Prepare the Way

Prepare the Way Isaiah 40:3-5 Introduction Last week we traveled on the Holy Highway and found our entrance to the path that leads to God. This week, we move forward to Isaiah 40 and discover the precursors that were to come before the Holy Highway was revealed. Scripture Isaiah 40:3-5 A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. The Voice: John the Baptist The television show, The Voice, is in its 20th season. Now, it has not been around for 20 years, but only 10, running two competitions each year. The contestants are given a blind tryout, with the opportunity to be chosen by a coach, based solely on their voice. How well they perform, and the viewing public opinion determines the ultimate winner. Frankly, not many of them go on to do very well in chart topping record sales, at least not that I recognize. But there was one Voice that arrived on the scene and people have never forgotten about him. His name was John and God used his voice to announce the arrival of Messiah. We really don't know much about John. He was a close relative of Jesus of Nazareth and he had an interesting lifestyle. He lived in the wilderness and ate locusts and wild honey. What that really means is that God provided food for him in the barren landscape of the Promised Land. John called people to repentance. There was a great deal of sinfulness, immorality, injustice and pride in the Middle East 2000 years ago. Average people, religious people and powerful people all had done things that violated the commands and instructions of God and John called them out. Each one needed to repent. John is called "the Baptist," not because of his affiliation with the denomination, but because used the symbol of water baptism to show that God was up to something new. The willingness of people to repent was evidenced by the responding to the call for baptism. It might be said that John was the first evangelist who gave an altar call. Except, rather than have them pray "the sinner's prayer" he gave the invitation to make their repentance known by being baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. And people came. Granted, some of them came to see the show, but many were touched by his calls to forsake their sin. But this was not John's greatest purpose. John was sent to prepare-the-way for the Messiah. He was ordained from the moment of conception to have a special place in bringing about God's plan for fulfilling the Law and the Prophets. He was the emissary. In the ancient near east, ancient monarchs sent individuals called "stratores," pioneers, out as advance parties whenever they were taking a trip. These individuals were appointed to make certain that the road they were taking was safe and free of impediments. It was kind of like having the Secret Service and Dunn Road Builders going before a king or president. As we travel down our modern interstate highways, this is exactly what the engineers and the road crews have done. They have leveled down the high places and built up the low places so that we might travel in relative ease and comfort. The old US highways wound around the landscape and followed it. But, at some point they decided to plow straight through. However, John's work was not landscaping the ground. His job was to prepare the hearts, minds and lives of the people of Israel for the King of Glory to come in. What does this mean in simple terms? It means that repentance was necessary. The hardness of people's hearts had to be overcome. They needed to repent for how they treated each other: Justice. They needed to repent for how they had acquiesced culture: righteousness. They needed to repent for how they had ignored God's laws and commandments: holiness. The hardness of their hearts had to be dug up and ground down. And the willingness of individual hearts to bend toward God had to be prepared in advance of this great ruler's arrival. This was the job of John, the baptizer. The Glory of the Lord What was to be the outcome of his work and ministry? "the glory of the Lord will be revealed." What was that glory to look like? It looked like a baby born in a humble animal shelter. It looked like an iterant rabbi calling people to a new understanding of right and wrong. It appeared as a one who could heal the most feared of diseases and even raise the dead. The glory of the Lord appeared as one who died for the sins of the world, who was crucified for our transgressions. The glory of the Lord is an empty tomb and an opportunity for the world to reconcile to its creator. The Glory is the Spirit of God descending in tongues of fire on those first disciples. It is the Spirit of God descending on his called out ones, taking their hearts of stone and giving them a heart of obedience. This is what the Apostle John meant when he wrote to us, "We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth," (John 1:14). Invitation Now, let me say this to you, and mean every word: God wants to tear you down and then build you back up. If you feel like every area of your life is falling apart, it might just mean that God is grinding down your high places. The places where you feel confident to "handle" yourself, or the places where you feel safe and secure. Some of these places may need to be demolished for God to begin his work, because it is in the low places that God reaches down and lifts us up. "Every mountain and hill (will be) made low." Then, He takes our weaknesses and he becomes strong for us. He bridges over the canyons and rivers. He fills in what is lacking in our lives. He does for us what we could not do for ourselves. He raises us up and seats us in heavenly places. God has placed before us that Holy Highway. He built it. He maintains it. He levels the path before us. He is the great pioneer, the statore, the helps us in our weakness. How did the Apostle Paul say it? "The Spirit helps us in our weakness," (Romans 8:26). "Every valley will be raised up. The rough ground will become level and the rugged places a plain." What is your need today? How does God need work in you your life to prepare the way for his arrival? How is he calling you to respond to his message, to receive him, today? 1