Lanse Evangelical Free Church
December 19, 2021 :: Isaiah 40:9-11
Let me tell you why I picked Isaiah 40:9-11 for this Sunday.
I wasn’t sure where to go this week. It’s Christmas, and we’re all together again. Last year this time, we took a month off of meeting in person in this building and all worshiped at home instead.
But we’re together again, and it’s Christmastime, so of course we need to focus on Christmas, but what exactly to say?
And then I thought about this song, “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.”
We’ve sang that song every Sunday this month. You sang it after Pastor Chris Grella reminded us from Philip’s example in Acts 8 to be a witness. “Go, Tell It On the Mountain.”
And then last, week Copper requested that we sing it, and said it was his favorite. And Josh here had his hand up at the same time, and my family told me Josh said, “That was what I was going to say. That’s my favorite.” (Though they also told me that he said that several times last week. Apparently Josh has a lot of favorites. He likes them all.)
And then I thought about how the kids were going to sing it again for us this morning as part of their presentation, and then my mind went to this passage of Scripture which might be the actual one that inspired the Black Christians in the antebellum South to sing these words in their spirituals.
And then I realized that I would get to preach again from Isaiah 40!
I love Isaiah 40! The very first Sunday I stood in this pulpit as your pastor in 1998, I preached from Isaiah 40. And the next Sunday, I did, too. I have returned to it again and again and again.
Sometimes I call it, “The Gospel of Isaiah” because of how it shines with good news.
You could hear it in verse 9, couldn’t you, “Good tidings!” “Good tidings!”
“Good news!”
This prophecy just radiates with good news.
It’s much needed news. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah were full of bad news.
With just a few (glorious) exceptions, you could summarize chapters 1 through 39 in one word as “condemnation.” Israel was going to be condemned and sent into exile. And that national condemnation also pointed to all of our looming spiritual condemnation because of our sin.
But starting in chapter 40 with these words (v.1), “‘Comfort, comfort my people,’ says your God.” the rest of the book of Isaiah is full of consolation. Consolation.
Isaiah is told to prophecy that their exile will end, and they will be saved.
Because God is going to come.
Isaiah chapter 40 is a prophecy of divine advent.
Isaiah chapter 40 is a prophecy of the advent of God.
What does "advent" mean?
Coming.
Could you hear it in verse 10, “See, the Sovereign LORD comes...”
He’s on His way.
In verses 3 through 5, there is a voice saying that everybody ought to get ready.
“A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God” (v.3).
He’s coming.
“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill shall be made lo; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain” (v.4)
The road crews are coming through the fix the potholes for the divine motorcade.
And this voice was fulfilled in John the Baptist saying that the leveling of the ground is our paving the way through our repentance for the coming of God Himself.
Verse 5 says, “And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind will see it!”
That’s a line in Handel’s Messiah, isn’t it? “And the glory, the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
God is coming.
And it’s certain that He’s coming. Verses 6 through 8 say unlike everything else in life including other people, you can count on this.
“The grass withers (and our lives are like grass, aren’t they?) and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever” (v.8).
We just saw that in 1 Peter didn’t we? Peter loved Isaiah 40 as much as I do!
You can count on this. God is coming.
God is coming.
God is coming.
God is coming!
I have just three short points this morning, and that’s the first one.
Go, Tell It On The Mountain that...
#1. GOD IS COMING!
Listen to verse 9 again.
“You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings 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!’”
It’s not completely clear who, in the first place, is supposed to climb that mountain. Perhaps it was Isaiah himself. I think it’s more likely that Isaiah is instructing another herald to take the message to Zion, to Jerusalem, to the people of God.
But if the first messenger is not really clear, the message itself is crystal clear.
“Here is your God!”
“Behold your God!”
He is coming. He is on the way. Here He is!
Are you ready for this?
Do you see how this is a passage for Christmas?
Because what was happening at that first Christmas in Bethlehem?
God was coming.
This is a prophecy of the incarnation when God came to His people.
“Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
that blessed Christmas morn.”
God Himself came!
Immanuel. “God with us.”
That’s something worth filling your heart with, isn’t it?
That’s something worth telling others about, isn’t it?
Isaiah says, “You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain.”
How come?
Why a high mountain?
You get better reception up there, don’t you? Better delivery.
You can be heard from farther away.
God wants everybody to hear this.
He wants it posted on social media.
He wants it broadcast on the nightly news.
He wants it plastered on the front page.
He wants it going viral.
He wants us to boost the signal, to turn up the volume, to crank it to 11.
“You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up[!]”
