Comfort My People

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0:00 Okay. For, uh, call the worship for us today. I'm going to use our first reading for this week in our Advent book. It's in Isaiah chapter 40, if you want to follow along. I'm just going to read the first, uh, couple sections, couple verses. Remember the call the worship for us is like this line of demarcation. We go over together and say the next hour is

0:30 going to be different. It'll be a time set aside for connecting with God. When you do that, when you set aside time like that, it makes time holy. And so let's do that together. Isaiah chapter 40, the prophet says, comfort, comfort my people says your God speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned and that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries in the

1:07 wilderness. Prepare the way for the Lord makes straight in the desert a highway for our God and every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low. The uneven ground shall become plain and the rough places a plain and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Oh Lord God, we gather today

1:37 in your name and for the purpose of connecting with you. We say Holy Spirit, you are welcome with us this morning to be with us to love us and teach us and convict us as only you can. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Father in heaven, work wonders in our day. Transform me from the inside out. Forgive me for coddling my fears more than I cling to your promises. I want to live bodily and courageously

2:11 for you. Fill me afresh with the power of your Holy Spirit. Ignite my faith and awaken my passion for your purposes and take away my desires for lesser things so that my heart beats in rhythm with yours. Open my eyes to see the wonders of your love and open my ears to hear the thunder in your voice. I want to live and breathe as one who has saved, spoken for, called and appointed for such a time as

2:44 this. Help me to let peace, rule and reign in my heart. Show me how to find rest in the eye of the storm. Teach me how to stand on your promises and give me faith to believe you for miracles. May my life in every way reflect your precious heart for the world. My eyes are on you Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

3:14 So those prayers are in these advent books that Carol worked to compile for us. I hope that you've been enjoying these. If you don't have one, there are more physical copies here today and we can send digital copies and it's been encouraging to read through the reflections you all have had on these passages and think through this season of advent. In the last several years we've really

3:44 developed a focused commemoration of the season of advent where we really work hard to anchor ourselves in the reality that that advent is the start of something new so that your Christmas season, the church has always understood the weeks leading up to the celebration of incarnation to be the beginning of the year. That something new starts and we know all throughout the story of scripture that when God moves and approaches humanity things happen. When he comes down to

4:22 rescue Israel from Egypt the world erupts in these plagues. When he comes down in the person of Christ hosts of angels appear in the sky, armies of angels appear in the sky to announce his coming. When he manifests himself on the cross the earth opens up and the sun is blotted out and we have this season of advent to prepare for the return of Christ that says because he came once it means he'll come again and so our year kicks off with this

4:57 commemoration of the reality that Christ came once at Christmas and he'll come again to renew all things. We celebrate in little renewal right now. This book I don't know about for you but for me it's been helpful to have it to kind of like bring myself back out of not the Christmas list or bad but it helps to bring me out of Christmas lists. It helps me it helps to bring me out of like the kind of panic or frenzy around year-end planning trying to wrap up all the things from the

5:33 year and it and it allows me to move into a season that says no this is not the end this is the beginning what is God beginning in me right now? Advent season the overarching question is God is moving towards you how are you experiencing that? What new is starting in you because the God of creation in life the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the God of Christ and the church is moving toward you the advent is coming and so I'm using a couple of I'm inviting us to think through a

6:06 couple of the passages that will come up in that in that booklet this week you know when Carol laid out those passages for us to look at over the weeks of Advent she picked historic texts that are important to the church for this season so I had a friend who was preaching this week and he he sent me his message and he's preaching on the same text so I'm sure there are a lot of churches throughout the world who are looking at Isaiah chapter 40 what I read as our call to worship but let's look there together if you have a copy of the scriptures or can punch it into your phone

6:40 we're looking at Isaiah chapter 40 starting at verse one and remember the context here for Isaiah is is is the one of the largest collections of writings we have attributed to one person in the whole story of scripture he wrote a lot. Isaiah was was one of these archetypal prophets remember that for us in the history of Israel prophets are individuals whom God has

