147 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:24.950 king do? You should protect his kingdom right, injustice and in might. 148 00:15:26.190 --> 00:15:31.590 He should squash the rebellion and protect that which is good, protect the weak, 149 00:15:31.710 --> 00:15:37.139 protect those who are not doing evil, not doing wrong. But then 150 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:46.779 imagine that, instead of doing that, that king gives his only son to 151 00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:54.570 pay the penalty for their terrorism and their rebellion, that instead of taking their 152 00:15:54.809 --> 00:16:00.529 lives, he says, I love them so much that I want to take 153 00:16:00.690 --> 00:16:07.600 the life of my son instead, and all the wrath and the curse that 154 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:18.629 belongs to these evil, wretched, terrible citizens I will place on them so 155 00:16:18.830 --> 00:16:26.429 that I can make them wholly and bring them close to me. This is 156 00:16:26.549 --> 00:16:33.139 what our good king does when he sends his son into the world to pardon 157 00:16:33.340 --> 00:16:41.700 our sins. And that's important, because when we read of the good things 158 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:48.970 that God does for us, it brings US comfort, not just to know 159 00:16:48.169 --> 00:16:55.970 that we're forgiven, but that were forgiven by him. We know his love, 160 00:16:56.690 --> 00:17:03.599 His mercy, his peace and this glory that is revealed in Christ. 161 00:17:03.640 --> 00:17:07.200 As we read in Verse Five, the Glory shall be revealed and all flesh 162 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:11.279 shall see it together. The announcements of this good news about Jesus, in 163 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:17.630 this word that comes into the world goes out to all the earth. God 164 00:17:18.029 --> 00:17:22.950 broadcasts it through all of these channels, saying to all the rebels, come 165 00:17:22.069 --> 00:17:30.019 in, it's okay now. Trust in my son, believe in this salvation 166 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:37.619 and you will be saved, you will be forgiven. Your warfare with me 167 00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:45.609 is over. That's why, in the hymn it talks about our pining sadness 168 00:17:45.849 --> 00:17:56.650 turning eternally into ever springing gladness. Why? Because as God, as rebels 169 00:17:56.730 --> 00:18:02.400 and enemies against God, we don't find our lives, we don't find freedom, 170 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:07.519 we find warfare and sin and misery and curse, we find death. 171 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:14.549 I'm suffering and sorrow. But to be brought into the love of God, 172 00:18:14.910 --> 00:18:18.349 to be brought into the good news of this king who comes and with this 173 00:18:18.509 --> 00:18:27.500 glory, means to find comfort and peace. The power of this is expressed 174 00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:32.140 in verses six through eight. A voice says cry, and I said what 175 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:40.299 shall I cry? All flesh it's talking about. The US is grass and 176 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:45.450 it's beauty is like the flower of the field. Well, how are we 177 00:18:45.690 --> 00:18:52.650 like flowers? Isaiah says we're like flowers in this way, that we wither, 178 00:18:52.930 --> 00:18:56.440 we die, we spring up and we're pretty for a moment and then 179 00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:02.440 we we fall away. They surely the people, are like grass. But 180 00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:08.000 the word of our God will stand forever. That's an amazing thing because it 181 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:14.589 means that instead of trusting our plans and our sins and our self, instead 182 00:19:14.589 --> 00:19:21.069 of priding ourselves in our strength, we ought to trust him and it means 183 00:19:21.190 --> 00:19:26.380 that even though we might fade away, we will still have the life that 184 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:36.619 he promises, because the word of our God will stand forever. This concludes, 185 00:19:36.700 --> 00:19:41.289 at least for now, in the next versus versus nine through eleven, 186 00:19:41.450 --> 00:19:48.450 where we have this amazing turn in speakers. The beginning of the chapter calls 187 00:19:48.089 --> 00:19:56.279 the profit to speak to Jerusalem, Tell Jerusalem this good news, Tell Jerusalem 188 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:00.640 the Gospel. Come for her with my promises that in me and in my 189 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:07.039 power and in my glory and my word, everything will be okay. And 190 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:12.950 you know what happens? Everything is Okay and Jerusalem, instead of fading away 191 00:20:14.230 --> 00:20:21.980 into nothing, becomes the speaker. She begins it begins by she is the 192 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:26.059 one who is spoken to and now, by the power of God's word, 193 00:20:26.700 --> 00:20:30.220 she is empowered to be the one who speaks, the one who brings the 194 00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:34.769 message of comfort, and we've seen that here this morning in these professions of 195 00:20:34.809 --> 00:20:38.289 faith, in our own, and in the brothers and sisters who came up 196 00:20:38.369 --> 00:20:45.289 and joined this fellowship, this church. God did something in their lives, 197 00:20:45.730 --> 00:20:51.039 and that what happens. They stood up here this morning and they spoke and 198 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:55.839 they said this is who the Lord is and this is what he's done, 199 00:20:55.839 --> 00:21:03.559 and I believe it. They become confessors, they become speakers, they become 200 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:11.990 evangelists. So then we have verse nine. This is exactly what happens to 201 00:21:11.069 --> 00:21:15.990 God's people when he works his word in them. Get up to a High 202 00:21:15.029 --> 00:21:21.980 Mountain, Oh Zion, Harold of Good News, Zion, lift up your 203 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:26.700 voice with strength. Oh Jerusalem, Harold of good news, lifted up, 204 00:21:26.220 --> 00:21:33.650 fear not, say to the cities of Judah, behold your God, behold, 205 00:21:33.690 --> 00:21:37.170 the Lord comes with might and his arm rules for him. Behold, 206 00:21:37.410 --> 00:21:42.289 his reward is with him and his recompense before him. He will tend his 207 00:21:42.410 --> 00:21:47.009 flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he 208 00:21:47.089 --> 00:21:59.359 will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young so 209 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:03.509 my encouragement to you this morning is to hear this word and believe it so 210 00:22:03.710 --> 00:22:10.150 that you may speak it. Hear the good news about God who comes into 211 00:22:10.190 --> 00:22:14.670 this world, receive that promise, that pledge, that token, and then 212 00:22:14.829 --> 00:22:22.259 give it to others. Spread the word. When you consider your sins, 213 00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:27.700 and I know that you do, don't despair, but hear the word of 214 00:22:27.740 --> 00:22:34.650 the Almighty God who can bring a mountain down and raise a valley up and 215 00:22:34.890 --> 00:22:41.289 enter into the world to save the world, this light of light, very 216 00:22:41.410 --> 00:22:48.880 god of Very God, our Savior, Jesus Christ. You have heard the 217 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:55.799 good news this morning. Believe it, spread it. Let's pray