Sermon Tone Analysis
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©Copyright May 15, 2022 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche.
We have been studying the book of Isaiah.
As we turn to Isaiah 40 we make a dramatic change in the focus of the text.
Up to this point we have been focusing on historical narratives.
Now, Isaiah changes from talking to the people of his own day to a people of a future day.
He speaks of the future as if it was happening in the present.
This is a prophetic technique to convey something that is sure to happen.
The remaining chapters fall into three sections.
Chapters 40-48 talk about Judah’s delivery from the Babylonian Captivity.
49-57 focus on our redemption of sin from because of the work of the Messiah.
58-66 look forward to the future and eternal reign of Christ.
In chapter 40 Isaiah is talking to the exiles in Babylon.
After the Assyrian threat died down, Babylon took over as the powerful empire.
They attacked Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and deported a large number of people (including Daniel) to live in Babylon.
These people were in exile for 70 years!
Isaiah’s message to these future exiles is “God has not abandoned you.
There are good days ahead, keep trusting Him.”
Isaiah 40 is one of the most majestic passages in the Bible.
It is a powerful and heartwarming passage that hopefully will expand your concept of God.
God’s Comfort
God spoke words of comfort to the Israelite captives.
The words can just as easily be God’s message to us.
1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
for all her sins.”
3 Listen!
It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
for our God!
4 Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places.
5 Then the glory of the Lordwill be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”
The first thing God said to Israel was, “the punishment (or exile) has been hard, but it will not last forever.
He told them someone was coming to announce the glory of the Lord.
John the Baptist applied these words to himself.
Their rescue, OUR rescue and comfort, comes from the Lord.
This was a remarkable prophecy at the time because there is no record of a nation EVER returning from exile to their homeland and once again becoming an independent nation.
We will talk more about this next week.
God was going to do something in Israel that was unprecedented.
In fact, people still look at the nation of Israel with wonder.
They are a clear example of God’s greatness and power.
Isaiah continues,
6 A voice said, “Shout!”
I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fade
beneath the breath of the Lord.
And so it is with people.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.
9 O Zion, messenger of good news,
shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.
Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming!”
10 Yes, the Sovereign Lordis coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
(40:6-10)
The message is this: Each of us has to come to grips with our own temporary nature.
We are all going to die (Unless the Lord returns first).
Our anchor in life is the fact that The Word of the Lord does not change because God does not change.
This does not mean God is stale or out-of-date as some people might see God.
It means, God’s character, unlike ours, is consistent.
The truth of God’s Word is the standard that remains constant even as the society around us erodes into confusion and nonsense.
We can be swept away with all the political correctness, or we can stand on the truth of God’s Word.
Only God’s Word will give us the stability and guidance we need.
We may feel forgotten, like the exiles may have felt, but we are not forgotten.
God’s delays are purposeful and instructive.
Rather than complain, we are called to wait and watch for the One who is coming.
We are to live with hope and confidence in the promise of God.
The Greatness of This God
I know sometimes it is hard to hope in God.
He seems so far away.
Isaiah wants us to see that God only seems far away because of His grandeur.
He SEEMS unapproachable but through faith we can draw near to Him.
Isaiah 40:12-15 Isaiah remind us,
12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth
or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
14 Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right
or show him the path of justice?
15 No, for all the nations of the world
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