7:14 established as a special relationship with in order to be his mouthpiece God's mouthpiece in the world and Isaiah is this archetypal proto prophet he he speaks for God to the world and when you follow the story of Isaiah from from the beginning of his writings through the end of his writings and you you cross it with the events that are happening in Israel you realize that Isaiah preaches to the southern kingdom right leading up to and then following there being conquered by Babylon

7:48 this is a watershed moment in the history of our people from the time that God called Abraham he promised that he would give him a land and make him the patriarch of a nation and then Abraham wanders in the wilderness acquires no land some wealth one kid right those they wander for a couple more generations and then God delivers them into Egypt to protect them from the famine miraculous it's amazing story and then a Pharaoh arises who doesn't remember

8:23 Israel and they go into 400 years of slavery they forget the name of God as we mentioned earlier God approaches them of his own volition and prerogative and rescues them from Egypt though they had no memory of it and brings them into the desert and says I'm going to give you this land and again people lack the faith to believe that God would give them good things so they wander for for another 40 years in the desert waiting for a generation and then through the leadership of Joshua they take over the promised land and they live there for generations they walk into God gives them

8:59 walled cities and fertile vineyards they live in the promised land he says you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation all the world will know who the god is because of the way that you all live and you all will have the capacity to live this way because i'm going to bring my presence down put it in the temple right in your midst and when i am god and you are people life looks like it's supposed to these ten words you'll only have one god you won't covet you won't commit adultery you won't steal you won't murder your life will make sense and the rest of the

9:32 world will see a life that makes sense and be drawn back to the god of creation and life this is why the Babylonian captivity during the period of isiah is such a watershed moment because israel uh like we do every day has failed and god is so tied his reputation to israel he can no longer have them sully his name in the world no one is finding their way to the god of creation and life because of the way israel is living looks just like the rest of the world and they say the god of israel must be the same as every other god and no one finds their way to life and so

10:08 he rips them out of the promised land and takes them to babylon and they are conquered isiah prophesies about that all the way up and they lose they they begin to wonder who are we we had this dream relationship with the god of creation and life he rescued us over and over again and now he's given us over to our worst desires we lived as though babylon were just as good as israel and he's given us over to babylon and look we we live as exiles and foreigners

10:45 as they have prophesied through that and then as they're in captivity wondering will anything good come for us again or will we always be second-class citizens slaves aliens will we always be people without a home living in a world that doesn't value the things we value that doesn't honor the things we honor will we always have to live this way god gives a new word

11:17 to isiah in chapter 40 look at what he says in chapter 40 verse one we read it for our call to worship but it's worth reading again because it's beautiful one note on the prophets just before we get into it sorry it's a long prelude but it's a big text it's important I don't know what god has to go through to communicate to the puny mind of isiah I'm not saying that isiah is puny but I'm saying relative to the imagination that launches creation that launches

11:50 universes into the world how small his thoughts must have how much calisthenics he has to go through to twist into something that isiah could understand and I love that he bothers to make his communication beautiful not merely informative it tells us so much about the god of creation life the god of april amisic and jake up the god of christ in the church that when he speaks to us it's in poetry

12:21 oh my gosh just the extra little bit of work to make it beautiful as well as helpful says so much isiah chapter 40 verse one comfort god says comfort my people says your god speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare has ended that her iniquity is pardoned that she has received from the lord's hand double for all her sins of course israel

12:52 needs comfort they were taken off from israel by fish hooks famously right fish hooks through their noses with line connecting them dragging them out of the land that god gave them into captivity with their enemy they have lived as second-class citizens forced to renounce part of their heritage and take on babbelonian identity they are sad they are lonely life is not going the way that it ought to go they are people who need comfort life is not what they expected or what

13:26 they felt like they were promised it's not even what they feel like they deserve it's worse than all of those things and in the midst of a life that is broken and less than they hoped for beyond their control god tells isiah speak comfort to them isiah speak tenderly to Jerusalem call them out he says

13:57 give them hope he says and cry to her that her warfare is ended I got a couple days off for Thanksgiving anybody get a couple days off for Thanksgiving that's good right got a couple days off for Thanksgiving and I needed it I had a friend who who works with

