COMFORT IN THE MIDST OF CONFUSION
Isaiah 40:1-11
S: Palm Sunday
Th: God’s Presence brings comfort
Pr: WE CAN DEPEND ON GOD.
?: Why?
KW: Reasons
TS: We will find in our study of Isaiah 40:1-11 four reasons why we can depend on God.
The _____ reason we can depend on God is…
I. PARDON (1-2)
II. PRESENCE (3-5)
III. PERMANENCE (6-8)
IV. POWER (9-11)
Version: ESV
RMBC 13 Apr 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Presence (Jesus shows up!)
It was Palm Sunday and Sue’s five-year-old son had to stay home from church, with a neighbor, because of strep throat. When the family returned home carrying palm branches, he asked what they were for. His mother explained, "People held them over Jesus’ head as he walked by." "Wouldn’t you know it," the boy fumed, "The one Sunday I don’t go, Jesus shows up!"
Have you ever looked forward to seeing someone?
I am one that enjoys visits by people.
I enjoy being visited by my parents every weekend, though they are really coming to see the grandchildren.
But I forgive them.
Visits can be real fun, can’t they?
It is especially a real treat when someone from our past comes to visit.
It is neat to celebrate special relationships that develop through the years.
ILL Notebook: Visit (Portuguese proverb)
There is a Portuguese proverb that says:
Visits always give pleasure - if not the arrival, the departure.
There is a visit, though, that we should all appreciate…
TRANSITION:
1. When Jesus came into Jerusalem, His visit was welcomed with celebration.
We have already heard the text and the joyous proclamations that were made about Jesus.
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the expectations were high.
Perhaps, finally, they might be rid of Rome.
So the cry for salvation came from the people’s lips…
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
These were indeed statements that conveyed very high expectations.
2. It was the perception of the people that He was going to make all things right.
Their perception was not off base.
Jesus was going to make things right, but it was not going to happen in the way that they expected.
Again, they were hoping for liberation.
Freedom from the tyranny of Rome would give them the greatest pleasure.
Then, perhaps, the land would be theirs alone.
There is a lesson for us here…
3. Though God may not work in the way we expect, He always does what is good.
In the space of less than one week, the people of Jerusalem are going to have a rude awakening.
The one that they were presently pronouncing as the king was going to be dead.
He was going to be killed by the Romans according to their most humiliating and excruciating way – on a cross.
But the amazing thing about this humiliation is that it was for our good.
At the time, it seemed like the worst disaster in the whole world.
But the fact is, is that this was the culmination point of many points in time when God had intervened in history.
God had been working all along, moving powerfully.
This shows us that God’s intention has always been to win us, to demonstrate to us His unfailing and generous love.
He is consistently and constantly acting on our behalf.
What this means for us is that…
4. WE CAN DEPEND ON GOD.
He is the God who is there.
He persistently brings hope.
He lovingly encourages hearts.
And though we cannot see the long view, He can.
But, if we might speak freely at this point, does it seem so?
Is history that is being made in the day to day really under His control?
For frankly…
5. We live in days of confusion.
For weeks now, we have been watching the war in Iraq.
And though the final defeat of the regime seems to be at hand, the danger is far from over.
After all, Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda is still wandering about.
Two days ago, Al-Qaeda terrorists escaped from Yemen.
And one has to wonder after all this activity in the Mideast if terrorism will become even more frequent.
These seem like confusing times.
Yet, the good news is that God has not forgotten us.
He is aware of our circumstances.
And in our passage today we are going to find the comfort we need.
For…
6. We will find in our study of Isaiah 40:1-11 four reasons why we can depend on God, even when the days are confusing.
What will be interesting about our study is that as we give consideration to Isaiah 40, we will see certain correlations to Jesus and His entry into Jerusalem.
Though the passage is not a prophetic one in regard to the Triumphal Entry, our study will demonstrate how Old Testament prophecy is always pointing us to Christ.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first reason we can depend on God is PARDON (1-2).
ILL Notebook: Comfort (take me out)
As the manager of the hospital’s softball team, Tom was responsible for returning equipment to the proper owners at the end of the season. When he walked into the surgery department carrying a bat that belonged to one of the surgeons, he passed several patients and their families in a waiting area.
"Look, honey," one man said to his wife. "Here comes your anesthesiologist."
Though seeing a bat in a hospital may not have been a comfort to those that were waiting for surgery, our passage today is a message of comfort.
[1] Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. [2] Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
1. Isaiah offers comfort because God punishes in order to forgive.
The writing of Isaiah precedes the time we have been studying the last few months (Nehemiah).
Isaiah lived before the exile, but what he writes are words of comfort for people that are living during the exile.
The nation went into exile because they were not right with God.
They had persistently disobeyed God and ignored the law that He designed for their benefit.
So, they were punished so they would get it right.
They had been wandered far from God.
They had wanted to live their own way.
But there were consequences to that kind of living.
The passage tells us though, that the exile is not the end of the story.
Forgiveness would come.
The idea that the people were paid double for sins did not mean that they had a double punishment.
Instead, it was a reference to an Eastern custom.
If a man owed a debt that he could not pay, his creditor would write the amount of the debt on a paper and nail it to the front door of the man’s house so that everyone would see that the debt had not been paid.
When the debt was paid, the creditor would double the paper over it and nail it to the door announcing that the debt had been fully paid.
What Isaiah announces to the people in exile is a wonderful picture of what Jesus did for us at the cross.
He covered our debt.
He covered our sins.
You see…
2. Jesus provides forgiveness because He is going to the cross (II Corinthians 5:17-19).
Note how the apostle Paul describes it:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
When Jesus died on the cross, He took our sins upon Himself.
Since sin deserves death, death has to occur.
Because Jesus is so generous in His love for us, He went to the cross on our behalf so that we could know and experience the forgiveness of sins.
He was the creditor that placed the paper over our debts and said the price was paid.
This means then, we can depend on Him because He offers us pardon.
II. The second reason we can depend on God is PRESENCE (3-5).
[3] A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. [4] Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. [5] And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
1. Isaiah offers comfort because God is on the way.
The message is that they needed to get ready.
They needed to be prepared.
Obstacles were to be removed.
After all, it was preparation for the king.
It needed to be a smooth ride.
The rough places were to be filled in.
Why?
Because God was bringing His people out of Babylon and back to the Promised Land.
And everyone was going to understand that this was God at work.
He was with His people as they return from exile.
When Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem, the people were also preparing the way for the Lord.
This was their King.
This was no fantasy.
They were right.
They waved palms.
They yelled, “Hosanna!”
For…
2. Jesus offers comfort because He is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23, 28:20b).
Note how we are introduced to Jesus at His birth:
"Behold, the virgin conceive shall and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel"(which means, God with us).
Now also note how Jesus ended His time on earth.
He said to His disciples:
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
When Jesus is there, God is with us.
ILL Personal
You may remember that as a family we went out West this past summer.
One of the neat things we did was to visit my cousin, Joe, who lives in Colorado Springs.
And as we began our first day there, I asked Joe, “Where is Pike’s Peak?”
His response, “You’re standing on it!”
I couldn’t believe it. I’m looking all around for the famous mountain, and there I was standing on its northern slope.
The same is so often true in our relationship with God.
When we look, we need not look far.
He is already right there.
For…He is the “with-us God”.
III. The third reason we can depend on God is PERMANENCE (6-8).
[6] A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. [7] The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. [8] The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
1. Isaiah offers comfort that what God says endures.
Isaiah takes the time to explain that even though Babylon looked so formidable with its breathtaking, magnificent buildings and hanging gardens, Babylon would be destroyed.
It was going to fade.
It was not going to make it.
It was nothing more than the grass that withered.
In opposition to Babylon stands God’s Word.
It stands forever.
For it was God’s word yesterday.
It is God’s Word today.
And it will be God’s word tomorrow.
