Sunday 7 December 2014 Isaiah 40 Be a VOICE for Jesus Proposition: the greatest thing we can do in this life is speak about Jesus to others and teach them His everlasting Word! While the message of the Bible is really simple and clear, I am always amazed at how supernaturally it has been constructed. I mentioned when we started this book that one of its amazing features is that this prophetic book mirrors the whole bible in theme and in structure. There are how many books in the bible? There are how many chapters in Isaiah? (66) The bible is divided into two distinct sections the OT which is 39 books and the NT which has 27 books. Isaiah has the same exact division. Chapters 1-39 in Isaiah speak of a sovereign God sitting on the throne. Chapters 40-66 speaks of a saviour hanging on the cross. Chapters 1-39 we see the Law of God begin spoken. Then in chapters 40-66 we see the love of God being powerfully portrayed. In chapter s 1-39 we see God burdened for His people calling them to repentance and to come back to Him. In chapters 40-66 we see the blessing of the Lord on His people. In Chapters 1-39 we have been reading about the Judgement of God. Chapters 40-66 speak of the Joy of God. The themes of the first 39 chapters parallel the themes of the OT and not surprisingly the themes of chapters 40-66 parallel the themes of the NT. Isaiah is like a Bible in miniature. After 39 chapters of God convicting His people now there is a dramatic change in the message and God is focused on comforting His people beginning in Chapter 40. God has already shared with the people, through the prophet the burdens and now he wants to give them the blessings. As we open this chapter and see just how much the heavenly father loves the Hebrews who have been so unfaithful and fickle and self-reliant we will see that after God s discipline of them comes his comfort for them. And I have to say as one who is passionate about parenting well, and grand parenting well; this is what we as parents need to ensure we do well too. That is after the discipline and education which are vital parts of parenting our children when they are naughty, must come the comfort and the reassurance. Discipline yes, it is at times necessary but after the discipline, just as Father does to us, reassure them of our love and comfort them as well. God models good parenting for us in this passage. 40 Our God has said: Encourage my people! Give them comfort. Speak kindly to Jerusalem and announce: Your slavery is past; your punishment is over. I, the LORD, made you pay double for your sins. 1
After the discipline should come the comfort. Now I believe that God allows us to go through stuff and endure some hard times for many reasons but one of them is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 3 Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. 4 He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble. One of the reasons that God allows us to go through bad times is so that we can experience comfort from Him and then in turn be able to comfort others as well who go through similar struggles. But how do we do that? To Israel the prophet told them that the slavery, the battle was over and that their sins are forgiven. I think we comfort our struggling friends when we say; The great battle between good and evil in this world is coming to an end. Life is very short. Jesus is coming back. Keep looking for His second coming. Now friends, I get really, really bored very fast at the gym and so I would only go a few times a year. Now if I am trying to use the cross trainer or some machine the thing I focus on is the little graph that shows me how much further to go and I focus on the end. I can just cope with the boredom if I am focused on the end of the circuit on the graph. It s a comfort to know, that the end is coming soon. You bring God s comfort to others when you tell them that the battle will soon be over. And... You also comfort them when you tell them that their sins have been forgiven and they have received from the Lords hands double for all their sins. Wow, what does that mean? Does that mean that our God punishes sinners double for each of their sins? No not at all. The original hearers of Isaiah s prophetic words were familiar with the practice of creditors when a person had failed continually to pay their mortgage. The creditor would nail a notice to the person s house saying how much they owed and that the house would be repossessed in 30 days unless someone redeemed it. Now if some good person paid the debt, they would double the notice over and write on the outside, debt redeemed, doubled over by.. Whoever it was who cleared the debt. That is what Isaiah is referring to here. Comfort people by telling them that the battle is nearly over, their sin has been paid for and has been redeemed, paid for by Jesus Himself. Jesus has doubled over the debt/ sin document. 2
Someone is shouting: Clear a path in the desert! Make a straight road for the LORD our God. 4 Fill in the valleys; flatten every hill and mountain. Level the rough and rugged ground. 5 Then the glory of the LORD will appear for all to see. The LORD has promised this! Just as the gospels begin with John the Baptist so also this section of Isaiah prophesies the work of John the Baptist. Isaiah is told to comfort Gods children and to tell them that John the Baptist is coming to prepare them for the coming of Messiah Jesus. The valley of depression, of discouragement, of defeat needs to be filled in. The mountain of pride and prayerlessness needs to be taken down. The rough places, those irritating things in our lives need to be made smooth. When John the Baptist was confronted by a group of Pharisees and asked; who are you? Are you the Christ? No way, he said. Are you Elijah the powerful prophet returned? No. Well who are you then? And John replied by quoting this passage. I am a voice, calling in the wilderness, preparing a way for the coming of the Lord. That there is the essence of all effective ministry for you and for me. Because a voice is heard and not seen. We are not to be drawing attention to ourselves, but rather telling others about Jesus. John the Baptist said I am not Jesus, and I am not some powerful prophet, I am simply a voice preparing the way for Messiah. At the end of John 10 after Jesus has affirmed John saying that there was no greater man ever born before John the people complained and said, yeh but... he didn t do any miracles, except everything that he said about Jesus was true. Now friends I love miracles and I want more miracles in our family but... what does this say to you and to me? It suggests that the greatest thing that we will ever do, is not to raise the dead or turn water into wine but to speak about Jesus to others. The greatest thing that we can ever do in this life is to be a voice for Jesus. And you know what? You and I can do that. Today. Every day. Oh, we are not preparing the way for His first coming, John has already done that, but this world needs us to prepare the way for His second coming. When the church is a voice for Jesus where ever we go then this generation will see the glory of the Lord. They will experience his goodness and power. When we stop hiding behind kind actions and start talking about Jesus. 3