14:34 me some but but not a lot and he was messaging me we weren't even on the phone he was texting me and he said man texting me man you seem tired and I said man he said you need a break man and I did I was like looking forward to Thanksgiving I was like had that decision fatigue you know and I was looking forward to Thanksgiving and I

15:06 loved it I lived it up I just like kind of shut off work and I had to say anticipation on Monday when I got up to go back to work that like I would feel rested and energized I did not I woke up on Monday and I did not I was like not ready to go back to work and I realized oh man

15:44 I am tired this has been a long year of like open-ended potential tragedy like lots of decisions all the time most of them I don't really like managing a future that is unpredictable and probably bad right like open-ended without an ending we don't know when it will be resolved I realized it is legitimate to be just tired we celebrated the life of Terry's mom yesterday

16:23 how old was she Terry 95 oh and it was wonderful there were friends from all over telling stories about how much energy Catherine had how much warmth she put into a room how kind she was to be about how how willing she was to mother look your life Isaiah gives us a glimpse into the mind of God that says for Israel

16:59 for for Jerusalem for those who are gods we can say confidently be comforted because there is coming a day when all your warfare will be done and put there is coming a day for you when all of when when rest will welcome you fully when you will be embraced by a deep like rooted peace

17:37 oh be comforted people of God your warfare will not go on forever then he says be comfort them because their warfare is ended and their iniquity is pardoned for Israel of course their warfare is like actual people attacking them and threatening their life and it has it has resulted in them being conquered God tells Isaiah tell them they're done with that

18:14 then Israel knows that the reason God gave them over to their enemies is because they had been trusting their enemies over God that they had that they had in in a lack of faith could not believe that God would protect them that God would provide for them that God would care for them or love them so they had looked to other things to protect them to provide for them to care for them and love for them they knew they had deep iniquity God tells Isaiah hey let them know their warfare is done and I will pardon all their iniquity

18:53 one of the things that wears me out so much in all these decisions I make is I see how limited I am I see so often how I could have or could be doing things better I feel like I've need needed way more self-peptox than normal because the like general crisis in the air points out all the other things I could be doing that I am not doing sometimes faith feels like that for people sometimes the way of Christ feels like one more

19:30 person people are letting down sometimes they feel like that there is an expectation from the God of creation and life that they be something they cannot be God all the way back in the Old Testament while the Israelites were in exile in Babylon whispers in poetry to that archetypal prophet Isaiah and says comfort my people and tell them all iniquity is pardoned their warfare is ended their iniquity is pardoned that they have already received from

20:06 the Lord's hand double for all their sins this is the great promise of advent we know that because this prophecy has this like first fulfillment for Israel right then there's a section in Ezra right at the beginning of Ezra where where God reveals to Ezra that

20:42 he's using Cyrus to deliver them says your warfare is ended your iniquity is pardoned your comfort is coming return home and so Isaiah goes on and says this is what will happen your warfare is ended your iniquity has been pardoned you received double from the Lord for all your sins and so a voice cries in the wilderness prepare away for the Lord make straight in the desert a highway for our God every valley lifted up and every mountain and hill made low and the uneven ground

21:12 shall become level and the rough places plain and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the Lord has spoken this is language that that people in ancient Near East would recognize they're making a king's highway that the king is coming when the king comes he doesn't come with half a dozen people he comes with a host of armies so you can't have a crooked little road where few people can walk through a single file it's too vulnerable he comes with people 12 abreast he comes with a whole host of armies the king comes and

21:44 we're excited when the king comes because he brings all the things we need there's great feasts when the king comes there's protection you wouldn't believe of when the king comes right there's riches and bounty there's work for all of us to do when the king comes we take care of his court and his countrymen we take care of his armies and his soldiers life flourishes when the king comes god whispers into Isaiah and says come for my people their warfare is ended their

22:14 iniquity is pardoned they've received double now prepare the way because the king is coming and we know that this promise is good because it happens for Israel in the lifetime of the people the first generation that read this saw a fulfillment Cyrus the Persian king gives them their money back that Israel stole and says go on that safely back home and rebuild your temple good prophecies have usually three

