They were all Advent preachers. From Moses to Malachi their messages were the same. Repent. Return. Believe. Yes, they delivered their messages in different ways, and at different times. But ultimately, they were the voices of God calling his people to turn away from their sins, return to him, and put their faith in his promises.
Then for nearly 400 years there were no Advent preachers. The Old Testament ended. Since God’s people weren’t listening to him, he stopped talking to them. Then one day a man dressed in strange clothes who ate strange things appeared. His message was the same. Repent. Return. Believe the good news that God has sent his Son on a salvation mission!
For our sermon this morning we are invited to hear a message from the Prophet Isaiah in his role as an Advent preacher. Actually, we hear three messages connected to three voices calling out in his prophecy. Today, may God the Holy Spirit enable each of us to:
“HEAR ISAIAH’S ADVENT CALL!”
I. A call to repent (vv. 3-8)
II. A call to believe (vv. 1-2)
III. A call to receive (vv. 9-11)
Isaiah has been called the evangelist of the Old Testament. In other words, he pointed people to Jesus perhaps more than any other prophet. Although he brought bad news to his people concerning God’s judgment on their sins. He also delivered good news about the Savior who would come and set them free from sin. He was a powerful Advent Preacher.
Before we jump into these verses from Isaiah 40, I want you to recall the structure of the whole book of Isaiah. The first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah reveal God’s judgment on his people and his condemnation of their sins. Yes, there are some Gospel promises found in those chapters too but for the most part it would be fair to call the first part of Isaiah a Law message. God pointed out the sins his people were committing, and he promised them that punishment was coming! On the other hand, the last twenty-seven chapters of Isaiah declare a message of hope and comfort as they point ahead to the work of the Messiah. You may remember that is why some people have called Isaiah a “mini-Bible.” Over the years some have seen the 39 Books of the Old Testament and the 27 Books of the New Testament are mirrored in the structure of Isaiah’s prophecy. Obviously the verses we are considering come from the second half of Isaiah—the half most rich with the Gospel. Here the LORD comforted his people at Isaiah’s time. And in these verses he will comfort us as we hear Isaiah’ Advent call.
I.
Isaiah used to powerful images to illustrate how God’s people would repent and return to the LORD their God. We jump to verse 3 of Isaiah 40. “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.” We heard verse 3 quoted by Mark in our Gospel Lesson for this Sunday. Isaiah’s prophecy was most directly fulfilled by John the Baptist. And we know from the Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible that some of God’s people did repent when they heard John’s Advent call.
Perhaps you know the story of John’s birth. His father and mother, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were well along in years. But God chose them to be the parents of a very special child. Do you remember what the angel Gabriel said to Zechariah about John? “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” Then Gabriel went on to describe John’s mission. “Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous -- to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:11-17). You may also remember that Zechariah didn’t whole-heartedly accept Gabriel’s message that he would be the father of a special child. As a reminder of his doubt and as a call to repentance God afflicted Zechariah with nine months of laryngitis. He was unable to speak until his son John was born. Then he accepted John’s mission. He said of his little baby boy, “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:76-79) Zechariah and Elizabeth and all the people in Israel had one reason to listen to John as an Advent preacher. He came with a call to repent.
Now let’s return to Isaiah’s Advent call. His call to repent. He uses another powerful image to impress on us our need for repentance. “A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “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.” Wow! What a great reminder that as the Bible says, “the wages of sin is death.” Also, what a great reminder of how brief our time to repent really is. We are each given a “time of grace.” That is the sum total of our days between our birth and our death.
I’m fairly certain that most of y’all are famile with the classic Christmas poem, “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” A few years ago I came across a poem that speaks about being ready for Jesus’ advent. Instead of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” it is entitled, “Twas the Night Before Jesus Came.” This is how it goes, “Twas the night before Jesus came.........and all through the house / Not a creature was praying, not one in the house. // Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care / in hopes that Jesus would not come there. // The children were dressing to crawl into bed, / Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head. // And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap / Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap. // When out of the East there arose such a clatter, / I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter. // Away to the window I flew like a flash / Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. // When what to my wondering eyes should appear / But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here. // With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray / I knew in a moment this must be The Day! // The light of His face made me cover my head / It was Jesus! returning just like He had said. // And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth, / I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself. // In the Book of Life which He held in His hand / was written the name of every saved man. / He spoke not a word as He searched for my name; / when He said "It's not here" my head hung in shame. // The people whose names had been written with love / He gathered to take to His Father above. // With those who were ready He rose without a sound / While all the rest were left standing around. // I fell to my knees, but it was too late; / I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate. // I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight; Oh, if only I had been ready tonight. // In the words of this poem the meaning is clear; The coming of Jesus is drawing near. / There's only one life and when comes the last call / We'll find that the Bible was true after all!” Today, we have the opportunity to listen to Isaiah’s Advent call. Like all of God’s Advent preachers it is a call to repent and return in faith to God.
