The Great Preparation
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Intro
Intro
Text - Isaiah 40.3-5
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Title - Get Ready for the Glory!
Background
Background
This text is one of the most popular prophecies of the prophe Isaiah.
John clearly fulfilled this prophecy in his short ministry.
John clearly fulfilled this prophecy in his short ministry.
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ”
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.”
3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ”
John the Baptist fulfilled 3 prophetic roles
first, as Elijah - he ministered in the spirit and power of Elijah
purpose - turn the hearts
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
second, as the Messenger (or Forerunner) - to prepare the before the Lord
1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.
10 For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’
third, as the Voice in the wilderness
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
John’s ministry revolved around 2 key words
turn - an Elijah ministry
prepare - as the Messenger and the Voice
Malachi 3.1 - who will prepare the way before the Lord
Luke 1.17 - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (goes back to Isaiah 40.3)
John’s ministry DID NOT COMPLETELY FULFILL the Isaiah 40 prophecy
John’s ministry DID NOT COMPLETELY FULFILL the Isaiah 40 prophecy
The key is found in the last verse (compare Luke 3 and Isaiah 40)
4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
the last verse does not quote Isaiah 40.5
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
John’s ministry was to introduce the Savior.
22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
The “revealing of the glory of the Lord” is for another time!
Jesus did not come in glory in His first coming
Philippians 2.6-7 - He made Himself of no reputation; He took the form of a bondservant
John’s confession: “we beheld His glory...”
John 1.14 - the glory of the begotten Son
it was seen by a few (Isaiah 40.4 says “all flesh shall see it together”)
it was seen by revelation, an understanding of Who Jesus was
it was probably a reference to the mount of transfiguration
2 Peter 1.16 - “we were eyewitnesses of His majesty”
Jesus clearly pointed His disciples to His second coming in glory
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
note - “every eye will see Him”
Peter looked forward to the fulfillment of this prophecy!
13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Paul looked forward to the revealing of the glory!
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
How many of us wants to be PARTAKERS OF THE GLORY when it is finaly revealed?
How many of wants to APPEAR WITH CHRIST IN GLORY?
The Main Point
The Main Point
It was true that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40.3-5, but a portion of it remains UNFULFILLED. Therefore, the prophecy stands, and continues to demand fulfillment in our day.
This is not ‘typology”. The text points to our day as much as it pointed to John’s day.
There is “voice” that will cry out just before the revealing of the Glory of God.
There is a “preparation” that will take place before the Glory of God is revealed.
Sermon Points
Sermon Points
Verse 3 - the Voice of one crying in the wilder
Verse 3 - the Voice of one crying in the wilder
It is “one voice”
It is “one voice”
It is a common misconception among churches that God’s work is always in a “body” or “group”
12 apostles
5-fold ministry
Sometimes, the spiritual condition of the people requires a “one-man” ministry
John preached alone - and the organized Jews hated it!
Martin Luther was on his own when he first protested against the errors of the Roman church
Elijah in his time did not worked with the school of prophets
the one voice of God for our day was William Branham.
he cooperated with churches, and worked with other ministers
BUT he had unique work and message that he carried and delivered distinctly
It is “crying out”
It is “crying out”
to “cry” means “to call out”, to declare a specific message, to speak on a particular subject
Elijah’s cried out specifically on the idolatries of Jezebel; the rest of the prophets seemed quiet on the issue
John the Baptist cried out for repentance in anticipation of the kingdom of God and the One who will baptize with Spirit and fire
the Jewish rabbis were contented with teaching the traditions of men
William Branham cried out against denominational bondage, called for the church to come out of organized religion, and pointed the people to the Lord’s return!
QUOTE
“As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, you are sent with a message that will forerun the second coming.” - spoken from heaven in June 1933 during a baptism in Ohio River.
It is in the “wilderness”
It is in the “wilderness”
Elijah and John were men of the wilderness.
WMB was also a man of the wilderness.
he came from a poor family
he worked as “park ranger”
he loved the wild and he loved hunting; he also helped others in hunting trips
because they had no place inside the religious system
Elijah was not part of the school of prophets
John the baptist did not belong to any Jewish sect of his day
William Branham did not represent any denomination
only OUTCASTS preached in the wilderness!
Verse 3-4 - the Preparing of the way
Verse 3-4 - the Preparing of the way
The message is: “Prepare the way of the Lord!”
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;
straight means “level”
characteristics of a highway
a highway is a major road where merchants and long distance travellers pass on
a highway goes straight to key cities; regular roads go through every village and town
a highway is “level” to make the travel fast
17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
make ready a people prepared for the Lord
The task of the Voice is to prepare a people that is ready for the coming the Lord!
The task of the Voice is to prepare a people that is ready for the coming the Lord!
this people is composed of “leveled” personalities
the “valleys” are lifted
the “mountains and hills” are brought low
the “crooked” are straightened
the “rough are smothened
there is no greater and lesser - all are the same in Christ
The highway of God on earth is His people!
The highway of God on earth is His people!
Through His “prepared” people, God is able to demonstrate His attributes to the fallen world!
His salvation
His grace and mercy
His righteousness and justice
His power
Through His “prepared” people, God will manifest His Glory!
Verse 5 - the Revealing of the Glory
Verse 5 - the Revealing of the Glory
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed
In the past, the glory of God was seen only -
in certain places (tabernacle, Mount Sinai, the temple, etc.) and
at certain times (dedication of the temple, in a person (like Moses), etc.)
In the future, the glory of God will be revealed in God’s people -
All flesh shall see it together
All flesh shall see it together
the Glory of God will be revealed first among the Saints
those who have responded to the Voice in the wilderness
those who make up the “wise virgins” who have extra oil in their vesels
they will transformed into glory!
they will be swept by the power of God into glory!
Jesus returns in power and great glory!
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Jesus comes with a glorious company - the Saints
10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
The world will see Christ and the Saints in glorious condition
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
The preparation is two-fold:
to pave the way for the Glory of God
to prepare the lives of the saints who will partake in the Glory
The Glory is the Inheritance of the Saints!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Having seen how much is in store for the saints in these last days -
it makes sense that the preparation of the Bride of Christ is no small thing!
What preparations are we doing today?
Jesus died on the Day of Preparation
Mark 15.42 - Preparation day before the Sabbath
This preparation time - time to be dead to the world
Esther went through 1 whole year of preparation before she was called before the King
Esther 2.12
Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household.
Hebrews 11.7
it makes sense that the expectation is huge!
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
walk worthy of the Kingdom and the Glory!
SONG - “I Will Be An Overcomer”