22:53 fulfillments because god is kind and knows that our memories are frail and faulty he gives us three fulfillments this prophecy from Isaiah in chapter 40 has three one with Cyrus they get to go back the second look at john 123 with me Matthew Mark Luke john 123

23:24 right at the beginning uh-huh uh we'll start at 19 the beginning john you remember john the baptist out in the desert doing this thing and this is the testimony of john when the jews sent priests and leviates from Jerusalem to say who are you you confess and he did not deny but he confessed i am not the christ

23:55 i am not the king christ is a greek word for a delivering king for the hebrew word messiah i am not the delivering king and he asked him what then are you Elijah said not i'm not i'm not are you the prophet and he answered nope i'm not the prophet Elijah reincarnated though some people think that that would happen it's not 22 and they said to him who are you we need to give an answer to those who sent us what do you say about yourself and he said i am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness make straight the way of the lord

24:29 as the prophet isiah said second fulfillment in john the baptist in the desert the king is coming prepare a way for the king to come think about jesus walking around on earth the king is coming barter mayis on the side of the road what would you like to see cool king is here you can see little girl what would you like you'd like to not be dead cool to leith kum get up

25:00 isiah you'd like to come out of the grave cool come on out take off his grave clothes right we have five thousand people we'd like to eat cool bless it when the king comes you got food you can feast jesus walking around is the king come john the baptist as as isiah prophesied was the one saying in the wilderness prepare a way for him he's coming how did he say to prepare a way repent and believe receive comfort and pardon for your iniquity receive comfort and pardon for

25:37 your iniquity and then get on the road when i thought about how we prepare the way for the lord i thought about those people remember when when jesus the king is riding in on the donkey the triumphal entry and they take off their jackets man and put it down in front of him because they just want to be on the road with the king two fulfillments first syrus second john baptist

26:12 third fulfillment we await we await the advent of our king how do we wait like israel in babylon like israel in the desert in jereusalam

26:42 we wait by receiving comfort and pardon for our iniquities last section is in first peter that i have for us our second peter if you want to look there you can or you can take my word for it because it it's been some time since that first christmas

27:16 right and peter writes letter and talks about it i think he almost feel like he's a little surprise he says and in the beginning of chapter three of second peter this is now the second letter that i'm writing to you be loved in both of them i'm stirring up and sincere way by the reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the lord and savior through our apostles knowing that first of all scoffers will in the last days will come scoffing following their own sinful desires they will say where is this promise it is

27:47 coming forever since the fathers fell asleep all they are continuing as they were beginning from the beginning of creation for they deliberately overlooked this fact that the heavens existed long ago and that by means these world okay but okay but look go down to verse eight but do not overlook this one fact beloved that with the lord one day is a thousand years and a thousand years as one day the lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness

28:23 but his patient toward you pause for a moment god is patient toward you in his coming that today at least maybe in this season he's patient that you would receive his comfort not the comfort of your money or your gifts or even the comfort of your sleep or your entertainment

29:04 god is patient in his return as the delivering king he is patient toward you that you would receive his comfort and his pardon for your iniquity and those are available right now you don't have to wait comfort and pardon are available for you now in order that like like isiah you might find the appropriate way for you to prepare the way of the

29:38 lord to lay down your garments on those way into Jerusalem the lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness what the lord is patient toward you not wishing that any should perish but all should reach repentance he is willing he is patient that you would not die without pardon my prayer for each of us this morning

30:09 and this season is that we would receive the pardon of god gratefully and that we might be agents of that pardon walking around as ones who have received comfort and pardon would give away that comfort and pardon to those around us in this advent season

30:46 let me pray hey lord thank you for the testimony of isiah that you spoke that poetry into his heart and mind and it found its way onto paper and down to us this morning encourage us with those words of your comfort this season or do we know that christmas is your down payment on new heaven and new earth and so we wait patiently lord but ask you to come quickly and give us that full complete rest

31:25 and peace in Jesus name we pray amen