II.
After Isaiah’s call to repentance hits home we are invited to hear his call to believer the good news that our sins are forgiven in Christ. As Martin Luther wrote in his Small Catechism, “Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.”
Isaiah calls us to believe what God has done about our sins. “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.” This voice spoke words of comfort to God’s people. Had they sinned so horribly that God had abandoned them forever? No. Did God just ignore their sins? No he paid for them.
The Bible pictures this payment in a number of ways. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is called a “ransom price” to “redeem” us from sin, death, and hell. Jesus used that word in Matthew 20:28, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The Apostle Paul stated it this way in Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” The curse of disobeying even one of God’s commands is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. But the fully human child of Mary could let that curse fall on himself. Hebrews 2:14 declares this truth, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil.” Philippians 2:7-8 also remind us that Jesus, “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” That is how God would come to his people and pay for their sins.
Years ago a couple named Marv & Marbeth Rosenthal adapted the familiar childhood rhyme “MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB” to the life of God’s lamb—our Savior Jesus. “Mary had the little Lamb, who lived before His birth; Self-existent Son of God, from Heaven He came to Earth. (Micah 5:2) Mary had the little Lamb; see Him in yonder stall—Virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall. (Isaiah 7:14) Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son of God; Everywhere the Father led, His feet were sure to trod. (John 6:38) Mary had the little Lamb, crucified on the tree The rejected Son of God, He died to set men free. (1 Peter 1:18) Mary had the little Lamb—men placed Him in the grave, Thinking they were done with Him; to death He was no slave! (Matthew 28:6) Mary had the little Lamb, ascended now is He; All work on Earth is ended, our Advocate to be. (Hebrews 4:14-16) Mary had the little Lamb—mystery to behold! From the Lamb of Calvary, a Lion will unfold. (Revelation 5: 5,6) When the Day Star comes again, of this be very sure: It won’t be Lamb-like silence, but with the Lion’s roar. (Psalm 2:12; Revelation 19:11-16)
III.
That thought leads us back to the last message from Isaiah the Advent preacher. We have heard the call to repent of our sins, and the call to believe we are forgiven. Now we hear the call to receive—that is to receive God himself into our lives. “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!” Even though Isaiah’s message went out about 700 years before the first Christmas God would come to his people. Isaiah continued, “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. 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.” Like all Advent preachers Isaiah wanted his people to know the heart of God. He wanted to live among them. God revealed that truth to the Israelites through a cloud and a fire. The LORD God showed that his greatest dsire was to live among his people and be their God through the Tabernacle, which by the way, was also called the “Tent of Meeting.” And later, when Solomon built a permanent house for God in Jerusalem, once again God showed that what he really wanted was to live among his people.
It happened one Christmas. There was a husband and father who just couldn’t bring himself to attend church with his family. He wasn’t a scrooge. He was a kind, decent, mostly good man, generous to his family, upright in his dealings with others. But he did not believe in all that incarnation stuff that the Churches proclaim at Christmas time. It just didn’t make sense to him and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just could not swallow the Jesus story about God coming to earth as man. I’m truly sorry to distress you, he told his wife, but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve. He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he would much rather stay home, but that he would wait up for them. He stayed, they went. Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier, then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another and another. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. Well, when he went to the front door, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter they had tried to fly through his large landscape window. Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze. He remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter -- if he could direct the birds to it. He quickly put on his coat and galoshes, trampled through the deepening snow to the barn, opened the door wide, and turned on a light. But the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in and he hurried back to the house, fetched breadcrumbs, sprinkled them on the snow making a trail to the yellow lighted wide open doorway of the stable, but to his dismay the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them, he tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms -- instead they scattered in every direction except into the warm lighted barn. Then he realized they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature, if only I could think of some way to let them know they can trust me. That I’m not trying to hurt them, but to help them. How? Any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. If only be a bird myself he thought. If only I could be a bird and mingle with them and speak their language, and tell them not to be afraid, and show them the way to the safe, warm barn. But I'd have to be one of them, so they could see and hear and understand. At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sound of the wind. He finally understood what Christmas is all about.
So what happened to all of the Advent preachers that God sent to his people? For the most part their messages were ignored, and they were persecuted. From Moses to Malachi, or as Jesus said, from “righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” But that didn’t stop God from doing what he had promised. Today, brothers and sisters, we have heard one of God’s advent preachers. May we hear Isaiah’s advent call. It is a call to repent. It is a call to believe. It is a call to receive. Amen.