Family we need to get away from being so self-focused, we need to get out of our valleys and down off our mountain tops of pride and say, it s not about me, I/ we have work to do. We need to be a voice for Jesus. We need to prepare this world for His immanent return! Someone told me to shout, and I asked, What should I shout? We humans are merely grass, and we last no longer than wild flowers. 7 At the LORD s command, flowers and grass disappear, and so do we. 8 Flowers and grass fade away, but what our God has said will never change. What is going on here? Isaiah has been instructed by God to comfort His kids and then he tells us we are like grass that withers and fades or like flowers whose pedals fall off and they shrivel away. How is that comforting? You see family it is. If you doubt the truth of this passage and are over 35 years of age, look in the mirror when you get home. But don t try to stop those hairs turning grey or stress out when you see lines around your eyes. Don t try to stop the aging process and have a middle aged crisis then a number of older aged crisis. Just get over it. We are all getting older and will like grass and flowers fade away, just accept it but know this; when you are communicating to others the things that God has said, you are investing in something that will never fade away. When you learn the Word of God and teach the Word of God and share the Word of God you are a part of something great that will last forever. That is comforting. I am getting older and greyer and wrinklier, so what, it s inevitable, but my life counts as does yours when we are focused around the word of God. His words don t change. His promises are forever. When he says that he has good plans for our lives, it s totally true. When He says He will never leave or forsake us. You can go to the bank on that. When He says that He will complete the good work He has already begun in you. You know He has more in store for you. When He says that one day He is coming back for you you can be sure it is going to happen. The Word of God stands forever. When you are sharing the Word with people, you are part of something huge that will last forever. 9 There is good news for the city of Zion. Shout it as loud as you can from the highest mountain. Don t be afraid to shout to the towns of Judah, Your God is here! Wherever you go family, shout out, proclaim, not my God or the God but here is Your God. Look to this One who loves you, who is for you, who cares about you. Behold your God. Shout, to the unbeliever, YOUR God is here and He is waiting for you to acknowledge 4
Him because He has a plan and a purpose for your life. Your sins are forgiven. There is a better way of life for you. Did you know that the first time the word evangelism was used it was used by the Greeks as a way of describing soap sellers? These guys would go from city to city with their soap or cleaning solution and they would literally shout out in the market place. Hey you lot. You are all dirty. You are filthy and need to be cleaned. Then they would demonstrate the power of their soap on some pre-arranged grubby individual and sell their soap. Our message is still very similar though. We shout out to people. There is One who has the power to clean your sins. Here is your God, Jesus, come and be cleaned and live a totally different life. 10 Look! The powerful LORD God is coming to rule with his mighty arm. He brings with him what he has taken in war, and he rewards his people. 11 The LORD cares for his nation, just as shepherds care for their flocks. He carries the lambs in his arms, while gently leading the mother sheep. Isaiah is still talking about Jesus but he has begun to paint for us a picture of Jesus as the good shepherd. If you are struggling with life s circumstances. If you are like a baby in the faith and often struggle to believe, you need to know that the good shepherd cares for you and gently carries you close to His heart. Not only is Jesus the good shepherd He is also God the creator. I am going to read for you these next few verses as the worship team come forward and then we will sing the truth that these verses are describing. Did any of you measure the ocean by yourself or stretch out the sky with your own hands? Did you put the soil of the earth in a bucket or weigh the hills and mountains on balance scales? 13 Has anyone told the LORD what he must do or given him advice? 14 Did the LORD ask anyone to teach him wisdom and justice? Who gave him knowledge and understanding? 15 To the LORD, all nations are merely a drop in a bucket or dust on balance scales; all of the islands are but a handful of sand. 16 The cattle on Lebanon s mountains would not be enough to offer as a sacrifice to God, and the trees would not be enough for the fire. 17 God thinks of the nations as far less than nothing. 18 Who compares with God? Is anything like him? 19 Is an idol at all like God? It is made of bronze with a thin layer of gold, and decorated with silver 20 Or special wood may be chosen because it doesn t rot then skilled hands take care to make an idol that won t fall on its face. 21 Don t you know? Haven t you heard? Isn t it clear that God created the world? 5
22 God is the one who rules the whole earth, and we that live here are merely insects. He spread out the heavens like a curtain or an open tent. 23 God brings down rulers and turns them into nothing. 24 They are like flowers freshly sprung up and starting to grow. But when God blows on them, they wilt and are carried off like straw in a storm. 25 The holy God asks, Who compares with me? Is anyone my equal? 26 Look at the evening sky! Who created the stars? Who gave them each a name? Who leads them like an army? The LORD is so powerful that none of the stars are ever missing. 27 You people of Israel, say, God pays no attention to us! He doesn t care if we are treated unjustly. But how can you say that? 28 Don t you know? Haven t you heard? The LORD is the eternal God, Creator of the earth. He never gets weary or tired; his wisdom cannot be measured. HYMN - O LORD MY GOD, WHEN I IN AWESOME WONDER.. (while worship team still on stage conclude) The LORD gives strength to those who are weary. 30 Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall. 31 But those who trust the LORD will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired. My family, be a voice for Jesus this week. Tell people, here is YOUR God. He is the creator and your good shepherd. Life is short, the battle is nearly over; Jesus is coming back soon. Tell them: Their sins have been doubled over, paid for. They can be clean today. They can be a part of something eternal, something that really counts. 6