A great section dealing with how God comforts us, how God comforts his people.
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low.
The rough ground shall become level, the rugged places are plain, and the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
A voice says, cry out, and I said, what shall I cry?
All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass, the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.
You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout.
Lift it up, lift it up, do not be afraid.
Say to the towns of Judah, here is your God.
See, the sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd.
He gathers the lambs in his arms, and carries them close to his heart.
He gently leads those that have young.
Okay, we are thinking about preparing and waiting.
Preparing for the king of grace.
But waiting is very much a feature of this time of year, isn't it?
Waiting for the holidays to come.
It always feels like a really long term.
If you are unfortunate enough to leave your Christmas shopping till late,
you will find yourself waiting for a long time in car park queues, and then in shop queues.
It's a time of waiting for family and friends to gather together for joy and celebration.
It's a time of waiting for nativity and carols by candlelight.
Anticipation and waiting can be a wonderful thing.
You know, when we talk with our kids about Christmas, I still remember my own excitement.
Come Christmas Eve as a kid, waiting for watch night services.
We always got to open a present early on Christmas Eve.
We always got to watch a Christmas movie.
The anticipation of Christmas is a really wonderful thing.
But anticipation and waiting can be a dreadful thing too, can't it?
When time stops, when our thoughts are consumed by that thing that lurks on the horizon,
that bad news perhaps, that difficulty in our relationship and the conversation
that we know we're going to need to have.
How we wait very much depends on what we're waiting for.
If you were to read the whole of Isaiah, in a sense you see that it's a prophecy
all about two different kinds of waiting.
Because for God's people Israel, all the way through this prophecy,
there is the warning and the stark reality that God's people were to go into exile.
They were about to face punishment from the Lord.
But that wasn't the only kind of waiting they were invited to.
They were also told that God would be faithful.
That he would return to them and show them grace and bring them back from exile.
And so they were to wait also with hope and expectation.
And as we see, as we read through Isaiah, we've been thinking about it in the morning
and in the evening, there is this promise that ties in with the coming of Jesus.
So 700 years before Jesus came, Isaiah, God through Isaiah, was promising hope.
Because Jesus, the King of Grace, was coming.
But what was true for Israel and what's true for us as well is that only God could transform their waiting.
Only God could allow them to anticipate their future with hope instead of fear because of judgment.
And this, in a sense, takes us to the heart of the gospel.
And when we think about what's the story of the Bible,
we find there is God and God is our creator.
And God is to be our Lord and our King.
But we find from the very first human beings till ourselves,
we are disloyal rebels.
We are seeking revolution.
We would love to, by ourselves, overthrow God's rights to be King.
In all of our hearts, there is that inclination, no King but me, no law but my law.
And because that's true, because that sin is at root in our hearts,
what should we be waiting for from God?
We should be waiting for his just judgment to fall, just like the people.
We should be waiting for God's judgment, the wages of sin, which are death.
Yet, because all of us, by nature, because of our actions, because of our sin nature,
we are guilty before God.
But the hope of Christmas is this,
that we are invited, because of Jesus, to wait with hope.
Because God, in his grace, sends Jesus as a gift of his love.
Jesus takes our place, becomes our substitute,
dies as if he were the worst of rebels.
Jesus dies taking the sin of his people,
with the result that, by God's grace,
and through faith and trust in the Lord Jesus,
people like us can be forgiven.
People like us can be called children of God.
People like us can now wait for the future,
anticipating glory,
instead of destruction.
So we're thinking about waiting.
Waiting for the promised king.
Let's think together about the message,
the message of comfort.
And where does that comfort come?
You know, verse 1,
comfort my people,
says your God.
That comfort comes from the fact that there is promised grace beyond judgment.
This text has a context.
In Isaiah chapter 39,
and at verse 5 through 7,
we get the most clear announcement yet,
in the book,
of judgment to come.
So let's read that together.
Isaiah 39 at verse 5,
Isaiah said to Hezekiah,
he's the king,
hear the word of the Lord Almighty.
The time will surely come when everything in your palace
and all that your fathers have stored up until this day
will be carried off to Babylon.
Nothing will be left,
says the Lord.
And some of your own descendants,
your own flesh and blood,
who will be born to you,
will be taken away,
and they will become eunuchs
in the palace of the king of Babylon.
