A Joy Untold

Opening

Third Week Of Advent

Good morning everyone, it is such a joy to be with you today. For those visiting or viewing this online I am Pastor Ben. As we start our message for today let us have our minds brought to attention by looking towards our focus verse.

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

PRAYER

Let us now turned to prayer. And as we did a couple weeks ago I would ask that you would please join me and saying these first few lines. Please pray

Father we come before you this day humbled to be in your presence.

Encourage us to learn your ways and to walk in them.

We thank you for your gift of grace and ask that you bless our time together.

Father we ask your blessings upon this time as we come to the message that you have for us today. We ask that your Spirit open our hearts and minds and lead us into understanding your truths from your word. We thank you Lord for leaving us your word so that we may come to know you and how you would have us to live. Use this time oh Lord to encourage us in our walks with you and to equip us to live all our days in a fashion that honors your name.

In Christ’s name we pray, amen.

In my message two weeks ago I talked about how I was coming to be an appreciator of this time of year. As we wade through this time of year working our way through Thanksgiving and into Christmas, one of the things that I love the most is the nostalgia that comes from the usage of the charlie Brown holiday movies. Albion Wesleyan Church had a float in the parade with the scene from a Charlie Brown Christmas with the sad looking Christmas tree and Linus’ famous monologue as he quotes Luke 2. If you listen close you can almost hear that iconic song.

And while getting lost in the nostalgia can be fun, if we are not careful we can miss what is truly taking place. Charles Schulz used Linus, a boy who is depicted of not being the traditional adventurous boy, but rather a shy boy who did not want to stray far from his trusted blanket. And yet from this boy, comes the true message of Christmas. As his friend Charlie Brown stands there getting ridiculed for the sickly tree that he bought for their pageant. Linus stands there watching clenching his blanket and sucking his thumb. A frustrated Charlie Brown asks can anyone tell him what Christmas is all about? To which Linus takes center stage and begins his iconic speech. For those with a keen eye who watch they movie you will notice about 2 lines in, Linus drops his trusted blanket. The very item that brings him comfort and joy he willingly lets go of.

Maybe you have noticed this in the past when you have watched it, but have you noticed what line he is stating when this takes place?

Luke 2:10 ESV

10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy. Good news of great joy. This joy, this great joy is the topic of our message for today. The title of our message for today is A Joy Untold and we will be looking to the 35th chapter of Isaiah starting in verse 1. If you brought your own Bible please turn there now. If you are using the blue pew Bible it can be found on page 663. Or you can follow along on the screen.

Let us hear the word of the Lord.

Isaiah 35:1–10 ESV

1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

May the Lord bless the reading of his word.

As we approach our passage for today we need to keep the context in mind. Remember we discussed two weeks ago that Isaiah was writing about the time that the Northern Kingdom was hauled off into captivity by the Assyrians. Isaiah was trying to get the people of the kingdom of Judah to wake up and see what was going on. Yet, the people had become blind and deaf. God’s judgement was brewing. It was getting ready to pour out on the people of Judah.

Yet, if we read just this passage we do not see a sign of judgement. We read of joy everlasting. That is where we need to understand what comes right before. In chapter 34 Isaiah warns the people of a great and terrible day that is coming. A day that will cause the earth to drink it’s full in blood. Look at some of what Isaiah relays from the Lord.

Isaiah 34:5–12 ESV

5 For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. 6 The Lord has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat. 8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. 9 And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch. 10 Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. 11 But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness. 12 Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing.

Yet, this is not the end. No it is not the conclusion. For what comes after chapter 34 is chapter 35. H.C. Leupold agrees with Luther that at the start of verse 1 of chapter 35 there should be a strong adversative such as the word “but.” He continues to stat,

“Edom, the symbol of all the enemies of the people of God. face a grim prospect of desolation;

but the land of the people of God, yea the people themselves have a most hopeful prospect of the future.”

Between these two chapters Isaiah paints for the reader a contrasted picture. The first picture is that of death and destruction. Of barrenness and a land uninhabitable to mankind. The second is that of renewal and regeneration. Of life replacing where there once was death. And not for the temporary, but rather for eternity. This is the picture that Isaiah paints for his reader. After God has poured his wrath out on sin and death, he brings back to life that which was once dead. As we consider this passage today we will see four stanzas that ought to fill us with a joyous anticipation.

The Land Renewed

Verses 1 and 2 paint or us this picture of the land being renewed as it is brought back to life. The land was cursed during man’s fall. What once was to be a lush tropical garden became a barren desert where thorns and thistle grew. When we consider the first two verses of this passage we can see that this prophecy has not been completely fulfilled yet. Paul’s word to us in Romans 8 would also indicate this.

Romans 8:22 ESV

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

We still experience this today. Often times we forget that all of nature around us was also created by God in such a way that it responds to Him as well. Yet within our first two verse for today we see that they respond to God, rejoicing with joy and singing.

Isaiah 35:1–2 ESV

1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.

