Isaiah, Part 16
God will Comfort His People
Isaiah 40:1-11
Dismiss kids for Children’s Church and Nursery – Happy Mother’s Day
Introduction
- Welcome to Seasons! We are so glad you have chosen to worship with us!
- Last week, we discussed an obvious example of how pride affects us
-- Hezekiah showed us what faithful prayers can accomplish, until pride ruins us!
-- APP: Pride hurts us most when we focus on ourselves vs. what God has done
- Today, we will study a passage with four distinct voices testifying for us
-- Each of these has a very specific purpose and prayerfully we’ll lean in
- When Isaiah wrote this, the Jews were about to face 160+ years of suffering
-- Their entire nation would be taken hostage, abused, pillaged, and destroyed
- Enter our text today as encouragement from God … how?
-- God will deliver them from their captivity and their suffering, BUT,
-- CHALL: They would have to remain faithful to God through it
-- This is the same promise we have today … we are called to be faithful!
- God’s people are set free from because of what God has accomplished (Jesus)
-- His salvation is the message that we must proclaim, it is what gives us hope
- Read Isaiah 40:1-11 / PRAY
Point 1 – The voice of God
- Look at what God (Elohim) declares: “Comfort, comfort my people” (v1)
-- God’s desire is that His people would be consoled during their difficulties
-- LEARN THIS TRUTH: Lasting comfort can only come from God above
- The Jews would desperately need to be comforted for what is ahead
-- From brutal enslavement to ruthless defeat; they would need to be comforted
-- So, to prepare them for what is ahead, God commands “comfort” be offered
- SEE: In proclaiming/directing “comfort”, we see the true affection of God
-- He calls on the prophets to “speak tenderly” to the hearts of His people (v2)
- IMP: There are two forms of comfort presented:
1. “Sad days are gone” (700 BC); their days of warfare & destruction over
- God promises that they would be freed from their suffering (how?)
- Because they would see rescue from God; He knows them intimately
2. “Sins are pardoned” (IMP: This is our hope in May 2025)
- What a glorious assurance for them (and us) to hear these words!
- Judah has already been punished because of their sins (rebellion, Genesis 38)
- But still … God heard them and promised to rescue them (His compassion)
- TOUGH: His promise is: To rescue them from their sins! Ask: What sins?
Immorality Drunkenness Pride Abuse
Lawlessness Violence Idolatry Hypocrisy
Empty worship (Ch 1) Ridicule (faith) Mockery
- How do we see this today? 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
-- Before we had only the promise of God, today we have the sacrifice of Christ!
Point 2 – The voice of Isaiah (the prophet)
- This voice brings wonderful news to the people of God! (vv3-5)
-- “Clear the way! Prepare the road! Get yourself ready! Someone’s coming!”
-- Historically, when a king would visit a region there’d be great preparation
-- Roads would be cleared, paths made level, obstacles removed from his way
- In this announcement we see careful preparations were to be made to:
1. Straighten out your lives; remove the crooked and unrighteous behavior
2. Level out the path of their lives; be faithful and consistent; confident
- SEE: The wasteland is the road to our hearts! It is the path for Him to enter!
- APP: The road that leads to your heart shows us who we really are!
-- Wisdom: King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your HEART above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
- BIG: We need to understand the promise is proclaimed by Isaiah …
-- The glory of God will be revealed IF we’d PREPARE to receive Him!
- REAL: We cannot receive Jesus if we are busy pretending we are God!
-- If we are sitting in the place of “god” in our heart, we will never know salvation
-- John the Baptist proclaimed these very words ~725 yrs later: John 1:23, “John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: (see emphasis) “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”
- Right now, on May 11, 2025, we only have two invitations:
1. To receive Him (which means we are humble before Him), and,
2. To prepare for His soon return (time is running out to ask for forgiveness)
- Isaiah’s decree is 1) to clear the roads, 2) “THEN” (v5) we’ll see “it” together
-- What do we see? His Glory! Hebrew: kabowd; honor, splendor, glory
-- APP: If you are blocking the road, the King will not force Himself to enter
-- CHAL: We must be humble and seek Him out - because in Him we find rescue!
Point 3 – The voice of God to His Messenger (Isaiah)
- The third voice is God speaking to Isaiah … but see the parallel to YOU!
-- The instruction is simple: “Shout!” (v6) APP: “Cry out!” “Go and tell!”
- The message to be broadcast could not be any simpler:
• People are temporary: like the grass, flowers, etc., they will fade away (v7)
• But! (v8) God and His word are eternal, strong, and without end!
- FACT: We are not immortal; these clay shells we reside in are fading
-- We are not able to stop the process of death (we have a 100% death rate)
-- So when this body gives out we will stand before an eternal God
- Then what? What will you say your hope was in before an everlasting God?
-- What can you say before a Holy God? That you trusted in your good works?
-- That you had confidence in your ability; that you were enough?
- I tell you today, no matter what you are facing, God can rescue you (v8b)
-- He is able to overcome every problem you face, every addiction, every sin
-- He offers us everlasting hope by inviting us to come and find rescue/peace
-- How? Through the promise that His word is everlasting and faithful!
-- Luke 21:33, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”
Point 4 – The voices of the Righteous Believers
- What are they told to shout from the mountaintops?
1. Shout that your God is coming to rescue you! AND!!!!!
2. The Sovereign Lord, coming in power, brings with Him a reward
- IMP SEE: God (v9) and Lord (v10) are two different persons!
• God: Elohim, Yhvh, Creator, Ruler (author of authority & power)
• Lord: Adonay, Master, Savior, Deliverer, Shepherd (bringer of reward)
- These in Zion (the city of God) are to proclaim the good news of salvation!
• They are to SHOUT about what God has done for them!
• And … (GET) they do so without fear (v9); not shrinking from testifying!
- BIG CHALL: Are we like this? Are we testifying now? To who?
BIG IDEA
- Hear and understand this today:
-- It is in the fourth voice we find praise that proclaims God’s goodness
-- It is in the fourth voice we see the promises of God to provide for His … BUT!
-- If you are NOT found in these voices, I assure you, there is no hope for you
- Might ask: Why does living this way matter in today’s world?
-- Examine and ask yourself: “What has Jesus done for you?”
-- Is your life motto, Acts 4:20, “We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” APP: Do you live to tell others about Jesus?
- Or are you still king of your own heart & trusting you will be good enough?
-- KNOW: God is not fooled by our selfish offerings of holiness (Isaiah 1:13)
-- These will wither and fade away because they have no power of God
-- This is why this worship is so important … it forces us to see who He is
-- It’s in worship/study we draw closer to Him; make our life about serving Him
-- John the Baptist declared (re: following God): John 3:30, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”
- What you will do with this proclamation shows God who He is to you!
-- Don’t know Jesus? Come talk to me after service … Close in prayer/dismiss
-- Prayerfully, we will see you Wednesday night to discuss this further
Pray: repentance, grace to obey God’s calling with a willingness to tell others