Judgment is coming in the form of exile.
They're going to be taken away as prisoners to Babylon.
For what?
You read the book of Isaiah,
and you find they were trusting in foreign kings
for their security rather than trusting in God.
You find a catalogue of abuse and injustice
towards the poor and the needy.
You find them polluting pure worship,
engaging in idolatry,
engaging in wild living.
Basically, the judgment was coming
because while they'd been called to be a holy people
and to be a kingdom of priests
and to be a light to the nations,
they were absolutely failing in those roles.
They were in covenant with God.
And under the terms of the covenant,
there was blessings when God's people
walked in obedience to him,
but there would be curse
when they walked in disobedience.
And so the tone largely of the first 39 chapters of Isaiah
is when it's speaking to Israel directly,
it's to say,
you've been unfaithful,
yet God says,
I will remain faithful.
A remnant will be saved,
not because you deserve it,
but because of my grace.
It's that same theme that Jesus picks up.
We were reading in family worship this morning,
the story of the prodigal son.
You know, that younger son
who wanted nothing to do with his dad,
who took his dad's money
and wasted it on wild living.
Going back home,
not sure what he was going to receive.
And he got back,
would he be welcomed?
He didn't really expect so.
But his dad,
full of grace and love,
ran to him and welcomed him
and through a feast
and a celebration for him.
And this is the hope
for Old Testament Israel.
This is the hope for us today
that there is the promise in Jesus
of grace beyond judgment.
Isaiah chapter 40,
it begins a new section in the book
going all the way through to chapter 55.
And the theme is that of comfort
and hope and God's gracious provision.
So to a people about to go into exile,
waiting for that,
they're also able to wait with hope.
Here is their motivation
for them to trust God
as they face exile.
Here is their one source of hope
as their world is about to be turned upside down.
Their hope is in God and his grace.
Verse one,
who is God speaking to there
when he says,
comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
He's speaking to three voices
or three messengers.
Roddy, they read them for us.
So you see in verse three,
this is the one we're going to focus on,
a voice of one calling.
And he has,
this voice has a message
of comfort and hope.
Verse six to eight,
there is the second voice.
And that voice too speaks hope
that God's word,
God's word of promise will stand.
And then verses nine to 11,
there is this third voice,
this third message.
And it too speaks hope
that your savior king,
your powerful shepherd king,
will come.
So verse one,
God is speaking to these three messengers
and he's saying,
here's your tone.
Your tone to rebellious,
disobedient people
is to be that of comfort,
of kindness,
of parental care.
Verse two,
speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Use a gentle tone.
Also the idea of persuading the people
to return,
to receive this invitation
back to the love of God.
It's a message of comfort
and it's to be spoken tenderly
because there is good news here.
Proclaim to her
that her hard service
has been completed.
So here's the thing,
even before they go into exile,
so they know in Babylon,
they're going to face
conditions of slavery.
There's going to be
hard labor going on there.
But even before that happens,
there is this promise
it will not be the last word.
That time will come to an end
and you will return home.
Proclaim that her hard service
has been completed,
that her sin
has been paid for.
This brings to mind
the language of sacrifice,
that there is an offering
that will satisfy God's justice
against their moral
and spiritual guilt.
Proclaim to her
that she has received
from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.
She's received
from the Lord's hand.
Again, in the context of sacrifice,
who is it that sets up
the sacrificial system?
It's God.
God says,
here is how you are
to worship me.
Here is how you are
to find a way of forgiveness
and atonement
for your sins.
And God says,
I will forgive you
and I will welcome you
and I will regard you
as my own people.
You will receive double.
God will deal generously
with you.
So here is a message
of real comfort
for unfaithful people
if they will turn back to God,
if they will receive
the grace that he offers.
Here in the Old Testament,
we find this wonderful
gospel announcement
that with God,
there is a grace
that is greater
than all of our sin.
How is that possible?
Well, remember Isaiah 40
is part of a bigger section,
40 to 55.
That section
climaxes
with the announcement
of the suffering servant
of Isaiah 52 and 53
and the hope
and the joy
that he brings
in 54 and 55.
So the question
for the people
then was,
who is this suffering servant
that we are to wait for,
that we are to pin
our hopes on?
And we know
that he is Jesus.
