Christ in Isaiah: Prepare Ye the Way

This morning, we will begin a sermon series for the Season of Advent. Advent is a season in the Church calendar dedicated to the hopeful anticipation for the arrival or "advent" of Jesus of Nazareth. It’s something the Church has been celebrating, in some form, for 1,700 years. It’s meant to be a time of reflection remembering Christ’s 1st Advent, and of spiritual preparation in anticipating Christ’s 2nd Advent. There are many traditions surrounding the celebration of Advent, but the one that is most common among all branches of Christianity is the Advent Wreath, and the lighting of Advent Candles, that reminds us Sunday-by-Sunday of a different aspect of the character of the Christ-child. It’s a period that emphasizes hope, peace, love, and joy.

This year, I’m going to do something a little different. All of my Advent messages will come from the Book of Isaiah. He is the Old Testament prophet Isaiah who most clearly presents the life and ministry of Christ, whom he presents as The Suffering Servant.

This morning we’ll begin with one of the most well-known passages in Isaiah concerning the coming of Christ. ILLUS. If you’re familiar with George Frideric Handel’s work Messiah, you know that the first movement of his Oratorio, the ten minutes of music, are based on Isaiah 40:1-5. We know it because the Gospel of Luke uses it to announce the Forerunner to the Christ. We know him as John the Baptist, perhaps better called John the Baptizer. The passage reminds us, that in a very real sense, every generation of believers is a forerunner generation to the next — announcing the coming of God’s Anointed One and what we must do to prepare the hearts of those whom God’s Spirit is calling them to come. The passage is a call to each of us to revive our hearts as we contemplate the splendor and glory of Advent.

I. ADVENT IS ABOUT CLEARING THE RUBBLE FROM OUR LIVES

“A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3, NIV84)

1. the opening words of chapter 40 are, “Comfort ye”

a. it sets the mood and tempo for the closing section of Isaiah’s prophecy

1) God’s message to His people is a message of comfort

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” (Isaiah 40:1, ESV)

2) it’s still the most important message any sinner can hear ... “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God ... your iniquity is pardoned”

2. up until this chapter, the Book of Isaiah has been full of woes and burdens for the Jews because of their rebellions against God

a. the previous thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah have been all about impending judgment

1) God has repeatedly warned both Israel and Judah that their idolatry and immorality will lead to His judgment upon their nations

b. ultimately their sin will lead to a fearsome captivity

1) the Northern Kingdom — called Israel — will be attacked, defeated and led into captivity by the Assyrians

a) the Northern Kingdom will never recover, and her people will never return

b) to this day, they are still referred to as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel

2) the Southern Kingdom — called Judah — will be attacked, defeated, and led into captivity by the Babylonians 150 year later

a) seven decades later these Jews will eventually return to Israel

3) the New Testament also warns of the danger of God’s people being taken captive — not by foreign nations, but by secular worldviews

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8, ESV)

3. but now God’s message of comfort is proclaimed by Isaiah

a. all people experience “woes” and “burdens”

b. this is true, to one degree or another, for every generation of mankind in every nation

ILLUS. We have our “woes” and “burdens” in America — things like high inflation, and unsecured Southern boarder, rampant crime, and vain philosophies being taught to our school children. The Ukrainians have their “woes” and “burdens” — things like Russian missiles reigning down indiscriminately in their cities, no electricity, no heat, and no water, which make our woes and burdens seem like minor annoyances by comparison. But all peoples experience “woes” and “burdens” — just different kinds, and different severity.

c. the greatest “woe” and “burden” any generation of people can experience is not knowing the Lord of Glory

1) high inflation may be an annoyance for several years

2) a lost soul is a calamity for an eternity

4. the Good News from Isaiah is the God offers pardon

“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:2, ESV)

a. this is what will bring true comfort to a man’s soul burdened by the woe of sin

b. in every generation, there is a need for revival and spiritual awakening

1) Israel and Judah were in desperate need for revival ... so is America

c. in every generation, the voice of God is calling people to repentance and obedience

1) like John the Baptist, the role of the Church is to call the saved to revival and the lost to repentance

2) our text helps us know how to do this

A. 1st, WE MUST REMOVE THE RUBBLE OF SIN

ILLUS. One of the blessings God established for the Hebrews when they came into the land was to set aside Cities of Refuge to which manslayers could appeal for asylum if they accidently killed someone. It kept them safe from the vengeance of the victim’s family. Once a year the inhabitants of the Cities of Refuge were to go out and repair and level the highways that led into their city. The rubble had to be removed.

1. we need to deal with the rubble in our lives

a. sometimes that rubble is sin, sometimes it’s just a life cluttered with other things

b. if we want revival in the church and awakening in the nation we must confess and repent of sin

1) when we do there is forgiveness and cleansing

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, ESV)

2. the biggest issue most of us face is owning up to the rubble of sin that clutters the way to Christ

ILLUS. Two brothers had been particularly rambunctious one afternoon and in the process had knocked over and broken a lamp in the living room. Neither was about to admit guilt in the event. As their mother put them into bed that night she gave them one last opportunity to own up as to which of them actually broke the lamp. "When I say my prayers tonight I'm going to ask God to let me know which one of you broke the lamp. Wouldn't you like to tell me before I ask God?" One of her sons quickly replied, "No let's wait and see what God says!"

a. we often find ourselves in that position!