When we consider this something that we need to keep in mind is that the wilderness to Israel was connected to the memory of a time of testing. A time when due to their lack of faith they lost out on the ability to enter the promise land and had to wander int he wilderness for 40 years. There was the ancestral memory of living through the harshness of the wilderness. To hear that a day is coming when that physical area is renewed because of your God and the fact that he is working that out. That God is causing a glory to shine forth from the land, not only should creation sing for joy, but man ought to sing along with it.

I want you to consider for a moment an area in your life where there is a memory that is connected to hurt. Maybe it is a physical place. Your parents house, an old work place, a certain street, maybe your own house, or a specific room within your house. The thought of that place tends to bring you memories of pain. It is a place that you would rather not think about or remember if you could. Do you know that God is going to renew that place? One day God is going to renew that place that has caused pain in your life to where it will sing to the glory of God.

Now you might sit there and think, “Pastor Ben you just said that this is not fulfilled yet, that this is for a future day. I can’t wait for a future day. This pain affects me now. These memories haunt me now. Where is my hope for now?” These are fair and valid points. Isaiah’s second stanza has some insight for us.

Your Mind Renewed

Amid Isaiah’s prophecy there is an exhortation to God’s people. An exhortation that has some echoes 700 years later to a group of shepherds on a night outside of Bethlehem. Isaiah records for us in verses 3 and 4

Isaiah 35:3–4 ESV

3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

When we read through these verses we need to understand that Isaiah is not speaking to the weak and old. No, here Isaiah is speaking to those who are controlled by their emotions. And while there may be some more prone to this than others, all of us here in some way or another at some time or another have experienced this. We have experienced our emotions being that which is controlling us. When we consider these verses I want you to stop and think for a moment. What is the physiological response to fear? Weak knees, sweaty palms, loss of strength. And while some may argue that this is a natural response that God has given us to keep us safe, we can allow fear to keep us from following our Lord in the fashion that we should.

While fear may be a built in response it is not to control us any different than any other emotion. Our minds are to be trained to control our emotions. Look what Paul told Timothy.

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

If you are a child of God, he has given you a Spirit that empowers you to love those around you and helps to transform your own mind so that you are self-controlled not emotionally controlled. This is the same sentiment that Isaiah is sharing here. Isaiah is saying to those who are afraid, to those filled with anxiety, stand strong. Yet, this standing strong is not rooted in what you can do to change your situation. No it is rooted in God.

Isaiah 35:4 ESV

4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Does fear overtake you more that you would like it to? Do anxious thoughts rule your mind most of your days? God is saying to you today, “be strong fear not, for I am coming to save you.” And see, what Isaiah was prophesying about here, 700 years later came to a partial fulfillment, when angels lit up the night sky and told some shepherds, “Fear not, behold, for I bring good news of great joy.” You do not need to be ruled by fear, anxiety, or worry. If you have found Christ as your savior, your greatest issue is taking care of. If these types of emotions control you, I would strongly recommend that you join one of our small groups. The material we are currently working through speaks to this issue. And as always I am happy to make my self available if there is something you would like to talk through.

Be strong fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. He will come and save you. Find hope in that, find joy in that. The one who has a perfect, vengeance is coming to save you.

Your Body Renewed

As Isaiah moves to the next stanza he moves from the renewal of the mind to the renewal of the body. What is interesting here is that he begins with the blind and the deaf.

Isaiah 35:5–7 ESV

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

We have seen that the people of Israel were considered to be deaf and blind. They were a people who could neither see nor hear the word of God. They had become this way because they had chosen to follow the ways of the nations around them. Worshiping the images that they created with their hands. Idols that could neither see nor hear.

Psalm 115:4–8 ESV

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. 8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

God’s rejuvenating power comes by first causing us to hear and see the truths that are embedded throughout his word. As we come to learn, as we come to trust, as we come to live by, the more we see God manifest himself to us and the more present his power becomes in our lives. Now hear me, I am not saying that if you simply have more faith and do the the right things you will see Jesus. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that as we grow in our understanding of God, his word, and his ways, we will sense his realness all the more.

I will be honest this is an area that I have struggled with. There are days that I just want Jesus to physically walk into my office put his hand on my shoulder and make it all very plain and clear to me. Often times when I am having a day like that usually a couple verses end up popping into my head throughout the day.

John 14:21 ESV

21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

Or

John 20:29 ESV

29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

I have come to understand these as the loving gentle reminder that my Lord is always with me. And to be entirely honest, having Jesus show up is not so much about being with Jesus, but rather having the assurance to counter my doubts.

And I would imagine that if I asked around here I am not the only one that deals with this. We want Jesus to be real to us but we want to define what real is. We want to define what faith is. We want to define what assurance is. Yet, that is not our role seeing how God already defined faith for us.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. This is what Paul starts out Hebrews 11 with, a definition of faith. What follows is the account of many from the OT that had shown faith. This is why Hebrews 11 is known as the Hall of Faith or the Faith Hall of Fame. Yet at the end of 11 Paul states that while these individuals are to be commended for their faith, they did not receive the promise that has been awarded to us. Well what is that promise. That is where the start of 12 picks up.

Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

See the renewal of our bodies comes only after the renewal of our spirit. While there is a day that the physically blind and deaf will again see and hear, all who want to see that day must first have opened their spiritual eyes and ears. Once that is done then we can begin to grow in our understanding of God and trust of him. We can do like we did a couple weeks ago and give the opportunity for individuals to come forward and confess their sins and be anointed with oil and prayed over in hopes for healing, because we trust what our Lord has said. Yet, we know that just because we follow the mechanics does not guarantee healing, but we can still trust in the sovereignty of our God.

Growing up there was a couple that attended my church who were a great example of a godly couple. They were the Douglasses. Mrs. Douglass was my first 4-H leader which was a baking club when I was 7 or 8. Now Mrs. Douglass had an illness that would cause great pain throughout her body to the point that some days she could not get out of bed. As the years went on this caused her to need more hands on care as the frequency and intensity of the pain worsen. Now Mr. Douglass being a godly man prayed for many years that his wife be healed from this illness and be physically restored. Yet, despite his prayers healing never came. Till one day while praying for his wife, God finally helped him to understand that healing would only come when his wife passed from this life to the next. Mr. Douglass had finally found what he needed to fully entrust God with the care of his wife. And when she passed about a year later, while there was grief from his wife being physically gone, he rejoiced that God was faithful in bringing the healing that was needed.

When I read the Gospels and Acts, I am filled with a sense of awe as I read of the miracles that take place. As we rightly should be. I believe that these things can still can place today. In part I believe this because what we consider to be miracles are not an interruption of the norm, but rather the restoration to the norm. Sin is the interruption. Sin is the curse that has separated us from our creator. Sin is what blinds us from being able to see and hear God’s commands and to live in a way that honors him. Sin is what has cursed the land.

Yet, a day is marked when all will be renewed to the norm. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap, the mute will sing, the desert will will be over ran with springs of water. Oh what a glorious day that will be.

The Highway of Holiness

As Isaiah finishes out this prophecy, he concludes with the imagery of a highway that cannot be missed. A highway that has been paved through the barren area and leads up to Zion. A highway that brings joy and assurance.

Isaiah 35:8–10 ESV

8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

As Isaiah present this picture of a roadway, he uses a word that is only for here within our Hebrew text. A while this word get translated to highway or thoroughfare, the root word indicate to pile up. If we looked to the LXX they use the word that means road but modify it with the adjective that means clean or spotless. The idea here is that this highway that Isaiah is talking about is a well maintained highway. It is not like other trails or roads that are subject to the tos and fros of the land. No, this is a roadway in which the land is made to be subject to it. This roadway is built up so that it cannot be mistaken. But this highway is not meant to be traversed by everyone. No it is meant for those who walk in the Way.

As we are considering this from Isaiah, I want us to think about Luke’s introduction to John the Baptist. While describing John’s call to ministry Luke relays this.

Luke 3:4–6 ESV

4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

That sounds like a depiction of the highway of holiness that Isaiah describes in verse 8 of our passage today. If we then consider Jesus’ word int he gospel of John, we can understand that Isaiah’s prophecy here was fulfilled in Christ.

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

And in light of this prophecy we can have greater understanding for Paul’s actions prior to converstion.

Acts 9:1–2 ESV

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

See the Way that Isaiah is talking about is that which comes through Jesus Christ alone. He is the Way of Holiness. He is the one that opens eyes and ears. He is the one to cause the lame to leap the the mute tongue to be loosed. He is the one that causes peace. He is the one that joy is truly found in. He is the one that causes sorrow and sighing to flee away.

Yet, much like the Pharisees, the churchy people of Jesus’ day, we often miss this. We believe that if we just do enough. If I keep just enough commands. If I give just enough money. If I live an upstanding life, then I will find the way. See the issue with that train of thought is that you are placing your hope and security in what you can do. The Pharisees were so angry at those who were the followers of the Way, to the point that there were orders to kill those who belonged to it, they were angry because it meant that everything that they had believed and hoped in was wrong. That their portrayed ability to keep the Law of Moses, to be upright and righteous, was not enough. And see it was never about that. It has never been about what you can do out of your strength, because your ways futile. Your righteous acts are nothing more that filthy rags in the sight of God.

It has always been about what God is going to do. It has always been about his faithfulness, his steadfast love. See if we accept the ESV translation of verse 8, Isaiah says that this way is so plain that even fools will not stray from it.

Isaiah 35:8 ESV

8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

I have met many people who have been hung up on giving their life to Jesus because they feel like they just do not know enough. They wrestle with God with their faith because they believe they haven’t learned enough information. I tell you today that if that is you, if you have been hesitant to really hand your life over to Jesus because you believe that you do not know enough. You are controlled by your desire for knowledge and that desire will never be filled. Paul had all the knowledge in the world about the Scripture and still missed it until Jesus revealed himself to him. See to enter the way, this marvelous glorious way, that Isaiah has described, all you need is to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. As we continue to remember the coming of Christ this Advent season, if you have not given your heart to Jesus, what better time then now. If your heart is heavy this morning and you sense Jesus wanting you to give your life to him but are not sure how to, please find me after service, I would love to talk with you.

END IN PRAYER