We know that Jesus,
the child in the manger,
is the man on the cross
at Calvary,
is the promised
suffering servant
that we find
in the book of Isaiah.
He is the one
who is wounded for us.
He is the one
who is punished for us.
He is the one
who is killed
for our sin
and our rebellion.
And it's by his wounds,
Isaiah says,
that we are healed.
It's in his death
that we die
to the power of sin
over us.
That we have a new master
and his name is Jesus.
And in his resurrection life,
we enjoy true life
and real freedom.
There is comfort
because there is grace
beyond judgment.
And because that is true for us,
because we receive grace,
we are also to be those
who extend grace to others.
One of our favorite TV shows
is Modern Family.
And in Modern Family,
there is a Christmas episode.
The household that is involved
is the Dunphy family
and the dad is usually
a bit of a soft touch.
But he decides there comes a point
where he needs to lay down the law.
And so there is this suspicious burn mark
that is found on their couch.
And he presumes one of the kids
has been smoking.
And so he announces to the family,
this usual soft touch guy,
he announces Christmas is cancelled.
And he drags the Christmas tree
out into the garden.
And the whole episode
is about his angst
because Christmas has been cancelled.
And our family joke,
we talk about it quite a lot.
Let's not be the family
that cancels Christmas.
Let's not be the family
that's so heavy on judgment
that we forget
to show grace
to our children,
to the people
in our family,
in our neighborhood.
Because we have received grace,
we are to spread
the grace of God
to others.
What do we do
with the mistakes
and failures of others?
Are we quick to jump on them?
To judge and criticize?
Do we keep bringing up
those mistakes
so we never move past
and we don't allow others
to move past?
Or do we choose to remember
that love covers
over a multitude of sins?
This extension of grace
is a great way
to be counter-cultural
in a really positive way.
In a world where people
are quick to jump to,
these are my rights
that I demand.
In a world that's really quick
to say that person
should pay for that offense
or for that wrong,
we can dazzle
with the grace of God
that we find
in Jesus Christ.
So there is comfort here
because there is this promise
of grace beyond judgment.
Let's think now
about this messenger
in verses 3 to 5.
What's his message?
His message is
prepare
because the king of glory
and grace
is coming.
Let's read those verses.
A voice of one calling
in the desert,
prepare the way
for the Lord.
Make straight
in the wilderness
a highway
for our God.
Every valley
shall be raised up,
every mountain
and hill made low.
The rough ground
shall become level,
the rugged places
a plain.
And the glory
of the Lord
will be revealed
and all mankind
together will see it
for the mouth
of the Lord
has spoken.
Here's the picture.
It's the picture
of a royal procession
that's on the move.
And when royalty
was on the move
in this day
then the route
had to be made ready.
You had to do your best
to level the ground
so when the king
went through
and his horses
he had smooth passage.
That was still
the thinking
when Jesus
on his donkey
made his
triumphal entry
into Jerusalem.
What did the crowds
do for their king?
They put their cloaks
and their palm branches
on the ground
to make the way smooth
because royalty
was coming.
On a much lesser level
I used to work
as a school boy
and then as a student
in the co-op
in Port Tree
and one summer
the national boss
of the co-op
was coming
all the way
from Manchester
to visit our store.
And so what came next
was a frenzy
of just ridiculous
artificial activity.
So there was loads
of repainting
that was done
loads of cleaning
we all had to do
extra hours
to make sure
all the stuff
on the shelves
was like nice
and straightened up
for those few minutes
when he'd come
and have a quick chat
and disappear
and it was all
to really
no much purpose
at all.
But somebody
really important
was coming
and so we had
to prepare
the way.
Someone important
is coming here
and so it's time
to prepare.
The road must be
straight and smooth
and free
of obstacles.
It's a way
of saying
this king
that Isaiah
has been told
to speak about
he's coming
he'll come quickly
he won't be
delayed.
So the question
for us again
is which king
is coming?
Who are we
preparing for?
As Isaiah
brings this message
who's coming
verse 3
prepare the way
for the Lord.
The personal
powerful
covenant making
God
is coming
for his people.
This is
verse 3
God's
highway.
He is on
his way
to bring
grace
beyond
judgment
and he
will not
be stopped.
This will
be a
powerful
revelation.
Verse 5
the glory
of the Lord
will
be revealed
because
whenever God
is acting
to save
people
we inevitably
see his
glory.
You think
about it
through the
Bible.
You think
about how
God saved
Noah
and he
receives
glory
for
providing
for
Noah
in the
ark.
God
gets glory
for the
way he
rescues
his people
from slavery
in Egypt
because he
delivers those
plagues
and he
opens the
Red Sea
so Israel
can travel
through
safely.
So often
in the Old
Testament
God gets
glory for
saving his
people because
he fights
the battles
for them.
The people
wait and
see the
deliverance
of God
and when
God comes
in human
form as
the Lord
Jesus Christ
he gets
glory as
he dies
for our
sin on
the cross.
That's what
Jesus prayed
for.
That he
would be
glorified,
that his
father would
be glorified
and there
is glory
there as
he accomplishes
the plan of
salvation,
as he opens
the way for
men and
women,
boys and
girls,
back to
God.
There is
glory whenever
any of us
individually
come to
faith in
the Lord
Jesus.
He's worked
the miracle
of grace
and glory
in our
hearts.
There is
the glory
that comes
because the
Lord is
present.
Here's
another way
of Isaiah
saying prepare
for Emmanuel,
prepare for
God to be
with you,
God in
his glory
to be
with you.
And notice
that this
won't just
be for a
few.
Remember the
extent of
God's
generous
grace.
This isn't
now just
for a
remnant,
a small
portion of
Israel.
When this
king comes,
when this
king of
glory and
grace is
revealed,
verse 5,
all mankind
together will
see it.
Jesus and
his glory is
to stand
as a
universal
revelation
of God's
grace for
the world.
So this
king is
coming.
We are
invited to
prepare and
this visit
is certain.
Verse 5,
the mouth
of the
Lord has
spoken.
So this
voice that
speaks tender
comfort is
saying to
people about
to go into
exile,
people living
in moral
and spiritual
darkness,
saying God
himself is
coming.
He will
come revealing
his glory to
the world.
He has come
to bring
freedom.
He has come
announcing sins
will be
forgiven.
Do we
see where
this is
heading?
Do we
see why
700 years
later,
as Mark
and Matthew
were writing
their gospels,
they saw
John the
Baptist as
this messenger?
As they
reflected on
the life of
Jesus and
his ministry
and his
saving work
on the cross
where they
thought,
well,
obviously,
John the
Baptist was
sent to
prepare the
way for
King Jesus.
And it
helps us to
understand why
John,
when he's
writing his
gospel,
said the
word became
flesh and
dwelt among
us and we
have seen
his glory,
the glory of
the one and
only,
full of grace
and truth
because this
king,
King Jesus,
he's the
Lord.
So for
Israel,
then here is
a hope for
them to hold
on to.
Here is
something worth
waiting for.
Yes,
they're waiting
for exile,
but yes,
they're also
promised that
there is grace
beyond that.
judgment and
for us,
well,
we know that
Jesus has
come.
We know that
his grace and
his glory have
appeared.
We have come
to know
grace beyond
the judgment
that we
deserve
because that's
the message
that the cross
speaks to us.
We look at the
cross and we
realize that's
what my sin
deserves.
And we look
at the cross
and we say,
that's God's
grace so that
I don't have
to receive
the punishment
that my sin
deserves.
So when days
seem dumb,
when we mess
up,
when we fail
and when we
sin,
we have this
message of
comfort that
our King
has come
and he is
for us.
And it's a
message for us
to share also.
for the
people that
we know
who seem
to lack
hope,
who live
with fear
and uncertainty,
who are
looking for
something solid
to hold
on to.
We can
say to
people,
did you
know that
our God
offers comfort
and hope?
And he's
shown us that
by giving us
Jesus.
So as we
await our
King's return,
so this first
group,
they're waiting
for the King
to come,
our King
has already
come,
now we're
waiting for
his return.
We can be
involved in
this work of
preparing the
way,
preparing the
way so that
others might
see and
respond to
the glory of
King Jesus.
We can
prepare the
way by
perhaps inviting
people to
come to
nativity or
to carols by
candlelight.
We can
prepare the
way by
sharing our
faith with
our colleagues
and our
family members.
we can
prepare the
way by
inviting
someone to
read the
Bible with
us and
all so that
people would
see the
glory of
the Lord
as we
find it
in Jesus.
Let's pray
together.