Kingdoms will certainly rise and fall.
Ideas will come and go.
The values of the world will change.
But what will not change is the Word of God.
What makes this more fascinating is that…
2. Jesus offers comfort because He is the Word of God (John 1:1-3).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
ILL Notebook: Christianity (Diocletian)
The emperor Diocletian tried to revive the old pagan religions of Rome by persecuting and killing Christians. He set up a stone pillar in his honor, inscribed with the words that he wanted to describe his legacy: “For Having Exterminated the Name Christian from the Earth.”
If only he knew how far short of his goal he fell! His monument was more of a tribute to the endurance of Christianity than it was to him.
Humanity will fail.
But Jesus never will.
Never!
And because Jesus never fails, and He will stand forever, we can depend on Him.
IV. The fourth reason we can depend on God is POWER (9-11).
[9] Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” [10] Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. [11] He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
1. Isaiah offers comfort that God is a mighty shepherd.
It is easy to understand.
While in exile, the people lost hope.
Their strength was lost and the hope to go on faded.
But they could revive, for as the familiar song says..
Our God is an awesome God
Who reigns in heaven above
In wisdom, power and love,
Our God is an awesome God!
They could depend on God.
He comes with power.
He comes with care.
He is a mighty shepherd.
And even more so…
2. Jesus offers comfort that He is the mighty sacrificial shepherd (John 10:11).
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
This king that comes into Jerusalem does not come to rule over men ruthlessly.
Rather, His power is in His care.
His power is seen in His love.
And it is His love that takes Him to the cross.
Therefore, He is the powerful shepherd that is able to take care of us no matter what our circumstances.
APPLICATION:
So take comfort today.
And…
1. If troubled by the world circumstances, realize that WE CAN DEPEND ON GOD.
Why?
Simply, it is because God is great.
And because God is good.
So no matter how bad it looks, it is not beyond God’s control.
Trust in Him!
And…
2. If troubled by personal problems, realize that WE CAN DEPEND ON GOD.
Are you feeling overwhelmed?
You are unable to sleep with ease?
Your stomach tightens when you think about the future?
This is the same God who is control.
There is nothing beyond Him.
Whatever you are facing, He is greater.
In fact, He is the expert when it comes to taking disasters and making something great out of them.
Remember, He is the One that took what looked like defeat and made it a victory.
So you can depend on Him.
And…
3. If troubled by a spiritual emptiness, realize that WE CAN DEPEND ON GOD.
ILL Notebook: Forgiveness (Rolls Royce)
The great British automaker, Rolls Royce, takes great pride in the reliability of their handcrafted automobiles. An obviously wealthy owner of a Rolls Royce took it to Europe on an extended trip. While traveling in France the car had some mechanical problem. He called the Rolls Royce factory and asked that they send out a mechanic immediately to fix the problem. The company responded in royal fashion. They put a mechanic on a private jet with all of the necessary tools and flew him over to France to make the repairs. The owner was so wealthy that he wasn’t at all concerned about the cost, and would spare no expense to make sure that his beloved Rolls Royce was properly repaired.
However, after several months he realized that he had not received a bill. He had his secretary contact the Rolls Royce factory to inquire about the bill. He received this reply from the Rolls Royce company: In typical British fashion, it said simply, “We have no recollection or record of any Rolls Royce having ever had a breakdown or being in need of repair anywhere in France.”
That reminds me of how God treats us when he forgives us of sin.
Whatever you have done wrong, Jesus can take care of it.
Your spiritual needs can be met.
And your past can truly be your past!
Forgiven and forgotten!
You can celebrate as they did that day in Jerusalem that your King has come for you.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Depend on God…because Jesus offers pardon to those that need it (which is all of us by the way); He offers it freely because He paid the price of the debt.
Depend on God…because Jesus is the “With-Us God”; even when everything seems to be going wrong, we are assured that we are not alone.
Depend on God…because being the Word of God, Jesus is eternal and He works powerfully on our behalf.
Now…May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
