The Lord Of Glory Is Coming!

Isaiah 40:1-11

Text: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

In our psalm last Sunday, there was a refrain regarding the King of Glory. The scene was that of the King of Glory coming and the people of the city were to open their gates and let him in. A person would be sent before the king to get the people ready for the king’s arrival. John the Baptist was the one whom God chose to prepare the people for Jesus’ first coming. We, as Christians, also want to be aware of the fact that Jesus Christ will come again. This morning we look at the Old Testament book of Isaiah and are reminded that THE LORD OF GLORY IS COMING! 1. Listen To His Gracious Comfort 2. Prepare His Desert Highway 3. Believe His Everlasting Word.

These words of comfort are found in the fortieth chapter of the book of Isaiah. In chapters 1-39 the basic message had been one of law. God, through the prophet Isaiah, condemned the people in no uncertain terms for their lack of faith in him. In spite of all of God’s pleas for them to come back, they refused. So God told them that the king of Babylon would come and destroy their city. Many of the people would be led off into the distant land of Babylon. Listen to the closing verses of the preceding chapter: “Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.” (Isaiah 39:6) It was a very bleak picture that was painted. To be sure the people deserved what would happen to them.

It is here that God comes with his words of comfort in verses 1&2: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” In spite of their rebellion against God, he still loved them. He called them, “my people.” He wanted them to be comforted as they were led into exile, that they were not forgotten, that he still loved them and would bring them home. God wanted them to know that he held no grudge against them. He told them that their sins are forgiven, their debt has been paid for. He wanted to comfort his people in the face of the upcoming exile.

We, also, rejoice to hear his words of comfort. We are all too much like the nation of Judah. We have rebelled against God. We do so every time we sin. We deserve worse than an exile to a foreign country. We deserved a permanent exile in hell, away from God. But, God also comes to us with these words of comfort and tells us, “Your sin has been paid for.” The Holy Spirit points us to the cross and tells us that our sins were paid for there. God does not hold a grudge against us. Your debt has been paid in full.
We praise our God for this gracious word of comfort. God is not angry with us. This is especially important for us to remember when things aren’t going the way that we hoped that they would; when everything is going wrong and nothing seems to be going right. God doesn’t punish believers. All of his anger toward us was taken by his Son. This is not to say that we will always have a perfect, trouble-free life. God, sometimes, allows troubles to enter our lives, but we know that all things that enter into our life are always for our benefit. Just as the people who went away into exile into Babylon were not forsaken by God, so also when we have troubles in our lives. God is still there with his words of comfort, telling us that he loves us. We have ample evidence of his love in the person of Jesus Christ, his Son. God comes to us with a gracious message of comfort. May we take heart in whatever situations come our way.

After seventy years the people would return from exile. They would begin the long journey home. God speaks of their journey in verses 3-5: “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert 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 people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken..’” God, first of all, is speaking of his people’s return from Babylon. He wants it to be as smooth as possible. All obstacles to their path are to be removed so that they might have a speedy return home.

But, God is also speaking of Christ’s entry into our hearts. Remember that it says, “prepare the way for the Lord.” Jesus comes to us to strengthen our faith in him. God tells us to remove all obstacles that might hinder his entrance into our hearts. He speaks of filling in the valleys. There are many valleys in our lives, and these are the low points in our Christian lives. The valleys in the Christian’s life are the sins that we commit. These are the sins that we fall into time and again. Each one of us has our own particular sins that we fall prey to. For some it might be a discontent and complaining about their lot in life. Others might have trouble controlling their tempers. Still others might have a weakness when it come to the language that is used. Whatever the case, let us fill in those low spots, so that the King of Glory, Jesus Christ, might come in.

There are also mountains that need to be broken down. We think of a self-righteous attitude; one that holds itself to be better than those around us. ‘I’m glad that I’m not like them. Would you look at what they’re doing!’ We start to feel as though God really owes us one. We need to break down the mountains of self-righteousness. We do so by reminding ourselves that in God’s sight, every sin is equally condemning, but also that every sin was forgiven for Jesus’ sake. Let us prepare the way for the Lord to enter our hearts by removing every obstacle that would stand in the way.

As the people returned to rebuild their nation, they would need some help, especially some protection from other nations. In the past, they had signed treaties with nations such as Egypt. They felt that with Egypt’s help, they would be able to stand up against any nation that would try to invade them. God tells them not to look elsewhere for help. We read verses 6-8, “A voice says, ‘Cry out.’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ ‘ll people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.’”

He points out the fact that it is foolishness for them to trust in a foreign land, or even their own army, to keep them safe. He said that men are like grass that withers before the wind. They are there one minute and gone the next.

We, sometimes, fall into that same trap, as well. When things get tough, we look to other human beings for help. Probably the person we turn to most often is ourselves. ‘If I can be strong, I’ll get through this. If I don’t quit, I’ll get through this.’ God reminds us just how fragile we are. We are like grass that withers or those flowers that fade and fall before the scorching wind. If we try to stand on our own in the face of trouble, we, too, will wither.

Just as God directed the nation of Judah, so also he points us to the one thing that can keep us strong. “The word of our God endures forever.” (Verse 8) In God’s Word we have the same solid foundation that keeps us firm, no matter what the storms of life might blow. It will not desert us when the going gets rough. In God’s Word, we have the strength to face whatever might come our way. That is all the more reason for us to become more well acquainted with God’s Word. Not only does it help us weather the storms of life; it also prepares us to receive the King of Glory, Jesus Christ. Let us listen to and believe his everlasting Word.

When a close friend or relative comes to visit you, you make special preparations to receive them. Perhaps you bake something that you know they are particularly fond of. How embarrassed you would be if you weren’t quite ready when they came. My friends, the King of Glory, Jesus is coming. Let us listen to his gracious word of comfort, where it tells us that he has forgiven all of our sins and that all things work for our good. Let us prepare to meet him by getting rid of the sin in our lives and our self-righteousness attitudes. Anything that stands in the way, let us throw out. Let us also believe in the everlasting Word of God, for this is the only place where salvation can be found. The King of Glory is coming. Let us prepare to meet him.