Note: There may or may not be sermon notes here for next week. We will be in Luke 2 for December 24th. Thanks for following along. - JED
Praise Him For The Promise
Isaiah 40:1-11
Introduction
Kimball Gannon was born in Brooklyn in 1900. After going to law school and passing the bar, He became a well-known song writer. One song he wrote was from the viewpoint of a soldier away from home during the war. He had a hard time getting someone to record it. (They said it was too sad.) One day playing golf with Bing Crosby he sang it for him and Bing decided to record it. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” was sure to be a hit, as it was on the flip side of another song we still sing, “White Christmas”.
Our text is written to some distressed people who wonder if they will ever be home again. Exiled into Babylon’s clutches, many thought they would never escape.
Last week we were focused on Jeremiah’s little book of comfort. Today we look at a similar passage in Isaiah - an oasis of hope amid a book of lost hope. In this passage, Isaiah takes a sharp turn in his prophesying about the misdeeds of Israel. In our most distressful moments often neglect to remember God’s provision and presence. What can we remember when we need comfort at Christmas? The book of Isaiah is a book of both judgment and comfort and in this passage, God offers Israel comfort and strength. This is what we need when we are feeling anxious—for God to remind us what he can and will do as we let him. God is everything we need to find promise and hope in the days to come.
1. God is Comfort (Isaiah 40:1-2)
Isaiah 40:1-2 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
Isaiah is speaking to some people who were going through some extreme hardship. Though their setting is different than ours - we can identify that life can be rugged at times and all of us need God’s comfort and strength. The comfort that comes from God springs from forgiveness. To emphasize the comfort of God does not mean that we can ignore sin - this is why we need comfort in the first place. W. E. Vine: “Comfort” lit. means to cause to breathe again - to receive revival and relief. On your darkest day, God desires for you to find relief from your burden, and forgiveness for your sin.
God is a God of Comfort - and when we need His strength, He is there for us.
2. God is Glorious (Isaiah 40:3-5)
Isaiah 40:3-5 3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
In our days of struggle, we can find encouragement and strength to know that God is at work and this is not the end. They needed to prepare a pathway for the Lord in their hearts. This verse is used in all four Gospel accounts - John the Baptizer made this a proclamation of the coming Christ!
Mark 1:1-4 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Even now we expect the Returning Jesus. In your roughest days remember that God has walked ahead of
you and created a path forward.
3. God’s Word is Eternal (Isaiah 40:6-8)
Isaiah 40:6-8 …“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
God’s word is so sure that we can shout it out with confidence!
Isa. 55: 10, 11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
1 Pet. 1: 22 – 25 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[b] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you.
4. God is Above All! (Isaiah 40:9-27)
40:9 “…Do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’”
He is a Great Ruler (10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
He is a Great Shepherd 40:11 “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.”
He is the ultimate Shepherd.
-He protects us
-He gathers us in his arms
-He carries us
-He gently leads us - especially when we are vulnerable
Luke 12:32 Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.
He is a Great Creator 40:12, 22, 26, 28 “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? … He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. …Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who
brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. … Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth … “
5. God Gives us Strength! (Isaiah 40:28-31)
Strength Without End Because it is His Strength!
Isaiah 40:28b The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
Strength to be Shared with those who need it!
Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Strength that brings renewal when we are tired.
Isaiah 40:30-31 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Seven Ways To Find Strength In God (Article by Duke Taber)
Accept You Are Weak!
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Read And Meditate On God’s Word
Amos 8:13 NLT “Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the Lord’s word.”
Jesus called likened His word to food for the soul. (Matthew 4:4 The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’)
Increase Your Time In Prayer.
Psalm 138:3 As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.
I would encourage you to think about how much time you actually spend talking to God and then stopping and listening to see if He wants to say something back to your heart...what are you hearing from the Lord?
Trust And Obey
There is an old hymn called “Trust and Obey.” We will have a hard time finding strength from the Lord while
walking in disobedience.
Worship Through To Victory
Isaiah 40:9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah “Here is your God!”
Connect With Other Believers
Isaiah 40:11 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. (you are part of a flock!)
When you are weak is when you need others to lift you up. Isolation will lead to eventual failure. When going through one of life’s challenges, make sure to stay connected. We all need people who will walk with us through these times.
Be Empowered By The Spirit.
When we are baptized, the Spirit of God comes to live on the inside of us. The Fruit of the Spirit emerges as we yield to Him. (Acts 2:38)
Conclusion
Isaiah 40 promises that God wants to renew our strength - and He will if we will trust Him.
God is Comfort, Glorious, His Word is Eternal, He is Above All!
God wants us to hear his words of comfort and strength. What is the noise that keeps us from hearing the comforting words of God?
-The rush of the holiday season?
-The noise of the world around us that brings us news of terror and destruction?
-The spiritual struggles we have that brings us guilt?
Listen to the great news of a glorious God
-He will sustain us in our daily needs.
-He will carry us next to his heart when can’t go on.
-He will lead us when we are weary and do not know the way.
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Discussion Questions For Class
1. What is your “working” definition of comfort? How do you personally define or experience comfort? What components make up comfort for you? (Isaiah 40:1) In what ways can you extend this comfort to others around you?
2. Which Bible verses or chapters have been personally helpful in bringing stability and comfort to you? Discuss the impact of God’s Word during challenging times. (Isaiah 40:8)
3. How does the imagery of God as a shepherd in Isaiah 40:11 provide comfort in your current life situations?
4. What forms has God’s shepherding care taken in your life? Reflect on personal experiences where you felt God’s guidance and protection. (Isaiah 40:11)
5. How do you interpret the phrase “prepare the way for the Lord” in your personal life and church?
6. Considering the metaphor of humans as grass that withers, how does this influence your perspective on material wealth and achievements?
7. How have you applied Isaiah 40:30-31 in your life? What does waiting on God look like for you personally?
8. What does it mean to you to ‘hope in the Lord’ (Isaiah 40:31)?
9. In the modern world, with its diverse belief systems, how can we communicate the incomparable nature of God, as described in Isaiah 40?
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Resources
McDonald, Skip. LifeGuide Book: Anxiety: Finding Comfort and Reassurance from God. InterVarsity Press, 2020.
Shackleford,Don. Truth For Today: Isaiah. Resource Publications, 2005.
Taber, Duke. 7 Ways to Find Strength in God
https://viralbeliever.com/strength-in-god/