1) we know that there is rubble in our lives, but we figure if we can just ignore it long enough, or walk around it often enough that we won’t have to deal with it

b. the call to prepare the way for the Lord does not allow us to ignore our sin or pass by the sin in our life

B. 2nd, WE MUST REPAIR THE ROADWAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

ILLUS. In his hymn Let Others See Jesus In You, B.B. McKinney’s first stanza reads, “While passing through this world of sin, And others your life shall view, Be clean and pure without, within, Let others see Jesus in you.”

1. do others see Jesus in you, or does the rubble in your life keep them from it?

2. the forerunner’s calling is the call to live righteously

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24, ESV)

a. to live righteously is to conduct one's life in an upright manner and with moral standards that reflect our relationship with the Lord

1) as representatives to the kingdom of God in all that we do, we should mirror our Lord’s ways

3. we cannot act as forerunners of Christ if our life is full of sin

a. in the 35th chapter of Isaiah, the prophet refers to the Highway of Righteousness ...

“A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Righteousness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.” (Isaiah 35:8, NASB95)

b. the prophet says that this Highway of Righteousness is a road that those who walk in righteousness travel on

1) in Isaiah 40:3 we discover that the Highway of Righteousness is the very highway our God travels on

c. it’s the truly penitent who travel this highway ... those who have confessed their sin and confessed Christ

ILLUS. In 2015, New York Times columnist David Brooks, wrote a book entitled The Road to Character. In the introduction, Brooks says, “We need to start talking about sin and righteousness again.” He pegs one of the glaring problems in modern culture — including much of today’s Church culture — when he writes, “When you lose awareness of sin and start thinking that, deep down, human beings are pretty wonderful, you lose the struggle of character building. Building character is not like being better than someone else at a career. It’s conquering your own weakness. But you won’t make that effort if you lose a sense of what your weakness is and where it comes from. ... We’ve encouraged generations to think too highly of themselves. In 1950, the Gallup organization asked high-school seniors, “Are you a very important person?” Back then, 12 percent said yes. In 2022 over 80 percent said yes.”

1) America has become a nation of narcissists!

3. but when we remove the rubble of sin through confession and repentance, and rebuild the roadway of righteousness others will see Jesus in you

II. ADVENT IS ABOUT FILLING UP THE VALLEYS IN YOUR LIFE

“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” (Isaiah 40:4, NIV84)

1. this part of the verse speaks to us about the places in our lives that are lacking

a. we all have low spots in our walk with the Lord

1) activities and behaviors and attitudes that are not necessarily sin, but things that might hinder the way of God in our lives

b. we all have places that we have allowed to become hollowed out and shallow

1) those places must be filled in before revival can come in your life

2. these valleys come in different shapes and forms

a. for some their valleys are spiritual in nature: their prayer life, Bible reading, and church attendance, have waned, they’ve become unforgiving, full of guilt, anger, self-righteousness, etc.

b. for some their valleys are physical in nature: this might include financial problems; marital issues, physical problems, that have pulled you away from God

c. for some their valleys are emotional in nature: things like depression, anxiety, or fear

3. acknowledge the valleys in you life

a. identify those low places that need to be filled in

1) ask the Lord to fill you up with the power of His Spirit

2) ask the Lord to fill you up with the mind of Christ

3) ask the Lord to fill you up with the fellowship of the saints

4) ask the Lord to fill you up with the beauty of worship

A. FILLING CAN BE LABORIOUS AND TIME CONSUMING

ILLUS. Some of you may remember when Hwy. 50 was made four-lane between Linn and the Osage River. Doesn’t that seem like it was a long time ago? I looked up the original press release about it on the MoDot website (it’s amazing what you can find on the internet!). Here’s part of the announcement: “The realignment of highway 50 in Osage County will remove many of the hills, curves, and valleys drives currently experience, which is intended to enhance safety and traffic flow.” The realignment cost almost $26 million and took a little over two years to complete. I can remember being amazed at how much rock they removed and moved in preparing the roadbed for the new highway. Why do I tell you this?

1. making the uneven ground become level in our lives is not always easy

a. changing an attitude, changing a behavior, or overcoming a sin is laborious, and time consuming — and sometimes costly

1) but I will tell you from my own experience — and some of you can say amen to this — that living more righteously for Christ is always worth the time, the effort and the cost

2. but there is encouragement ... as a believer you’re not in it alone

a. remember what the Apostle Paul told the Philippian Christians?

