Sermon Tone Analysis

Chapters 1-39 of Isaiah have been all about what one commentary calls the retribution of God.

Isaiah’s words are all about judgment.

Sometimes against Judah, and sometimes about the nations around Judah.

These messages cover decades of preaching… decades of warnings.

decades of pleading with people, begging Kings and subjects alike to Love the Lord and serve Him.

Chapter 40 is a major shift in the book.

From here to the end is what one commentary calls Restoration By God.

Chapter 39 predicts that Babylon is going to take Judah into Captivity 100 years later, and 40-48 comfort Judah that deliverance will come (and even names the future foreign King, Cyrus who will bring it about) after 70 years of captivity.

Chapters 49-57 focus on the Savior who is to come.

His rejection and and restoration are major focuses.

Chapters 58-66 focus on the completion of God’s plan, including the coming of Messiah.

During the next few weeks we will study 40-48 focusing on God’s promised deliverance from Babylon.

As we do, we need to think in light of what God could want to teach us, all these 1000’s of years after Isaiah wrote.

God is awesome.

40

God is protector 41

God is gracious.

42-43

God is God alone 44-45

God is deliverer 46-47

God is Master 48

Be encouraged that God will deliver

The Words used here “comfort, and speak tenderly” all have the idea of encouraging the people.

Isaiah is speaking to a future generation that would have spent 70 years under the oppression of the Babylonians.

But to be clear, they were in the predicament because they were being judged.

It needs to be said again and again, mankind is in the predicament it is in because of our sin.

Many of us find ourselves in predicaments of our own making, but the promises of Scripture are that God will deliver us.

Many times in this life, but certainly in the next.

But here is the difference between the Old Testament and the New.

In Isaiah, Judah bears the punishment for their sins, in the New Testament, (which Isaiah alludes to many times) Jesus bears the penalty for our sins.

In Verses 3-4 God is paving the way, so that nothing can stop Him from delivering His people.

Verse 5 The Glory of the Lord (His noticeable and heavy presence) shows up and all humanity sees it.

This surely points to the end of time when Jesus will return in great glory.

6-8 is full of promise.

Jewish flesh will fail.. Babylonian flesh will fell.

The flesh of those who oppose God’s people in our day will fail, but so will our flesh.

But what God has said stand.

His Word will Stand, His Word will stand, though stars should fall and mountains turn to sand though no man believes Him Still God will be true His promise is sure His love will endure and forever His Word will stand.

9-11 Recipients of good news need to share the good news.

God will establish Himself in strength 10

God will protect and provide for His own 11

Be confident since God can deliver

The root issue here is “CAN HE DO IT”?

There is promise in verses 1-11, but Judah could look at the fact that they were in captivity and ask IS GOD ABLE?

Sometimes we look at the current state of our problems and ask the same thing.

We can feel abandoned.

We can decide God is not real because He hasn’t answered when we want, and in the way we want.

We can come to the conclusion that either God doesn’t care or that God CAN’T help.

One writer points out “there had been no previous history of any people getting to go back home from captivity.

But God was saying that would happen. .

Pretty big claim.

Isaiah outlines HOW BIG GOD IS!

And he does it with a series of rhetorical questions all to remind of how AWESOME GOD IS!

So we find strength in His strength… to keep believing

Someone has said instead of allowing the Devil to remind us of how big our problems are, we should remind him of how big our God is.

That is what Isaiah is doing here.

Wait in expectant hope until God delivers

This is a summary of the chapter.

In verses 27-28 Isaiah reminds that God is ALWAYS.

And He created the world.

And He never gets tired.

And He always knows and always knows what to do.

In verses 29-31 Isaiah reminds that God works in the lives of His people.

He gives strength to the tired.

Are you tired?

Tired of trying?

God will strengthen you.

Even young people run out of strength, but God gives the second wind!

He renews strength.

When we wait for the Lord..

When we keep trusting… Keep waiting… Keep believing.

We WILL soar.

We WILL run and not grow weary.

We WILL walk and not faint.

May not be today.. May not be tomorrow.

But keep trusting.

Keep believing.

It will happen.

How can we know for sure… Because My God is Awesome!