Isaiah 40-48
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Salvation
Salvation
The other day I was at a coffee shop in town and their sign outside said something like…more espresso...less despresso...
apparently...if I had some of THEIR espresso- then I would be saved from any depression I was feeling that day.
I laughed- and then 100% went in and had some espresso.
I drank it..
and guess what..
I felt no different.
except maybe a little glittery...
How often are we in search of salvation from something...
we want saved from worry
we want saved from responsibility
we want saved from
we want saved from loneliness
from a medical diagnosis
When we see the greatness of God- we see His heart.
The people had been in exile in Babylon, their circumstances were bleak…they were hopeless....
(40:27) When we worship idols- our hearts are saying- God is NOT who He says He is. It’s a direct assault on God’s character
BACKGROUND ABOUT EXILE AND BOOK CHANGING TONE
I. A Heart that Comforts (40-41)
So here is Judah..
After 39 chp’s of God begging his people to wake up and see their sin and return to him…they don’t.
They heard the warnings- but they didnt take it to heart…they didn’t listen.
So, as we know from the end of 2 Chronicles, the people of Judah are taken into exile by Babylon.
Now while when Isaiah wrote the rest of the book before he died- speaking into the future, this had not happened yet-Isaiah wrote this book before the exile happened,
But, the people who would had these words after the exile was over. So as we read our scripture in mind I want you to picture post exilic Judah.
they have just been freed from exile…
now…I think we view this as some sort of celebration. I mean, after 70 years in exile they are free..they can go back home..wouldn’t they be rejoicing?
instead of celebrating freedom- they feel anything but free.
In their minds- instead of Babylon in charge- now it’s Persia…they are just under another ruler.
And while he tells them they can go back home, they are thinking…It’s been 70 years- they had been scattered…what was there to go back to?
They are defeated....bitter…disappointed...hopeless…
in fact, we read later in chp. 40 that they think that God had failed them…they blame him for the state they are in…they think that God no longer cared and He had let them down…I mean..how could he...
Now, we know, that Judah entered exile b/c of their own sin and their refusal to LISTEN to God’s warnings from His prophets.
But instead of seeing themselves as the problem- they see God as the problem.
So....how does God respond to them in this moment...
chp. 40 starts with a dramatic shift in tone from the 1st 39 chp’s....in the first 39 chp’ts Isaiah is directly confronting Judah’s sin..but he now turns to a tone of consolation.
let’s start in vs..1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Comfort..
Now that all their human hopes..their idols…had let them down…now they were ready for the message of salvation…now they are ready for God to breath new life into them. To give them a new beginning..
maybe you are feeling defeated…bitter…disappointed…and hopeless...
If you have been weary from all the judgement- then this is what you have been waiting for…
and just like God wanted to breath new life in Judah...God wants to breath new life into you..
are you ready?
So take a deep breath…and get ready to let go…
b/c as you hear and receive this message you are forgiven, comforted, and strengthened.
Immediately in vs 2, Isaiah tells the people that ALL their sin has been paid for.
39 chp’s.....for 39 chp’s their sin was laid bare…and now…it’s paid for..
Now, we have the fuller picture of scripture, so from scripture, we know that their sin was paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross.
But Judah didn’t know that- what a comforting message this would have been to them.
in vs 3-5 we have a voice calling out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord…
don’t miss this…the wilderness…He is coming TO Judah…to the wilderness…it’s hot, it’s dry, it’s empty. and HE is coming TO them-
maybe you feel like you are in the wilderness.... lost.....empty....you feel nothing...
Get ready...Prepare the way of the Lord…repent....because He is coming to you…to bring you comfort..to bring you salvation
this was the message to Judah after exile as God called them back home to Jerusalem…it was the message of John the Baptist to get the people ready for Jesus....and it’s the message for you today....
He’s coming for you..so prepare your hearts…get ready. because when he comes...
vs 4…every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low, the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain and all the glory of the Lord will be revealed and ALL people (every tribe, tongue, and nation) will see it together..”
God’s glory is himself becoming visible.
It’s His presence with us…it’s His beauty..it’s him answering our deepest longing…it’s where we find....comfort...
vs 6-9 remind us that humans come and go…but God’s word stands and remains forever. God is assuring his people that he can be trusted. The Jews needed reminded that God’s covenant with them remained..His words had not changed..He had not changed...
God’s words have not changed…they were just as true and relevant to Judah as they are to us today.
and at the end of vs 9 it says...”say to the towns of Judah.” here is your God!
See, the Jews needed a shift in perspective, they needed to turn away from their circumstances and turn to God.
God shows us that the only place we can find comfort is through salvation in Him and by knowing who He is. By revealing himself to us he gives a perspective shift and
Judah was looking at their circumstances…they were hopeless…they were not looking to God.
Their view of God was small..skewed…and inaccurate…so they were left defeated, hopeless, and bitter.
What comes next in the book of Isaiah is God saying- Hey…stop looking around you for comfort…for savlation…and look to me...
THIS IS WHO I AM...
JUDAH...HERE IS YOUR GOD!!! other versions translate this as “BEHOLD YOUR GOD”
look up..turn your eyes to Him...
the verses that follow attempt to put into words the greatness of God…through the next 8 chapters you can find almost EVERY attribute of God either listed or implied. Yesterday your leaders went on an attribute hunt throughout this scripture…I encourage you to get out a highlighter and do the same this week.
Meditate on who he is.
LOOK to him..not to your circumstances.
When we continue to keep our eyes focused on the things, people or circumstances surrounding us we find nothing but hopelessness.
one commentator said: circumstances are
we look to Him we find comfort.
and the glory that was revealed was found on the cross.
There is no greater display of God’s glory than on the cross of Christ.
all humanity will see it together…for the mouthpiece of the Lord has spoken- the gospel of Christ- the glory of the Lord appears radiantly for all who hear and believe.
a. through salvation 40:1-11
DOCTRINE
b. through perspective 40:3-41:29
Isaiah—God Saves Sinners What?
God is the one offering us a new perspective on everything.
Left to ourselves, we live on the level of impressions and hunches and gut reactions. We are blind to the things we most need to know. But a prophet was enabled to see beyond the immediate. A prophet was not fooled or stampeded.
Principle: God’s heart to save is revealed in who He Is.
Application:
II. A Heart that Saves (42-48)
a. Provides a Servant 42-44
b. Proves Faithful 45-48
Principle: Salvation is found through God alone.
Application: