HIS GLORY REVEALED
Isaiah 40:3-5, Luke 3:4-6
This voice crying in the wilderness demanded a way for the Lord.
Who was the voice calling: John the Baptist.
Isaiah prophesies about John the Baptist being a voice in the wilderness, and in Luke he states the message of John the Baptist.
He is calling for a way to be prepared. A call to repentance. That was the message of John the Baptist, a call to repentance.
So why is this portion of scripture quoted in both the Old and New Testament?
Old convenent, New… Very important. If something is said in the Bible once important… twice Very important…three or more times it is considered a doctrine.
This is a message God wanted us to know, that Godly sorrow leads us to repentance.
John before Jesus…….repentance before salvation
This portion of scripture is also quoted in Matt. 3, but look down to Matt 3:13-15
Why did Jesus make this statement?
In order for us to experience His salvation, we must first repent.
John the Baptist’s message was repentance, what did Jesus come for? To save that which was lost.
So the way had to be prepared, that is what that is talking about, John had to prepare the way, we need to prepare the way to our hearts.
We must first repent before He can manifest His saving presence.
So how do we repent? We prepare the way. We prepare our hearts with repenting of our sinful nature, so now the way of holiness is opened to us.
And now God can enter in through the highway to our heart.
So you say that’s great Pastor Steve, but I have already repented of my sins, I have been saved, so how does this apply to me?
Turn to Psalms 51:1-3 Read
David wrote this prayer after his sin with Bethsheba.
So how could King David after being a murderer and adulterer be the predecessor of the coming Messiah?
It was only by the mercy and grace offered in response to TRUE repentance.
You see repentance is required of anyone who wants to encounter the presence of God and live.
You see under the Old covenant, God wanted to come close to mankind, but He knew that His holiness would destroy any living flesh because of the contaminating sin that flesh carries.
You see took an elaborate covering of blood, the smoke of incense, and holy garments to even keep a priest alive for only a few minutes in God’s manifest presence.
He still says that today… “Be careful, because if you really want to know me, then everything in you must die.
Even Paul says “No flesh should glory in His presence.”
If you are God’s own, then you better become acquainted with the passionate prayer of repentance.
You see every small annoyance and confrontation with other people—including people in the church—may create an offense and contaminate our hearts, unless repentance puts it to death.
So now we know that the days of blood sacrifices and Old Testament priestly ordinances are gone because of Jesus Christ, who is our High Priest.
But the key to everyone under the New Covenant is repentance. That is why repentance and brokenness brings the manifest presence of God so near.
Great leaders and Great men of God face great challenges, and many of the greatest pioneers in the church were forced to become “great repenters” too.
And that is necessary to do when you make up your mind to live holy before a Holy God.
Look at the next part of this scripture “Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God”
We need to make our heart a roadway, or a highway of His grace, through repentance, so now He can come and envelop our entire being. So we can experience the Greatness of who He is.
So we need to clear the way of all hindrances for the Lord to enter in and make smooth the paths to our hearts. Getting rid of our nature to allow Him to replace it with His nature.
So that is where most of us sit today, a repentant heart, longing for a purity that only He can give, so that we can experience His embrace, and the warmth and comfort of an intimate walk with our Savior.
Now there are 4 directions that the rest of this text takes us, and they must have our serious attention.
1. Every valley must be lifted or exalted.
Low and groveling thoughts of God must be given up.
We must realize the Greatness of who He is, and not take for granted the mercy and grace that is offered to us, and that was paid for, in blood by His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
All doubting and despair must be removed.
We must believe that what he said He would do, He will do. His Word will not return void, and He watches it, to perform it, so it will accomplish every, single last letter.
If we truly believe that, then we will not doubt His faithfulness, for He has already proven Himself faithful.
All self seeking, or as I call it, “The “I” Factor” and all carnal delights must be forsaken.
We must enter into His grace, for His grace is sufficient. His grace is free, His grace is for us, but it requires that we take it, believe it, and Love Him because of it.
2. Every mountain and hill shall be laid low.
A haughty or proud spirit must go.
Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves should stay humble! Don’t look to the fact you will be exalted someday, or you might start to exalt yourself.
We must not be boastful, for in order for us to make a highway for the King of Kings we must prepare our hearts with a holy preparation, with His Holy Spirit.
God will withhold our inheritance, His presence, His revival, if we have open or hidden sin in our lives.
The Holy Spirit convicts us of that sin, where you have a strong and deep desire to be cleansed from the stain that sin leaves on our hearts.
And this is the Godly sorrow we experience, which now brings us to a place of eagerness to lay it all at the feet and at the cross of Jesus Christ.
The Lord has respect for the lowly, and He visits the contrite heart, but the lofty are an abomination to Him. So let us ask to Holy Spirit to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness, so we can experience His touch.
3. And let the rough ground become plain, or KJV says “the crooked shall be made straight”
So our wavering heart must have a straight path of decision for God.
As we are tossed to and fro in this world, our focus, our desire and everything that is within us should long for the holiness and righteousness of Jesus Christ.
People who are double-minded are strangers to the God of truth.
We should make every effort, in all things to be honest and true, as we are always in the sight of our loving Father, and He searches the hearts of men.
So we should do everything as unto Him
4. “The rough place shall be made smooth” (KJV)
All stumbling blocks of sin must be removed.
You always think to yourself, “how am I causing my brother to stumble” But we need to also look to our own lives and see how we are making ourselves stumble.
After all this it says in verse 5……”THEN the glory of the Lord will be revealed.”
THEN… after we have prepared our hearts, our lifestyles, our faithfulness, THEN the revelation of the glory and His might will be made known.
So what is His glory to be revealed?
First let’s look at the manifested glory, that has already taken place.
1. His glory was revealed in the accomplishment of His people’s redemption from exile.
2. His glory was revealed in His Divine Faithfulness, wisdom, and power of the gospel of grace. Which has been preparing us for His return.
But the glory to be revealed is this…
Christ has already come, in which we should be undoubtedly grateful for.
But it is also true that He is coming again, He is still known as “The Coming One”, and in time we will see Him, the present triumphant Lord.
We will see His glory come, We will see Him high and lifted up, for what He came to do, He has almost completed, O what a great day that will be upon completion.
For you see, the world was not ready for Christ; they made no room for Him. The Inn was full, but He must find a place for Himself, so there He stayed out in the stable, in the manger.
For there was even no more room in men’s hearts to receive Him, if they would only let His hands do deeds of charity, if only they would only let His lips speak words of spiritual conviction, if they would only let Him point out the sins of the age, if they would only let Him show them His mission was to the poor, the faint, and the sinful man,
If they would only let the purity of His perfect life, like a light, reveal the corruption of the times, but then He was rejected by men, they hurry him off to the synagogue to throw Him over a rock, to beat Him, then they lead Him down the road to Calvary, bearing His own cross, and crucify Him between two thieves.
So how is this? Why does the world want Christ, and yet when He comes, He finds them so unprepared and they reject Him instead of receive Him?
The answer is so simple, but painful…Men love sin. They hate the penalties of sin, and they hate the consequences of sin, but they love it and they cherish it.
They would gladly take a savior who would break the chains of bondage on Rome, they would gladly of taken a savior would could let them live forever,
So is it any wonder that when Christ came as a Savior from sin, men were not prepared for Him. That men would refuse This man called Christ.
John the Baptist preached repentance, or change your minds, or get another view of sin, see what sin really is, the evil and the hatefulness of it.
John the Baptist told all who came to listen to put away the sin in their lives in preparation for the Messiahs coming.
This is the mountain that must be leveled, the crooked place that must be made straight, the rough place that must be made plain, before the Glory of the Savior from sin could be revealed,
So my question to you tonight…Are you prepared for the revelation of the Glory of God?
If you are not following this book to a tee…sin. We ALL need to repent and live a life being prepared for the Savior.
Is your path full of stones, the crooked ways, the rough places? Or of loved sins? Remember that Christ is a Savior from that very sin.