God is coming!
And we, on this side of Christmas, can say, “God has come! And He’s coming again!”
Are you ready?
Have you told somebody?
When was the last time you told somebody that God has come or that God is coming again?
When was the last time you told somebody that God has come in Christ and that Christ is coming again?
If it’s been a long time, how come?
My guess is fear. We’ve been talking a lot about that in 1 Peter, haven’t we?
As foreigners and exiles in this world, we are tempted to be afraid to shout, to lift up our voices with the good tidings of the gospel.
But Isaiah says (v.9), “Do not be afraid.”
“...do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’”
And then he gives us a glimpse into the glory of the coming of God. Look at verse 10.
“See [behold!], the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See [behold], his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.”
Go, Tell It On The Mountain that...
#2. GOD IS COMING AS A CONQUERING KING!
Do you see all the words that indicate strength and victory?
“See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him [or He rules with a mighty arm]. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.”
He has won the battle and He has all of the spoils of war.
So in many ways this is more of a prophecy of the second coming, the second advent. When Jesus was born, almost all of that power and strength were hidden.
He didn’t ride in, though there was an army of angels to announce His coming.
It was more like a quiet invasion to bring the kingdom to Earth.
And then He fought a great battle, and when it looked He had definitely lost, He had actually won.
Jesus died on the Cross, and then He came back from the dead.
His victorious resurrection!
So that when He comes again, He brings all of the reward and recompense with Him.
You know what that is?
That’s the inheritance we’ve been talking about in 1 Peter every Sunday.
That’s all of the blessings that God has in store for His people WON by Jesus’ triumph on the Cross and the Empty Tomb and coming on the way for us when Jesus Christ is revealed.
“Here is your God!”
Coming as a conquering king.
Now, you know that’s only good news if you are not His enemy, right?
Because, clearly, His enemies have no chance. When He comes to conquer, He will win.
So if you are still His enemy, I suggest that you rethink that stance and repent. Turn from your sin and trust in Jesus and what He did on the Cross for you, and you will pass over from condemnation to consolation. From certain death to eternal life.
And for all of us who do belong to Him, this is the best news in the world, because it means that every promise He’s ever made will come true.
“O the King Is Coming!
The King Is Coming,
I Just Hear the Trumpets Sounding,
And Now His Face I See
O the King Is Coming
The King Is Coming
Praise God, He’s Coming for Me.” (G&B Gaither)
“And the glory, the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
What a day that will be.
But it gets even better.
In verse 11, Isaiah tells us not just that God is coming in power, but that God is coming in love. Look at verse 11. This powerful God, this conquering King..
“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.”
Go, Tell It On The Mountain that...
#3. GOD IS COMING AS A GENTLE SHEPHERD!
I love that God’s arms are in verse 10 and in verse 11.
In verse 10, those arms are ruling with power and might. But in verse 11, those same powerful arms are used to cradle little lambs. All of that great power of verse 10 is used for the purpose of gentle love in verse 11.
“He tends his flock like a shepherd [Psalm 23!]: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
What a beautiful picture of tenderness and powerful meekness!
Shepherds were burly folks with big muscles. They had to be. They had to be rugged to do their work. They were rough because of wolves and bears.
But they weren’t rough with the sheep. They weren’t rough with the little lambs or the expectant ewes.
They were so gentle, so loving.
And so is God!
God didn’t just announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds who “feared and trembled.”
He came as a shepherd!
Who are the lambs in verse 11? It’s God’s people, isn’t it? It’s Zion, it’s Jerusalem, it’s the towns of Judah in Isaiah 40.
And they prefigure you and me. It’s us! We are the lambs. And He’s gentle with us.
How many of you have read Gentle and Lowly yet? If you haven’t yet, do yourself a favor and read it this Christmas season. This is a reminder of the heart of Jesus Christ.
He is a Good Shepherd. He is so gentle.
Put yourself in this verse! “He tends [put your name there] like a shepherd: He gathers [put your name there] in his arms and carries [put your name in there] close to his heart...”
Do you know that that’s where you are today? He carries you close to His heart. You are beloved.
“Here is your God!”
Fill up your heart with this vision of the Advent of God.
And it will carry you through your hardest day.
A Conquering King and a Gentle Shepherd.
Which one of those is Jesus?
He is both of those. He is all of this.
He has come and is coming again.
Go tell it on the mountain.
Tell somebody.
The shepherds did.
Remember how after the “angel chorus...hailed our Savior’s birth...”
Luke tells us, “they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:16-18).
“Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born”
0 comments:
Post a Comment