Ready or Not, Here He Comes
Isaiah 40:3-5
Intro. An elderly widow decided it was too much trouble to get all of her kids and grandkids Christmas presents, so she decided to send them a check with a card. She chose a special card for each one of them and wrote them a little note and ended all the messages with the same words. A few days after she mailed all the cards, she discovered she forgot to include the checks in the cards. Imagine all those kids opening a card from grandma with a note inside that says, “Buy your own presents.”
. Sometimes we should take a little more time in preparation shouldn’t we?
. Advent is a time of preparation.
. Last we looked at the anticipation of Christmas and some of the gifts that are attached to the gift of Jesus.
. Today I want us to look at the preparation for Christmas and how we as Christians can do that.
. Folks it’s time to get ready for Christmas.
. Time to either pick out a tree or get yours out of the attic or basement.
. We have been working on that at our house all week and I’m sure that most of you are doing the same.
. It’s time for us men to consider shopping and time for the ladies to start wrapping the gifts that they have already purchased.
. Time to put the finishing touches on the Christmas musical and get the children ready for their presentation next Sunday night.
. We are busy aren’t we?
. While these are things that we need to do to prepare for Christmas, this morning I want to share with you three more things we need to do to prepare for Christmas.
. Our scripture this morning is out of Isaiah chapter 40: 3-5
. 3Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
4Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves and smooth out the rough places
.
5Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!”
. Isaiah is giving us prophesy about the coming of the messenger who will herald the coming of the Messiah.
. The coming of Jesus Christ.
. John the Baptist quoted these words when he was preaching about the coming of Jesus.
. We see these words again in Matthew 3:1-3 as John the Baptist was preaching about the coming Messiah. He said this.
. 1In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,
2“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
3The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming! Clear the road for him!’ ”
. Prepare for the coming of the Lord.
. How are we to prepare for the coming of Jesus?
. The coming of what we call Christmas.
. Isaiah gives us three ways that we can prepare
.
. Look at verse 3 again.
. 3Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
. The first thing we can do is Listen.
. Listen to the sounds of the season folks.
. Listen to the story of what this Christmas thing is all about.
. In order to listen, we have to slow down.
. Years ago there was a commercial on TV by a brokerage house.
. The commercial would come on and you would see all these people in a room bustling around and everybody was talking and glasses were tinkling together and the whole room was full of noise. Then they showed these two guys talking about their stock brokers and one of them say’s, “ my broker is E F Hutton and E F Hutton says”. The whole room stopped talking and moving around and wanted to listen to what this man had to say.
. Folks in order to prepare for Christmas, we need to stop and listen to what God has to say.
. We need to let God speak to us through this Holiday when we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
. Psalm 46:10 says that we are to: “ Be still, and know that I am God …”
. We need to listen, be still, and realize what we are celebrating .
. We are celebrating the birth of our King, Our Lord, Our Savior, Our Deliverer, Our redeemer. God coming to earth in a human body.
. The Christmas carols and hymns should remind us of who this is all about.
. We get so busy sometimes that they just seem like noise in the background don’t they?
. My wife bought a clock that plays Christmas carols and hymns on the hour.
. When I first heard this clock, it was just a bunch of noise to me. Over the last couple of weeks since she put it out for the season, I have learned to stop what I am doing and listen when it starts playing the song. I can honestly say that God has used that clock to bless me and remind me of the season and what it is all about.
. Listen to the sounds of the season, listen to the sheer joy that you hear and see from the children.
. Wednesday night the children decorated the Christmas tree in the fellowship hall. It seemed that they were all finished and they were getting ready to leave and I heard a scraping noise and I turned around and Jett Norman, the youngest one there had a bulb for decorating in one hand and he had gone over and was dragging the plastic steps from the water cooler with the other hand. He was determined that he was going to place his bulb on that tree.
. Jett was preparing for Christmas in his own way and I got the blessing of watching him and listening to him.
. We need to slow down and let the sounds and the sights of Christmas prepare our hearts for the birthday of our Savior.
. Listen to what God has to say to you this Christmas season.
. Next Isaiah says that we are to get rid of all the things that are in the way of us celebrating the coming of Jesus.
. Look at verses 3& 4 again:
. 3Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
4Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves and smooth out the rough places.
. Get rid of all the mountains that you think you have to climb and all the valleys that you find yourself in and get ready to experience the coming of our Savior.
. Stop Making Christmas So Hard.
. Stop worrying about the gifts that you will purchase for other people.
. Will they like them or is it enough or is it too much.
. Stop worrying about the menu for your family gathering or even what we will eat after the service today in our family meal.
. Stop trying to compete with your neighbors for the prettiest house decorations.
. Those are not what are important about Christmas.
. I know these things have become part of our traditions but they are not the most important thing.
. There is a story in the bible that gives us some perspective on what’s important.
. The story is recorded in the Gospel of Luke chapter 10.
. It’s a story that you may have heard before. I have used it several times for illustration purposes.
. Jesus and His disciples were going through Bethany and He was visiting His good friends Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. A big dinner was prepared for Him and his disciples. Probably much like we would find at our Christmas meals with our families. The trouble was, Martha was the one doing all the work while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to his teaching. This upset Martha something terrible and finally she couldn’t take any longer and this conversation took place between Martha and Jesus.
. Luke 10:40-42
. 40But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
41But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!
42There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
. Jesus told Martha to stop worrying herself into a tizzy as my mother used to say .
. You have created your own mountain to climb.
. Get rid of all these things that are unimportant.
. Mary has figured it out. It is all about God. It is all about worship.
. Yes there are things that need to be done, yes there may be some obstacles such as mountains and valleys but don’t let them keep you away from doing what’s important.
. Clear all that away and prepare to meet with God.
. Folks we need to clear away all the mountains and valleys, all the obstacles that keep us from celebrating what Christmas is all about.
. The coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
. Stop making Christmas so Hard.
. Lastly when we do this, the true meaning of Christmas will be revealed to all.
. Look at verse 5 again
. 5Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!”
. When we celebrate Christmas for what it is, The glory of the Lord will be revealed.
. Others will see what Christmas is all about through our actions and attitudes.
. We celebrate Christmas with lights. I believe that is appropriate because Jesus told us that He was the light of the world but He also called His people to be the light of the world.
. In The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus tells us in verse 14: 14“You are the light of the world …”
. When we are the Christmas lights, everyone we meet will see what Christmas is all about.
. There’s an old hymn that goes like this.
. Let others see Jesus in you; Let others see Jesus in You. Keep telling the story be faithful and true, Let others see Jesus in you.
. When we listen to the sounds of Christmas and what God is saying to us through this celebration and we put all the things that we do to prepare for Christmas in their proper perspective, we can be the Christmas lights that tell the world that the Savior has come. Others will be able to see Christmas in us.
. I want to close with a Christmas story this morning that I found.
.Two weeks before Christmas a nine-year-old girl was walking with her friend down the street, sliding on the ice. The two of them were talking about what they hoped to get for Christmas. They stopped to talk to an old man named Harry, who was on his knees pulling weeds from around a large oak tree. He wore a frayed, woolen jacket and a pair of worn garden gloves. His fingers were sticking out the ends, blue from the cold.
As Harry responded to the girls, he told them he was getting the yard in shape as a Christmas present to his mother, who had passed away several years before.
His eyes brimmed with tears as he patted the old oak. "My mother was all I had. She loved her yard and her trees, so I do this for her at Christmas." His words touched the girls and soon they were down on their hands and knees helping him to weed around the trees. It took the three of them the rest of the day to complete the task. when they finished, Harry pressed a quarter into each of their hands. "I wish I could pay you more, but it’s all I’ve got right now," he said.
The girls had often passed that way before and as they walked on they remembered that the house was shabby, with no wreath, no Christmas tree or other decorations to add cheeriness. Just the lonely figure of Harry sitting by his curtainless window. The quarter seemed to burn a hole of guilt in the one little girl’s mind as they returned to their homes. The next day she called her friend and they agreed to put their quarters in a jar marked "Harry’s Christmas Present" and then they began to seek out small jobs to earn more. Every nickel, dime, and quarter they earned went into the jar.
Two days before Christmas, they had enough to buy new gloves and a Christmas card. Christmas Eve found them on Harry’s doorstep singing carols. When he opened the door, they presented him with the gloves wrapped in pretty paper, the card and a pumpkin pie still warm from the oven. With trembling hands, he tore the paper from the gloves, and then to their astonishment, he held them to his face and wept.
. Christmas is about Jesus and his main concern was others.
. The two little girls listened with their heart and overcame mountains to show this man what Christmas was all about. To demonstrate the love of the Savior and to be the light of the world.
. Are you prepared for Christmas?
. It’s hard to celebrate the birth of someone you don’t know.
. Do you know the Savior this morning?
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources:
The Holy Bible, NLT
Preparing for Christmas, T. Michael Crews