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13, NIV)

b. that’s not merely a nice saying that looks nice on the wall in our hallway ... Paul meant it

ILLUS. Remember the Old Testament story when the Israelite army is camped on one side of the Valley of Ellah, and the Philistine army is camped on the other side? And every day, the Philistine champion, Goliath, came out between the camps and challenged an Israelite warrior to a one-on-one challenge. Winner takes the other’s kingdom. But on most days the Israelite soldiers stayed in their tents. Even King Saul, himself a pretty good sized guy, was afraid to take up the challenge. But one day a shepherd boy named David showed up. David knew that God would lift him up and strengthen him. You know the rest of the story. The Israelite soldiers thought Goliath was too big to kill...David thought he was too big to miss!

3. some of you have some places in your lives that are lacking — let God fill them up

III. ADVENT IS ABOUT LEVELING THE MOUNTAINS IN YOUR LIFE

“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” (Isaiah 40:4, NIV84)

ILLUS Just as filling up the valleys in your life can be laborious and time consuming, so to can leveling the mountains you face.

1. this section of the passage speaks to us about the barriers, or mountains in our lives, that have the potential of hindering the presence of God in our lives

a. there are many potential barriers to revival in our lives

1) these are the obstacles that we believe keep us from serving you will a whole heart

a) it may be a lack of education, or the financial resources, or certain abilities you don’t have, and you tell yourself I could never really serve God like so-n’-so

b. the Prophet Isaiah writes in Isaiah 45:2, “I will go before you and level the mountains ... so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.”

ILLUS. You’re looking at a guy who received an “I”nsufficient grade — just above “failing” — in Junior High speech class. Certainly, if God were thinking clearly, He would call the student who was glib and composed, and self-assured, the kid who aced public speaking into the ministry, and not the kid who nearly flunked.

1) when God promises He will go before you, He means He will go before you, He will be behind you, and He will be on either side of you

2) He means He will be there, you can count on Him being there

3) He will make your crooked path straight. He will smooth out your path, direct you and lead you, and yes, you will feel His presence there as well

ILLUS. Remember when Jacob is on his way home after living back in Haran for twenty years? He fled in fear. His brother Esau had threatened to kill him for stealing his birthright (even though he’s actually given it up freely for a bowl of soup). Jacob has married and now has a large family. He’s also become a wealthy man. But as he reaches the boarder of Canaan, he’s fearful. The mountain looming in his way is Esau, and his promise to kill Jacob. That night he literally wrestles with the Angel of the Lord who promises to be with Jacob. But in Genesis 33 we seem them meeting. When Jacob sees Esau, he bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.

c. God had removed the mountain of hate between Esau and Jacob

2. when God levels the barriers that exist between ourselves and fellow believers, God can do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think

a. everyone here has mountains in their life

b. give them to God

IV. ADVENT IS ABOUT STRAIGHTENING OUT THE CROOKED IN YOUR LIFE

“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” (Isaiah 40:4, NIV84)

1. in the King James, the third phrase reads: and the crooked shall be made straight

a. most modern translations translate it has I read: the rough ground shall become level

b. though the later gives a better sense of the Hebrew, I like the poetry of the KJV

2. the word “crooked” comes from a word that means “deceitful, sly, or slippery”

a. it speaks of a road that is deceptive in nature

1) it promises one thing and delivers another

2) it appears to be a level, easy way, but when traveled, it proves to hazardous

3. if we want revival in our lives, we are going to have to identify those areas where we have taken the wrong road and get back on track with Him

a. some have gotten themselves into relationships that have led them away from God

1) that road is crooked and needs to be straightened out

b. some have allowed work; recreation or some other pursuit to lead them away from the Lord

1) that is a dangerous road and it needs to be abandoned for the straight road of serving the Lord

c. some have wandered down a path of self-righteousness, and have come to believe that they know what’s right for everyone around them

1) that is a dangerous road and it needs to be abandoned for the straight path of humility

d. some are walking the crooked path of pride

1) they refuse to bow to the Lordship of Jesus in their lives

2) they hear His Word and turn a deaf ear to His call

3) that is a dangerous path, and it needs to be abandoned for the path of humble service to the Lord

Con. If real revival came, what would it look like? Isaiah tells us ... “And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:5, NIV84).

In his book, The Secret of Christian Joy, Vance Havner writes: “The greatest need of America is an old-fashioned, heaven-born, God-sent awakening. Throughout the history of the church, when clouds have hung lowest, when sin has seemed blackest and faith has been weakest, there have always been a faithful few who have not sold out to the devil nor bowed the knee to Baal, who have feared the Lord and thought upon his Name and have not forsaken the assembling of themselves together. These have besought the Lord to revive his work in the midst of the years, and in the midst of the fears and tears, and in wrath to remember mercy. God has always answered such supplication, filling each heart with his love, rekindling each soul with fire from above.”

“A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 4 “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; 5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”” (Isaiah 40:3–5, NASB95)

Do you hear the voice? Will you obey the commands? The passage is a call to each of us to revive our hearts as we contemplate the splendor and glory of Advent.

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