JOY TO THE WORLD
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This past week our long journey of adoption finally came to fruition. We prepared for this by taking in a 2 day old baby boy and raising him as our foster child. And then when the parental rights were terminated we applied for adoption and began the process. Since that time we’ve anticipated the day of adoption very patiently — okay, sometimes not so patiently! And on Monday, which was adoption day for us, our long awaited anticipation came to fruition. And this has brought us great joy (as well as a tooth ache for me since my abscessed tooth began bothering me again on the way home!).
There is coming a day when the long anticipated Second Advent of Messiah will occur, and on that day, and forever after, God’s people will experience joy like never before! If you have not done so, please turn with me to as we contemplate this most joyous occasion. As we go through the passage this morning we will look at the return of God’s people, the road which they will take in their journey, the restoration of both nature and mankind, and the response of the redeemed. As we do so, we are going to work the passage backwards, but first let’s read it forwards.
The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus
It will blossom profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, The majesty of our God.
Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.
The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.
No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,
And the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Let’s begin by noting:
The Return
The Return
Look at verse 9b-10.
But the redeemed will walk there,
10 And the ransomed of the LORD will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads.
Simply put:
God’s People will Return to God’s Land with Great Joy
Why is it that God’s people will have such great joy?
Because of their redemption
This will be a physical redemption with a spiritual preparation
The return of God’s people to the Land of Israel is the physical redemption which was only made possible because the Lamb of God took away the sin of the world
There is also a spiritual redemption with a physical preparation
The cross of Christ was the physical preparation for our spiritual redemption
What will happen when the people of God take their place in His kingdom?
There joy will be expressed by shouting ()
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
How long will this joy last?
It will be unending
What will be the outcome of such exuberant joy?
It will chase away any gloom or sadness
The Road
The Road
Look at verses 8-9.
A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.
No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,
Note that:
God’s People will Travel on the Highway of Holiness Which was Prepared by The Lord
How was this road prepared?
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
Who can travel on this special road?
Only those who are holy
What will be the travel conditions?
There will be nothing to impede travel
Could the lack of lions and viscous beasts be because Satan and his hosts have been bound for a thousand years?
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
The Restoration
The Restoration
Look at the end of verse 6-7.
For waters will break forth in the wilderness
And streams in the Arabah.
7 The scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground springs of water;
In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
Note that:
God’s People will Find the Desert Has Been Turned into a Refreshing Oasis
What is “the Arabah?”
The Arabah is an arid desert
A scorched land
What will happen to this desert region?
It will become a lush Oasis
Perhaps the intention is for it to be a rest area for weary travelers
Remember that the residents of the Millennium will still be clothed with unglorified mortality. They will need times of physical rest and refreshment
How can the desert be turned into an Oasis?
Because creation itself will be redeemed ()
The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus
It will blossom profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, The majesty of our God.
The Restoration Part 2
The Restoration Part 2
Look at verses 5-6.
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.
Note that:
God’s People will be Joyful Because of Their Physical and Spiritual Restoration
We read earlier as part of our Scripture reading how John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask if He is the coming one. And Jesus replied by reminding them of this passage which was written about the coming of Messiah.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see:
the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
It was understood that when Messiah comes He will restore all things. However, the restoration that took place during the first century was only a foretaste of what is to come when Messiah will return to earth and establish His eternal kingdom.
Finally let’s consider
The Response
The Response
Look at verses 3-4.
Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
Note that:
God’s People Should Respond to the Knowledge of Christ Return by Encouraging One Another
Encouragement is such an important part of the Christian life. Consider how we can encourage one another by referring to our salvation in Christ:
For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
What could be more encouraging than that? The writer of Hebrews highlighted the importance of encouraging one another as well.
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Encouraging one another in this present age helps to keep us from being hardened by sin. That is one of the reasons why it is so imperative that we come together as a Body of Christ on a regular basis.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
In the age to come, the Messianic age, the people living during this wondrous time will still be plagued by the sin nature that is passed down from Adam. The good news is that Satan and his minions will be bound in chains and unable to intensify temptation. But the fact of the matter is that we don’t need Satan to tempt us. Our own lustful flesh does a fine job of that without his help! Therefore encouragement will still be an important part of the life of God’s people.
Joy is not just something that awaits us in the future. We can have joy in the here and now. Christ intended for us to find joy in His word.
These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Peter stated that because of the inheritance that awaits us, in view of the return of Christ, the believer is joyful.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
If I had been doing a full exposition of Isaiah we would have seen that the previous chapter, chapter 34, referred to the judgment that awaits the nations. In other words the judgment that awaits those who are outside of Christ. Those who are outside have of Christ will be condemned to an eternity which is unthinkably horrendous. Scripture speaks of them burning in fire, and yet not being consumed. In contrast to that, for those who are in Christ there will be exuberant joy. Which situation describes you?
God — Creator and Ruler
Man — Refusal to submit to God’s rule
Christ — Redeemer — wrath absorber —
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.
Response — Receive or reject
This morning we have consider the great joy that awaits those are found in Christ. We have looked at the return, the road, the restoration, and the response. How will you respond?
For the believer, my hope is that we will respond by making a determination of doing a better job of encouraging our fellow believers in Christ. For those who are outside of Christ, my hope is that you will respond by embracing the message of the gospel and receiving Christ Jesus and your Lord and Savior.
Let’s pray.
Closing Song: #761
Therefore the Redeemed of the Lord